Murray Bookchin

Murray Bookchin (born January 14, 1921) is an American libertarian socialist speaker and writer, and founder of the "Social Ecology" school of anarchist and ecological thought.

Related Topics:
January 14 - 1921 - American - Libertarian socialist - Social Ecology - Anarchist - Ecological

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He was born in New York City and grew up as a self-described "red-diaper baby", imbued with Marxist ideology from his youth. In adolescence he gravitated towards Trotskyism, then gradually became disillusioned with the coercion he saw as inherent in conventional Marxism-Leninism. In some circles he became known for his ability to deliver devastating criticisms of Marxist ideology using conventional Marxist language. In the 1960s he was a member of the Libertarian League. In 1974 he helped found the Institute for Social Ecology.

Related Topics:
New York City - Marxist - Trotskyism - Coercion - Marxism-Leninism - 1960s - Libertarian League - Institute for Social Ecology

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Bookchin has remained a radical anti-capitalist and vocal advocate of the decentralisation of society. His idea of Libertarian Municipalism has had an influence on the Green Movement and anti-capitalist direct action groups such as Reclaim the Streets. He is a staunch critic of biocentric philosophies such as Deep Ecology and the biologically determinstic belief of Sociobiology.

Related Topics:
Anti-capitalist - Decentralisation - Libertarian Municipalism - Green Movement - Anti-capitalist - Direct action - Reclaim the Streets - Biocentric - Deep Ecology - Biologically determinstic - Sociobiology

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Bookchin is the author of many works, including Post Scarcity Anarchism and The Ecology of Freedom. The Politics of Social Ecology, written together with his partner of twenty some years, Janet Biehl, covers the political realities as viewed by Bookchin and his associates towards the end of the 20th century, maps the histories of key democractic societies which influenced his political philosophy, and defines the implementation of the Libertarian Municipalism concept.

Related Topics:
Janet Biehl - Libertarian Municipalism

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