Anarchism

Anarchism can refer to any of a range of political views, characterized by a rejection of authority in various forms.

Criticism

See also Criticisms of socialism for a general critique of socialism, some of which may apply to anarchism. Criticisms specific to each school of anarchist thought can be found under their corresponding articles.

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Self-Defense

One criticism of anarchism claims that the lack of a state (in particular, police and military forces) would leave the community defenseless against organised violence. Many anarchists believe in a distinction between interpersonal violence and state violence. They see interpersonal violence as a creation of class society and patriarchy, effectively producing people predisposed to violence. State violence is viewed by all anarchists as the result of power structures and the nature of the state. Briefly, anarchists believe that the establishment of anarchy will preclude most individual and social violence. Anarchists also point to examples of autonomous and anarchist societies in which the self-management of society has led to a reduction in crime; for example, Zapatista communities, the Spanish Revolution, and various IWW-led uprisings and strikes that have caused short-term near-anarchic situations.

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Most anarchists perceive the need for some kind of organised communal self-defence, in the context of a world with continuing states and other repressive institutions. For many, this would take the form of an armed voluntary militia undifferentiated from the community at large, and organised on a fundamentally collective basis. Additionally, most anarchists perceive the need for social systems of mediation and arbitration to resolve disputes in a voluntary manner, replacing the judicial functions of courts. However, individualist anarchists tend to advocate "private police" and private courts to protect individual liberty and private property.

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Critics, however, express doubts concerning the effectiveness of a voluntary militia against a ruthless modern military using weapons of mass destruction and hierarchical structure. Critics also argue that historical examples, like the Spanish Civil War, do not support the theory that anarchist communities can defend themselves. Some anarchists argue that examples like the Spanish Civil War actually support their contention that even communities who face vastly superior forces and are poorly supplied can hold out when they believe they are fighting for a just cause.

Related Topics:
Weapons of mass destruction - Spanish Civil War

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Production

Main article: Anarchist economics

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Some critics of Anarchism claim that modern economic production in a stateless society is impossible. This critique assumes that economic order can only result from State central planning or capitalist market forces. Social, democratic or other emergent structures of production are seen as impossible within this critique.

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In a stateless society where one community has no formal relationship with another, as some anarchists envision, production would be localized, eliminating the benefits of Economies of Scale and regional specialization. Some anarchists see a positive social value in communities producing the majority of their own needs, this would mean socially chosen losses in economic efficiency. Other anarchists oppose the transportation of goods for environmental reasons, the mass production of goods for cultural or environmental reasons, or industrial production for ethical and environmental reasons. However, many anarchists support the socialisation of industrial production, and see no contradiction between producing for economies of scale and community interests.

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Though anarchists are against a centrally controlled or coordinated economic system, most do believe that some sort of system (or multiple co-existing systems) must replace the current, capitalist system, either with a gift economy, a time-based currency, or other, theoretical exchange/production paradigms. Bob Black proposed that anarchy would allow for "the abolition of work"http://www.zpub.com/notes/black-work.html.

Related Topics:
Gift economy - Time-based currency - Bob Black

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