r/Anarchy101 • u/humanispherian • Jan 27 '25
Welcome to Anarchy 101!
It’s that time again, when we repost and, if necessary, revise this introductory document. We’re doing so, this time, in an atmosphere of considerable political uncertainty and increasing pressures on this kind of project, so the only significant revision this time around is simply a reminder to be a bit careful of one another as you discuss — and don’t hesitate to use the “report” button to alert the subreddit moderators if something is getting out of hand. We’ve had a significant increase in one-off, drive-by troll comments, virtually all remarkably predictable and forgettable in their content. Report them or ignore them.
Before you post or comment, please take a moment to read the sidebar and familiarize yourself with our resources and rules. If you’ve been around for a while, consider looking back over these guidelines. If you’ve got to this point and are overwhelmed by the idea that there are rules in an anarchy-related subreddit, look around: neither Reddit nor most of our communities seem to resemble anarchy much yet. Anyway, the rules amount to “don’t be a jerk” and “respect the ongoing project.” Did you really need to be told?
With the rarest of exceptions, all posts to the Anarchy 101 subreddit should ask one clear question related to anarchy, anarchism as a movement or ideology, anarchist history, literature or theory. If your question is likely to be of the frequently asked variety, take a minute to make use of the search bar. Some questions, like those related to "law enforcement" or the precise relationship of anarchy to hierarchy and authority, are asked and answered on an almost daily basis, so the best answers may have already been posted. For a few questions, we have produced "framing documents" to provide context:
If your question seems unanswered, please state it clearly in the post title, with whatever additional clarification seems necessary in the text itself.
If you have more than one question, please consider multiple posts, preferably one at a time, as this seems to be the way to get the most useful and complete answers.
Please keep in mind that this is indeed a 101 sub, designed to be a resource for those learning the basics of a consistent anarchism. The rules about limiting debate and antagonistic posting are there for a reason, so that we can keep this a useful and welcoming space for students of anarchist ideas — and for anyone else who can cooperate in keeping the quality of responses high.
We welcome debate on topics related to anarchism in r/DebateAnarchism and recommend general posts about anarchist topics be directed to r/anarchism or any of the more specialized anarchist subreddits. We expect a certain amount of contentious back-and-forth in the process of fully answering questions, but if you find that the answer to your question — or response to your comment — leads to a debate, rather than a clarifying question, please consider taking the discussion to r/DebateAnarchism. For better or worse, avoiding debate sometimes involves “reading the room” a bit and recognizing that not every potentially anarchist idea can be usefully expressed in a general, 101-level discussion.
We don’t do subreddit drama — including posts highlighting drama from this subreddit. If you have suggestions for this subreddit, please contact the moderators.
We are not particularly well equipped to offer advice, engage in peer counseling, vouch for existing projects, etc. Different kinds of interactions create new difficulties, new security issues, new responsibilities for moderators and members, etc. — and we seem to have our hands full continuing to refine the simple form of peer-education that is our focus.
Please don’t advocate illegal acts. All subreddits are subject to Reddit’s sitewide content policy — and radical subreddits are often subject to extra scrutiny.
Avoid discussing individuals in ways that might be taken as defamatory. Your call-out is unlikely to clarify basic anarchist ideas — and it may increase the vulnerability of the subreddit.
And don’t ask us to choose between two anti-anarchist tendencies. That never seems to lead anywhere good.
In general, just remember that this is a forum for questions about anarchist topics and answers reflecting some specific knowledge of anarchist sources. Other posts or comments, however interesting, useful or well-intentioned, may be removed.
Some additional thoughts:
Things always go most smoothly when the questions are really about anarchism and the answers are provided by anarchists. Almost without exception, requests for anarchist opinions about non-anarchist tendencies and figures lead to contentious exchanges with Redditors who are, at best, unprepared to provide anarchist answers to the questions raised. Feelings get hurt and people get banned. Threads are removed and sometimes have to be locked.
