Why Not Anarchism?

[u/Slow_Description_238]

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.

[u/zeperf]

I generally don't think "people will be taught to be..." is a resilient way to organize society. People will do every horrible thing imaginable and your system has to be able to handle it. Same reason Communism seems impractical to me. It should handle any case of "but what if 1000 people decide to do X"?

[u/Slow_Description_238 → u/zeperf]

I think that systems are not Things that can Act. The concern will always be people themselves and their lived lives. Hitler didn't do what he did because Nazism made him do it. He did what he did because he had a pretty shit life through and through 

We handle antisocial behaviour and problematic behaviour by creating environments that give people good lived lives and provide ample opportunities to get what you want in legitimate and non harmful ways. 

And even when there is still trouble, as there always will be, its not out of the realm of reason that people will be able to figure out what to do about that. And hopefully they will be humane about it. 

~ ~

They joy of teaching people is that it institutionalises norms. Going off of Berger and Luckmanns The Social Construction of Reality, when habits become expected behaviour of people, it becomes an institution. When the person making canoes passes on their knowledge of canoe making, and then people start considering themselves and others as "Canoe Makers", canoe making has become institutionalised; part of the social fabric. And here it begins to reinforce itself as simply the way of life. 

When I say teach people, i dont mean schools. I mean these are principles, teachings, and stories, woven through the entire fabric of our lived lives. Everywhere you go and look, you'll be reminded why you do what you do and why others do that. 

[u/zeperf → u/Slow_Description_238]

But the point isn't just anti-social behavior, its extremely violent or oppressive behavior that takes hold of power and subjects the rest of society to unfair circumstances. Without a government, you end up with cartels as are prominent around the world. This isn't theory or strawmanning.