LJ Idol part 20 - Week 1

[mezzomint]

Open topic! Nice. Since we are still getting to know each other, let me take a moment to talk about my love for political anarchism and what it means to me:

My view of political anarchism begins with the belief that all beings are here with me, not for me. Coincidentally, this is also the foundational belief for my veganism, Buddhism, anti-capitalism, feminism, anti-racism, anti-colonialism, etc., etc. It is also worth noting here that I am a socialist, and all anarchists are socialists, but not all socialists are anarchists. I call it political anarchism because of the unfortunate contemporary practice of equating anarchism with chaos. Political anarchism is not chaotic. It holds that all authority is illegitimate until proven legitimate, and the bar of proof is very high, perhaps beyond even a somewhat unreasonable doubt. But some authority can be legitimate. If a child starts to run into traffic, and a parent grabs the child to halt their movement, that parent is exerting authority over the child. This is legitimate authority. It protects the child and is in the interest of social wellbeing. Authority, however, is never absolute, even the authority of a parent over their child. Authority can always be questioned. Authority can also come from expertise. For example, the opinion of a hydro-electric engineer would count for more in matters of the safe operation of a hydro-electric facility than my opinion as a nurse. Likewise, my opinion as a nurse would count for more in matters of patient safety than that of a hydro-electric engineer. That being said, both myself and the hydro-electric engineer have a right to voice opinions on matters outside of our realms of expertise because collaboration is foundational to political anarchism. Therefore, in political anarchism, authority is always questioned, limited, and collaborative. If you are interested in learning more about political anarchism and how it can function, I recommend checking out the free online resources at The Anarchist Library theanarchistlibrary.org. I also highly recommend my favorite fictional representation of anarchist society: The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin. Also, Le Guin's short story The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas is a wonderful story that explores the idea that beings are here with us, not for us.

Comments

[imafarmgirl]

This is interesting. Thanks for sharing and explaining.

[pixiebelle]

I’ve been meaning to read Ursula K. Le Guin so I’ll take this as another sign to do so. I’m a socialist and likely share some of the same beliefs, though I’d have to learn more to say for sure. Thanks for sharing!

[hafnia]

Her work is really wonderful — you ought to! You can start with the short stories if the novels are intimidating, they're really wonderful too. :)

[simplyn2deep]

I appreciated this explanation because “anarchism” is one of those words that can immediately conjure up a very specific image, and you did a good job explaining what the philosophy means to you beyond that stereotype. Your distinction between rejecting all authority and questioning whether authority is actually justified was especially interesting. That skepticism toward unjustified authority is also a recognized theme within anarchist political philosophy.

I also liked the examples with the parent, nurse, and hydro-electric engineer because they made an abstract political idea much easier to understand. And the idea that “all beings are here with me, not for me” gives the entry a clear thread connecting the different beliefs you mention. Definitely an interesting getting-to-know-you post!

[penpusher]

I really like the elements shared here and the concise explanations. We certainly need to have these conversations, especially now that we are reaching what may be an untenable situation for the nation. What am I saying, we past untenable about 21 months ago!

There's a lot to think about here. Thanks for this.

[muchtooarrogant]

I enjoyed learning more about this concept, thank you.

Dan

[bsgsix]

Agreed about authority, and I like how you shared this with such clarity and solid explanations. Also, "The Ones Who Walk Away From Omelas" is an amazing story; it's one I talk about often. I really enjoyed the discussion of this topic, as well as hearing and understanding more about your views. Thank you for writing something that is so relevant and thoughtful! <3

[adoptedwriter]

Interesting concept. Thanks for the learning moment!

[humanbeansradio]

The distinction between authority and legitimate authority was interesting to think about. Thanks for sharing!

[hafnia]

The Dispossessed is such a great book. :)

[gardeningatnight]

This reminds me of my younger years when I sometimes ran in such circles and reading philosophy and admiring Emma Goldman.

[purplepetrichor]

This was interesting. Good description of the concept!

Also, I really enjoy reading Le Guin. I’ll have to check these out.

[reidharriscooper]

Sounds just like how society should function. If that's anarchy, then we're all anarchists. Well cept for The Sex Pistols... who were never actually. They loved being told what to do... no brains.

[ofearthandstars]

I also live by a "with me, not for me" philosophy.
The hardest part of political anarchism that I have found is that it is not always collaborative - reaching consensus between differing opinions can be difficult, and sometimes you are dealing with stubborn ego personalities, which means things do get stuck in a quagmire. Not always the case, but when it happens it is exhausting.
The idea, though, is something to aspire to.

[krispykritter]

I love this" beings are here with us not for us." This was an interesting entry. I've been meaning to read Le Guin forever. Thanks for sharing.

[halfshellvenus]

I wouldn't have thought that political anarchy was different from generalized chaos, but you explained it really well.

[n3m3sis43]

Hi! I enjoyed reading this. I'm a socialist too, and idk if I am formally a political anarchist, but I think I might be. Will definitely read these suggested works by Ursula K Le Guin!

[lapis_lazuli615]

Nice (further) introduction. I feel like this is what I am, without having had the term for it. :)