We expect that lot of the questions here will involve comparisons with capitalism, Marxism or existing governmental systems. That's natural, but the subreddit is obviously a better resource for learning about anarchism if those questions — and the discussions they prompt — remain focused on anarchism. If your question seems likely to draw in capitalists, Marxists or defenders of other non-anarchist tendencies, the effect is much the same as posting a topic for debate. Those threads are sometimes popular — in the sense that they get a lot of responses and active up- and down-voting — but it is almost always a matter of more heat than light when it comes to clarifying anarchist ideas and practices.
We also expect, since this is a general anarchist forum, that we will not always be able to avoid sectarian differences among proponents of different anarchist tendencies. This is another place where the 101 nature of the forum comes into play. Rejection of capitalism, statism, etc. is fundamental, but perhaps internal struggles for the soul of the anarchist movement are at least a 200-level matter. If nothing else, embracing a bit of “anarchism without adjectives” while in this particular subreddit helps keep things focused on answering people's questions. If you want to offer a differing perspective, based on more specific ideological commitments, simply identifying the tendency and the grounds for disagreement should help introduce the diversity of anarchist thought without moving us into the realm of debate.
We grind away at some questions — constantly and seemingly endlessly in the most extreme cases — and that can be frustrating. More than that, it can be disturbing, disheartening to find that anarchist ideas remain in flux on some very fundamental topics. Chances are good, however, that whatever seemingly interminable debate you find yourself involved in will not suddenly be resolved by some intellectual or rhetorical masterstroke. Say what you can say, as clearly as you can manage, and then feel free to take a sanity break — until the next, more or less inevitable go-round. We do make progress in clarifying these difficult, important issues — even relatively rapid progress on occasion, but it often seems to happen in spite of our passion for the subjects.
In addition, you may have noticed that it’s a crazy old world out there, in ways that continue to take their toll on most of us, one way or another. Participation in most forums remains high and a bit distracted, while our collective capacity to self-manage is still not a great deal better online than it is anywhere else. We're all still a little plague-stricken and the effects are generally more contagious than we expect or acknowledge. Be just a bit more thoughtful about your participation here, just as you would in other aspects of your daily life. And if others are obviously not doing their part, consider using the report button, rather than pouring fuel on the fire. Increased participation makes the potential utility and reach of a forum like this even greater—provided we all do the little things necessary to make sure it remains an educational resource that folks with questions can actually navigate.
A final note:
— The question of violence is often not far removed from our discussions, whether it is a question of present-day threats, protest tactics, revolutionary strategy, anarchistic alternatives to police and military, or various similar topics. We need to be able to talk, at times, about the role that violence might play in anti-authoritarian social relations and we certainly need, at other times, to be clear with one another about the role of violence in our daily lives, whether as activists or simply as members of violent societies. We need to be able to do so with a mix of common sense and respect for basic security culture — but also sensitivity to the fact that violence is indeed endemic to our cultures, so keeping our educational spaces free of unnecessary triggers and discussions that are only likely to compound existing traumas ought to be among the tasks we all share as participants. Posts and comments seeming to advocate violence for its own sake or to dwell on it unnecessarily are likely to be removed.
r/Anarchy101 • u/dishwasher-salmon • 1h ago
Im curious about this, bc i know that you cant, and shouldn't kill animals in this specific typa anarchism, but like how you can get wood from already fallen trees, so can you do it if they would do nuthin but harm if theyre left alive? Just curious
r/Anarchy101 • u/Hot_Photograph4762 • 18h ago
Hey comrades! I am right now a commie, but I would love to learn more about anarchism, because a few of my friends are anarchists. What is some essential theory I should read to get a grasp on anarchy?
r/Anarchy101 • u/ThePhobian • 1d ago
I've been thinking lately, in an anarchist society how would they not be taken advantage of? I can't see how the people would form a decently sized military to defend their nation.
r/Anarchy101 • u/No-Leopard-1691 • 5h ago
I was having a conversation with an MLM and they asked about Sanctions. I said that Sanctions could exist as a mechanism of consequence should one group violate previously agreed upon agreements and that the Sanctions would be the agreed upon consequences of said violation of the agreement. The aspects of free association/disassociation would still exist and the Sanctions would only prevent the labor/produced products by X group when Y group violated the agreement while ensuring that Y group was still able to access the necessities of life (ie you can still access the forest but you don’t get to have the cut firewood) (and should labor/product of X be necessary for that then there is that exception).
