Anarchy 101

Introductions to anarchist ideas, up till now, have suffered from being one-dimensional, too lengthy, or too sectarian. The history, practice, and philosophy of anarchy has suffered for this lack. We haven't encouraged new generations to approach our ideas other than on mostly sectarian terms. Anarchy 101 is an edited crowd-sourced introduction to anarchist ideas. The content comes from the website and represents the best responses from dozens of contributors to hundreds of questions about the Beautiful this thing called anarchy. Contents 4 Introduction 10 Extremely Brief History 14 Questions 18 Why are there so many different definitions of anarchy? 18 What are the main threads of anarchist thinking? 19 Is there an anarchist definition of class? 25 All else being equal, isn't violence inherently antithetical to anarchy? 28 How do anarchists define violence? 29 Where do anarchists place scientists in society? 30 What about technology? 32 What is wrong with the concept of rights? 33 Anarchy vs. Anarchism? 36 How do you respond to people who think that Somalian society is "anarchy"? 38 What are the advantages of anarchy for a society over any form of government? 39 Why does capitalism rely on the State? 40 How can private property be abolished without any authority to abolish it with? 40 What does Nietzsche have to do with anarchism? 43 Are there any critiques of capital that emphasize the individual? 48 When (if ever) is coercion an appropriate choice for an anarchist? 52 Does anarchy mean that I can’t try to coerce people or only that they’re free to walk away if I do? 53 Why are anarchists against hierarchy? 55 What makes someone an anarchist? 60 What’s the general attitude anarchists have of neighborhood/community watch organizations? 62 Are anarchists egalitarians? 66 What do anarchists mean by "equality"? 68 What’s the deal with feminism and anarchy? 70 What are some anarchist critiques of humanism? 74 Stance on egoism (rational/ethical) vs. altruism? 79 Is there a "social" and "anti-social" anarchism? What are the distinctions? 86 What happens when anarchists fundamentally disagree? 99 What is wrong with independent journalists in the eyes of anarchists? 100 How can I be an effective leader (in a non-hierarchical, anti-authoritarian sense)? 103 How do anarchists feel about worker-owned businesses? 111 Are anarchists by definition anti-authoritarian? 112 What is the difference between "revolution" and "insurrection"? 113 What is insurrectionary anarchism? 115 Is class struggle anarchy different from insurrectionary anarchy? 118 What is social war? 119 Liberal or Conservative? 122 What is post-left anarchism? 126 Who do post-Leftists organize or take action with? 128 According to post-leftists, what defines the left? 130 Are actual anarchists socialists? 135 How do anarchists define "identity politics"? 136 What is consensus and how is its use opposed to hierarchy? 139 Why don’t anarchists vote? 141 Is the academy a good place for anarchists? 144 How have the Situationists influenced contemporary anarchism? 146 I’m concerned about how we’ll help those of us who need long term care, like disabled people or the mentally ill. 149 Would an anarchist bookstore clerk call the cops if the bookstore was being robbed at gunpoint? 150 How could people in an anarchist society be protected from violence, aggression, and abuse? 151 What would we do about violent people who are already in prison? 153 How would an anarchist society deal with crimes like rape or serial murder? 158 possible reading list (in no order) 160 PUBLISHED BY ARAGORN MOSER LAYOUT BY LEONA BENTON PRINTED AT "THE COMPOUND": 1818 CARLETON ST. BERKELEY,CA 94703-1908 PUBLISHED BY ARAGORN MOSER,LAYOUT BY LEONA BENTON,PRINTED AT "THE COMPOUND":,1818 CARLETON ST. BERKELEY,CA 94703-1908 Why are there so many definitions of anarchy? What are the main threads of anarchist thinking? Is there are anarchist definition of class? All else being equal, isn't violence antithetical to anarchy? How do anarchists define violence? Where do anarchists place scientists in society? What about technology? What is wrong with the concept of rights? Anarchy vs. Anarchism? How do you respond to people who think Somalian society is “Anarchy"? What are the advantages of anarchy for a society over any form of government? Why does capitalism rely on the State? How can private property be abolished without any authority to abolish it with? What does Nietzsche have to do with anarchism? Are there any critiques of capital that emphasize the individual? When (if ever) is coercion an appropriate choice for an anarchist? Does anarchy mean that I can't try to coerce people or only that they are free to walk away if I do? Why are anarchists against hierarchy? What makes some an anarchist? What's the general attitude anarchists have of neighborhood/community watch organizations? Are anarchists egalitarians? What do anarchists mean by “equality"? What's the deal with feminism and anarchy? What are some anarchist critiques of humanism? Stance on egoism (rational/ethical) vs. altruism? Is there a “social" and “anti-social" anarchism? What are the distinctions? What happens when anarchists fundamentally disagree? What is wrong with independent journalists in the eyes of anarchists? How can I be an effective leader (in a non-hierarchical, anti-authoritarian sense)? How do anarchists feel about worker-owned businesses? Are anarchists by definition anti-authoritarian? What is the difference between “revolution" and “insurrection"? What is insurrectionary anarchism? Is class struggle anarchy different from insurrectionary anarchy? What is social war? Liberal or Conservative? What is post-left anarchism? Who do post-Leftists organize or take action with? According to post-Leftists, what defines the left? Are actual anarchists socialists? How do anarchists define “identity politics"? What is consensus and how is its use opposed to hierarchy? Why don't anarchists vote? Is the academy a good place for anarchists? How have the Situationists influenced contemporary anarchism? I'm concerned with how we'll help those of us who need long term care, like disabled people or the mentally ill. Would an anarchist bookstore clerk call the cops if the bookstore was being robbed at gunpoint? How could people in an anarchist society be protected from violence, aggression, and abuse? What would we do about violent people who are already in prison? How would an anarchist society deal with crimes like rape and murder?