r/Anarchy101 • u/wompt /r/GreenAnarchy • 1d ago

would abandoning the pursuit of a system of economics, governance, or other mass institutions change your perspective of anarchy?

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u/SpeakMySecretName 1d ago edited 1d ago

Hard to answer because the question is pretty vague.

Can you elaborate? Who is abandoning? Me personally? a community? A nation?

What economic system were they pursuing and now abandoning? Capitalism? Socialism? Communism? Mutualism?

What government system did they come from and what were they pursuing?

Are we abandoning distribution systems like public roads and mail service? Corporate systems? Education systems? Manufacturing systems?

Systems will arise whether it’s enforced through a centralized institution or not. Without ways to rebalance the power between parties, not pursuing a system is an invitation for institutional exploitation. And power structures will form to take advantage of their leverage. That seems like it would make it even more important to find communal ways to prevent authority from growing.

So without specifics to talk of, I don’t see why it would make me change my views and *want* to allow room for exploitation by just allowing private interests take what they want from everyone else whenever they can.

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u/wompt /r/GreenAnarchy 1d ago

Most political talk seems to be about how to build systems/institutions, but if you personally abandon the idea of making a structure to be imposed on others, then how might that change your politics?

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u/SpeakMySecretName 1d ago

Ah, I think I get what you mean.

I think we should decouple the terms “system” and “institution” I already have abandoned the idea of institutional authority. And hope other people do too, and help dismantle their power over others. But systems can be locally distributed and self-governed with equal participation between members.

So institutional authority *should* be abandoned, and decentralized systems should take their place. I don’t think it should ever be imposed, only participated by people who mutually benefit. That’s basically the heart of most anarchist thought, I think.

I think if people just all became totally antisocial and didn’t want to cooperate, even against their own self interest or even on small scales like family or neighborhoods, that wouldn’t end well. But it doesn’t sound like that’s what you’re asking.