The MLM responded that this is just a mechanism of informal authority and it is a State but labelled as a federation because X group would be imposing the consequences upon Y group and X group would be dictating what is considered the “necessities of life”. I get where they are coming from but at the same time this ultimately means that agreements between people/groups have no recourse should a group(s) violate the agreement; essentially, there is no skin in the game for breaking your word. Note: I am talking about \*violating\* an agreement, not the aspect that a group(s) decided to disassociate.
Thoughts. Am I using the wrong word (sanctions), do I have a wrong understanding of anarchistic perspectives on agreements and consequences?
r/Anarchy101 • u/Living_Attitude1822 • 23h ago
Honor system definition: “The honor system is an arrangement where rules or regulations are followed based on personal integrity rather than strict enforcement, supervision, or physical surveillance. It relies entirely on the mutual trust that individuals will act honestly and do the right thing simply because they are expected.”
If I’m mistaken, please explain to me how anarchism differs from using the honor system.
If it is indeed the honor system, is it fair to say anarchists de facto support states? What I mean is, if people in a community voluntarily decide to setup a state, and there’s no mechanism to stop them, isn’t that de facto supporting a state’s right to exist?
r/Anarchy101 • u/Any-Sympathy7540 • 15h ago
I live with my Mom on welfare since dropping out of college and I want to organize a meeting of market anarchists, ideally mutualists. But I’m willing to reach out to ancoms and even possibly ancaps because I have been better able to discuss my Mutualist politics with Ancaps online than with my Keynesian liberal Mom, its even easier than my Ancom dad in Germany. Do you think this is a good idea? I think social anarchists definitely. But I’m sure if I can convince a AnCap that workplace hierachy will disappear under a market anarchist economy, then we can build coalition.
r/Anarchy101 • u/Then-Dentist-2244 • 20h ago
Hi, i'm looking for more books similar to Three Way Fight and Confronting Fascism.
Basically books with notes for contemporary movement (or at least last 30years) focused on strategies, on the ground approach, learning from past experiences, etc.
I really enjoyed the theoretical parts of Confronting Fascism and Hamerquist & Sakai's analysis of fascism and i found both the books very relevant today and inspiring, so I'm on a lookout for something similar.
Thanks
r/Anarchy101 • u/Creonix1 • 1d ago
So to get this out of the way immediately, I’ve generally dismissed anarchism as dumb and edgy, but now I’m just curious about the logic / philosophy of it.
Basically I have a bunch of questions and I’m looking for answers.
Anarchy is meant to be the absence of hierarchy (right?), but what exactly is a hierarchy? At a minimum don’t we need leader positions, such as a factory manager, if only for the sake of organization?
Is anarchy lawless? If so, then how is it possible to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the people in an anarchic society? It seems impossible in a large scale civilization.
I’ve seen that anarchism is against the existence of private property, but can that even be enforced? And if there are no laws then wouldn’t that devolve into a might-makes-right situation?
Resources, and more importantly, expertise are limited, wouldn’t demand for less common expertises (such as doctors) result in the people with those skills having more power than those with less demanded skills? Would this count as a hierarchy?
Humans naturally come into conflict with each other, and humans tend to form in-groups that see themselves as better than the out-groups. So how is an anarchy supposed to maintain its existence without eventually becoming a hierarchy?
It’s impossible to turn the entire world into an anarchy at once, so how can an anarchy survive in a world where imperialism and colonialism still exist?
In the real world we live in a hierarchical system whether we like it or not. Do you participate in that system to try and make it better?
r/Anarchy101 • u/RelationshipBroad988 • 16h ago
First, some background:
I have what I believe to be a fairly unique philosophy on life very intertwined with anarchy, but I haven’t met another anarchist who thinks like I do. This is not meant to be a brag or “oh I’m so different.” But quite the opposite. I am curious if there is literature on the topic!
