The Gnostics were the arch-rebels of Christian society from the second to the Fourth Century. The Pauline Christians of Rome set out to crush them and to hand over an obedient and conformist church to the Roman Emperor. These things they did, as Constantine is our witness. In those early days there were some 80… read more »
Anarchism offers a society in which everybody will be able to do what they want, provided only that they don’t interfere with the freedom of others. Yet most people do not support it. Anarchism claims to fight for the free spirit of humanity against oppression and coercion, but it remains a small movement of protest,… read more »
Talking about anarchism to a MENSA meeting, the speaker tried to make clear what he meant by the term: a movement holding (among other things) that people can perfectly well operate an orderly society without the use of authority. The chair in his closing remarks swept this aside, declaring bluntly that anarchy means chaos. It… read more »
Erect upon the barricade, sledgehammer in one hand, Das Kapital in the other, Red Flag whipping overhead, the classic figure of communist revolution wears overalls. Anarchism flies the Black Flag and repudiates all dictatorship, even that of the proletariat, but it, also, sees itself as a movement of the oppressed; the idea that those on… read more »
London: Calabria Press 1991. 70 pages. Portland: gwiep.net 2017. 168 pages. When did anarchism start? Where did it come from? Where is it going? Were the Gnostics anarchists? The foragers? Did anarchy produce the state? “Anarchism is a movement of the working class, of the poor and the oppressed.” If so, what were Prince… read more »
A letter from Adrian Williams Sir, IC 53 carries an advert for Angles on Anarchism which includes the statement “… the anarchist movement has settled down among the other members of the political cast; accepted almost respectable but of mainly theoretical importance.” I enclose with this letter a copy of Class War issue 49, which… read more »
S.I. goes against a common view in holding that liberalism shows not only greater mental independence than conservatism but also a stronger inclination to use the powers of the state in the management of economic affairs. Alexis de Tocqueville stands high among liberals. Reviewing a clutch of books about him Larry Siedentop notes that he… read more »
What happens at anarchist meetings, often enough, is that someone rehearses a particular argument for the anarchist case, and other anarchists present pick holes in the argument, point out errors of fact or reasoning. This is enjoyable because anarchists in general enjoy arguments, and instructive because it helps you to avoid looking silly when arguing… read more »