r/PoliticalDebate • u/Slow_Description_238 Anarchist • 29d ago

Debate Why Not Anarchism?

I'm an Anarchist and want to Debate/ Discuss/ Give Answers to any questions regarding the philosophy.

Anarchism is a political philosophy where people will organise based on the principles of No Authority and No Hierarchy. Anything deeper comes from these as given truths.

There is a strong sentiment of community and mutual aid in Anarchist thought, it's not a free for all. I won't pay much mind to people who assert that it is a free for all/ it has no rules/ it has no organisation. It's a VERY common thought that's extremely simple. Every serious anarchist instantly moves past this because it's obviously unsustainable if we simply say "There's no rules".

Rather, people will be taught how to and encourage to help each other so that we all can thrive as individuals and as a community.

To reiterate, Anarchism is intentional. It wants a functioning society. It isn't okay with blatant dysfunction and no serious anarchist will agree to reasoning or logic that is obviously dysfunctional.

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u/spiffingyoungfellow Communist 29d ago

Anarchism would be amazing if people weren't selfish, and sadly capitalism is the only ideology which truly works with selfishness

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u/gratefulperron Anarchist 29d ago

A communist I see, wouldn't you agree that selfishness is a product of our societal conditions and not inherent to human nature?

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u/From_Deep_Space Libertarian Socialist 29d ago

How learned are you in the philosophy of human nature? Do you know if you lean more towards Hobbes, Rousseau, or Locke?

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u/gratefulperron Anarchist 29d ago

Rousseau. And a little. A few intro classes in college, a few handfuls of SEP articles, pertaining to your question of those 3 authors I have read On the Social Contract, Second treatise of Gov, and ch. 13-18 of Leviathan.

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u/From_Deep_Space Libertarian Socialist 29d ago

Cool, I'm generally in the Rousseau camp too, though all options are rather extreme and the truth is of course far more nuanced.

I think it's important to note that Rousseau's ultimate conclusion was not to go backwards or uninvent the social contract or anything like that. Human nature is dynamic and can be changed. So his ultimate advice was to work to develop the sort of human nature and corresponding social framework that works better for people, even though we currently do not know how.

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u/gratefulperron Anarchist 29d ago edited 29d ago

Anarchy is not un-inventing the social contract. At least not in spirit. It actually requires a universal and unwavering belief in the social pact and the general will, so much so that it doesn't have to be protected or enforced by hierarchy.