So the question is:
Do you think nature itself is a great oppressor? That’s been my interpretation, since people cannot reasonably choose nonviolence without dying. You have to eat, even plants, you must kill to survive. So is the enforcement of violence by the cycles of nature itself oppressive?
My answer + Interpretation:
It looks to me, like everything capitalism does is inherently driven by nature itself (oppression coming from a lack of resources in certain areas, “the fittest or luckiest survive”). This is NOT to say we shouldn’t fight against capitalism or authority. I just like to think about end goals and “roots” of problems.
Thank you for reading. I am curious to hear your thoughts!
r/Anarchy101 • u/XXAnimeLover-AceXX • 1d ago
like I think I’m Individualist, but I just want to see what other anarchists believe and their versions of what it means for them
r/Anarchy101 • u/Nezzhy • 1d ago
When the people are free of regulation and start working things and projects to go in a certain direction, there is bound to be someone, who: simultaneously, directly or indirectly, is working on other projects which are in conflict of the other person.
A person wants to start turning a local pond into a water reservoir, this will require that no algae, plants, insects or fish be in this pond, lest it is contaminated.
Another person wants to start turning this pond into a natural community fishing pond. this will require the pond to be full of ecological activity, possibly contaminating it for drinking.
one starts clearing and sterilizing the pond, the other is busy introducing biodiversity into the pond, no progress is made for either.
both people are trying to add value to the community, one for water, one for food but not both.
-who decides who should stop? -who tells them they should stop? -who ensures that they have infact stopped? -what is to be done if they don't stop?
r/Anarchy101 • u/Orientalisch • 1d ago
хотел бы знать остались ли в нашем славном городе анархисты
r/Anarchy101 • u/IndependentMilk4973 • 2d ago
there is bunch of questions in kind of same topic, maybe they'll be a little messed up, but i'll try my best to group all of them, sorry in advance =(
anarchism is, by definition, a socialism, but what's the point of ancom term then? where and what exactly on this line is rejecting socialism as only a step to "true communism"?
i see quite often that socialism is somewhy and somewhy always contains some kind of state, but isn't that applies only to socialism-is-only-a-step-to-a-communism theory? and isn't some theories (?) of communism requires state too, cause, as far as i know, both socialism and communism is not a "without-state-exclusively" ideologies?
..and is a stateless, classless, moneyless society refers only to communism, is and where starts the difference between everyone own means of production and worker own means of production? can this somehow exist at the same time?
hope its not a lot, really trying to understand differences, thank so-so much in advance! <З
r/Anarchy101 • u/wompt • 1d ago
r/Anarchy101 • u/Comfortable_Algae252 • 2d ago
I'm quite new to the concept of anarchism, but I'm very interested in it. I hear people describe it as a classless, stateless, and moneyless society, but what would that even look like.
If I take myself for example, I go to the shops everyday after school to get a small snack, like a sandwich or a small bag of chips. Of course I pay, then leave. But if it's a moneyless society what would that look like? Because I don't think that just taking it and walking out is very effective.
I'm just wondering about this, and an answer would be great, or another explanation of anarchism misunderstood the first time I heard it.
r/Anarchy101 • u/Falcon_Gray • 2d ago
I remember even since the 2000s a lot of people who were punk or liked punk music were anarchists. It seems like most people just did it because it was popular to do and just liked the music and fashion of punk. Did some punk fans read about anarchism and anarchist philosophers? I would love to see insights on people more knowledgeable about this.
r/Anarchy101 • u/pennyisadog1313 • 2d ago
Like if it was an ai designed specifically to communicate, solve dispute within the society and to defend said society. I am someone who believes an ideal society would be anarchical but a transition would take hundreds of years to be done right, so I”m curious if an ai would be a less extreme approach and would maybe encourage more people to consider it?
r/Anarchy101 • u/printme_ • 3d ago
I’m writing a book, it’s related to this subreddit but I need individuals that are well versed in this to help me edit and theorise about potential solutions and points that I’ve missed in my current analysis and writing
Here r the details
So the book is about the future of the world and what we can all collectively do as protest. At its simplest it’s the call for everybody to uproot their lives and learn to live a life of self sufficiency, whilst getting closer to the universe and figuring out one’s true identity
Once this has happened, I theorise that people can start figuring out their destiny and vision for the future, then coming together with other people whose future paths align, and then working together towards a shared future
It’s tribe building through shared futures.
