Chapter 5: Anarchism
(F) Day of the week: Monday Class: IS301 Created Time: December 7, 2020 12:03 PM Database: Class Notes Database Date: December 7, 2020 12:03 PM Days Till Date: Passed Last Edited Time: June 9, 2021 10:42 AM Type: Lecture
Anarchism is a political theory/ideology: skeptical of the authority or power (political & religious)
Importance of individual liberty
Draws from
- liberalism (individualism)
- Marxism/Socialism
To establish utopian society
1. Etymology: origins & development
Unified academic definition is debated
1.1. Ancient Origins
Ancient Greece & China: anarkhos
- questioned necessity of state
- wanted rights to avoid coercion & control
- stoicism: is philosophy that Happiness comes from not chasing it, treating others good
- cynicism: philosophy human society should be in nature and the natural order
Taoism/Buddhism: had principles based on non-rule
The English Civil War (1642-51): Anarchism became a word in 1642
1.2. The French Revolution 1789
French labeled opponents as ‘Anarchists’
meaning breakdown of civilized/predictable order
The event of the mass public in France set the inspiration for future Anarchism
1.3. William Godwin (1756-1836)
The first to develop modern anarchist thought “Philosophical Anarchism”
Book: “Enquiry Concerning Political Justice” (1793)
- Government has bad influence on society
- Independence + Ignorance
- Didn’t want violence to overthrow government
- People can use their logic and thoughts to get mutual benefits in society
Discussion
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Do Anarchists demand the impossible?
- Anti-statism: Although, non-states is more and more important, states are still central in world politics.
- Natural order
- Anti-clericalism: religion has been with us forever, cannot be ridden of as authority
- Economic freedom: Marxist Socialism is utopianism, cannot be achieved
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How can the political success of Anarchism best be judged?
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Why do Anarchist view the state as evil and oppressive?
Shared by liberation and classical liberal
- State emerged out of force and oppression to civilians
- Their optimist view of human nature: human are naturally good, therefore can manage themselves in society
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How and why is Anarchism linked with utopianism?
It’s basic elements are basically impossible to achieve, more of a dream rather than a goal.
They expect the world and people to be perfect, while they’re not.
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Why and to what extent do anarchists disagree about the nature of the future anarchist society?
Collectivist Anarchist
- Mutualist
- Anarcho Syndicalis
- Anarcho Communist
Individualist Anarchist
- Egoist
- Libertarian
- Anarcho capitalist
Anarcho Pacifist: non-violent
Hard to measure how different they think