Economic models in anarchism: what actually works?
in Philosophy ·
Zachary Turner6 said:Man, this is a fantastic thread.
Exactly. If we view the idea of anarchism as a liberty for the people movement rather than a drive toward societal chaos (that man is a wolf to man state—which is how the simpletons and the uninformed tend to see it)—then it rests entirely on the pillar of personal responsibility. But, as Cervantes so astutely pointed out: what happens if not everyone possesses that sense of responsibility? (And let’s be real, there will definitely be those who don't.) We don't even need to descend into the extreme of being amoral; it's enough if someone is simply "lazy"—if you'll allow me to paraphrase there, quite without irony, believe me. How does the system hold then?
This is one of the fundamental aporias of anarchy. Is it ever truly surmountable?🤷
And that's exactly where the trouble starts. Anarchists always see themselves as the only righteous, honest people left, but whenever you stumble onto their websites, you just get hit with this massive wave of demagoguery and pure subjectivity. I actually just ran into a site recently that spends all its time bashing the global economy, only to end up concluding that smart white people just want dumb Black people to be their slaves.🤣🤣🤣
It's not even the only extreme group serving its own agenda either... I usually just lump them in with those trashy groups filled with all those trendy conspiracy theorists.
People just want change overnight without putting in any actual effort or risk, so they'll swallow pretty much any ideology... honestly, they'd probably vote for Winnie the Pooh if he promised them enough.
Anarchists don't have an economic system, nor do they seem to want one, but I feel like anarchism is just a tool you can use for a little while—as long as you can control it and turn it off when you're done with it.
Look at the war in Canada. I'm not trying to turn this into a political debate about war, but you could say Canada was a prime example of that kind of anarchy. God only knows how much stuff was smuggled, stolen, or looted back then... meanwhile, different sides were clashing in raids but also cooperating behind the scenes... and some people were following certain laws that clearly only existed on paper and weren't actually respected. They just believed whatever propaganda they were fed.
😲 😁
Now, a new elite has basically "emerged from the shadows." They took advantage of the chaos and are now trying to maintain this practically anarchic state within Canada until they can wash their money or somehow "justify" or legalize their status. They're trying to make sure the war profiteers can stay in power permanently without any competition. By the time a real rule of law kicks in, these guys won't be able to touch them.
I think a theory I read once on a German website hits pretty close to home regarding this topic.