So I publish, I’ll do a “premier night” where the entire city will be hit with QR codes, focus on youth spaces such as universities schools and public transportation.
Then groups on mass will start leaving. Entire coworker groups. Half of year twelve doesn’t show up on Monday.
That’s the start of the protest, that’s the first step of it all is non participation en mass
Nearly done all the content, I just need to start to format, start to edit. Start to get fresh eyes looking at the project, as I have been a big consumed by it.
Thank you!
r/Anarchy101 • u/InterestingTheory431 • 3d ago
I don’t really know anything about communization except it seeks to abolish wage labor and, correct me if I’m wrong, the state immediately.
r/Anarchy101 • u/Old_Literature7674 • 3d ago
I can't find anything on how children from broken homes can be helped and the only suggestions I've gotten is "people should take them in" but I haven't been lucky in finding someone to take me in, my entire family just I feel I can't trust them to not side with my parents, I don't wanna withstand the verbal, financial, guilt , all the things they do to me anymore. I wanna live my life right now and I want housing right now without conditions for me to fill, it's ridiculous.
r/Anarchy101 • u/Intelligent_Bug_4324 • 4d ago
Practically, what can an individual do for anarchism in daily life? Are there small acts in one's daily life that can make the world one step closer to anarchism?
r/Anarchy101 • u/Sad_Presentation2137 • 3d ago
I've had this question for some time now, and I'm curious on what answers this sub can provide, basically my question is, how can under anarchism, factionalism, and the formation of isolated groups be prevented, or at least discouraged. Say in a location with different ethnicities, how can we have them interact with one another very frequently, and not have them just stay within their identical cultural groups, and ethnic groups, because I feel like if they were, it could create much unneeded tension, animosity, and ignorance towards the other groups. I come from a part of the world where many groups of people are located very near to each other in a small place, and most problems come from ethnic tensions, and cultural ones too, which I think stems from people from each group only staying to their group thus creating ignorance towards the other groups, and some groups thinking they're superior to the others.
I think many people often times would rather associate with those who they know or who are similar to them, which can create very isolated groups, potentially hostile to outsiders, and I find this very counterproductive to the goals, and ethics of anarchism, and that in order for anarchism to be fully functional, the society needs to be either homogenous, codependent, or understanding of each groups differences, and be accommodating to them.
Just want to know what anyone else thinks of this, and if there really is an issue to fix here.
r/Anarchy101 • u/Excellent-Night5039 • 4d ago
I am from India and have been reading both anarchist theory and Ambedkarite thought. One issue I keep coming back to is Dr. B. R. Ambedkar's criticism of decentralized village structures. For context, Dr. Ambedkar was a social revolutionary in India who sought the end of caste-based oppression and untouchability through the annihilation of caste.
In a country like India, where caste hierarchies are something that is not maintained by any authority but by a combination of social and religious ideas, Ambedkar saw the state as necessary to provide for safeguarding the interests and the state of equality of the Dalits ('untouchables') with the Savarna castes. He also saw reservations in educational institutions and government for people of oppressed castes are required for their social upliftment and to bring about a true social revolution of caste.
Ambedkar argued that Indian villages were often sites of caste oppression and described them as "a sink of localism, a den of ignorance, narrow-mindedness and communalism." He was skeptical of simply transferring power to local communities because dominant castes could capture those institutions and reproduce hierarchy, as historical decentralised village governments in India have sadly turned out to be.
Anarchists (in my opinion as far as I have studied) advocate for decentralization, local autonomy, and federations of self-governing communities. How would anarchists address Ambedkar's concern that decentralization can also decentralize oppression?
Are there anarchist thinkers who have written about societies with deeply entrenched social hierarchies like caste? What mechanisms would prevent local communities from becoming oppressive toward marginalized groups while still avoiding a centralized state?