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Why wouldn't anarchy work?

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CPS01

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Hi

I'm looking for reasoned arguments for that anarchy won't work.

Please state your personal ideological standpoint along your comment, thanks.
 
It wouldn't work, because there aren't enough people with the ethical integrity to live in that type of environment.

I guess, depending on your pov and outlook regarding the importance of life and equality, you might consider "might makes right" to be an acceptable legal system, but I consider it animalistic.
 
CPS01 said:
Hi

I'm looking for reasoned arguments for that anarchy won't work.

Please state your personal ideological standpoint along your comment, thanks.
Click to expand...
What would stop someone who sees the results of your hard work,
from killing you, and taking what you earned/created?
 
Anarchy would work. However, out of anarchy a state would emerge, just as it did in human history. You could deconstruct all state's today, but inevitably people would ally themselves with those who share their own culture, language, etc. and impose their will on other people (or just drive them off) in order to control resources within a given area, or simply to have control over a set geographical region.
 
longview said:
What would stop someone who sees the results of your hard work,
from killing you, and taking what you earned/created?
Click to expand...

Depends on how you approach the subject of anarchy. One solution is to have private police forces to handle such things that are open to competition. Of course, there is other solutions to the problem as well that I'm sure CPS01 knows about.
 
lizzie said:
It wouldn't work, because there aren't enough people with the ethical integrity to live in that type of environment.

I guess, depending on your pov and outlook regarding the importance of life and equality, you might consider "might makes right" to be an acceptable legal system, but I consider it animalistic.
Click to expand...

Might makes right is essentially what government is.
 
I am an anarchist and an anarchist world is the world I strive for. That said, humanity as a whole is not yet ready for it. Most people are still too reliant on governments and religions telling them what to do and how to live. So the main reason it won't work at this point in history is that most people won't accept it. My preferred path toward anarchism is one of evolution rather than revolution.
 
apoState said:
I am an anarchist and an anarchist world is the world I strive for. That said, humanity as a whole is not yet ready for it. Most people are still too reliant on governments and religions telling them what to do and how to live. So the main reason it won't work at this point in history is that most people won't accept it. My preferred path toward anarchism is one of evolution rather than revolution.
Click to expand...

Anarchy did exist before civilization, or survival of the fittest. Society is considered better than mob rule, which is what anarchy always devolves into.
 
People are inherently social creatures, if you got rid of all of the governments today, people would put them back together again tomorrow. We gather together in groups of like mind and governments are an inherent part of our social structure.

Anarchy is a fantasy.
 
grip said:
Anarchy did exist before civilization, or survival of the fittest. Society is considered better than mob rule, which is what anarchy always devolves into.
Click to expand...

Anarchy has never existed in human history, even our pre-human ancestors had social groups. It's just not part of our makeup.
 
CPS01 said:
Hi

I'm looking for reasoned arguments for that anarchy won't work.

Please state your personal ideological standpoint along your comment, thanks.
Click to expand...

because greedy assholes will abound, and they will ruin it for everyone else.

also, a lot more people will choose to be thieves instead of actual productive members of society who build and maintain neat and necessary stuff like roads.
 
Helix said:
because greedy assholes will abound, and they will ruin it for everyone else.
Click to expand...

Like they do in government? Sorry, did you ever notice that every argument against anarchy can be used against government? Really, go through all the ones you can imagine and apply them to government. They all work, don't they?

It's almost like people are actually talking about government and they just don't realize it.
 
Cephus said:
Anarchy has never existed in human history, even our pre-human ancestors had social groups. It's just not part of our makeup.
Click to expand...

I think you're comparing the absolutes of the two terms below. There probably have been historical, states of disorder comparable to anarchy for periods of time.


Anarchy: a state of disorder due to absence or nonrecognition of authority.

Hierarchy: a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority.
 
grip said:
I think you're comparing the absolutes of the two terms below. There probably have been historical, states of disorder comparable to anarchy for periods of time.


Anarchy: a state of disorder due to absence or nonrecognition of authority.
Click to expand...

Anarchy simply means no rulers. That definition you used was created by statists to discredit anarchy
 
Henrin said:
Like they do in government? Sorry, did you ever notice that every argument against anarchy can be used against government? Really, go through all the ones you can imagine and apply them to government. They all work, don't they?

It's almost like people are actually talking about government and they just don't realize it.
Click to expand...

while government is far from perfect, comparing it to the potential societal chaos of anarchy is utterly ridiculous.
 
grip said:
Anarchy did exist before civilization, or survival of the fittest. Society is considered better than mob rule, which is what anarchy always devolves into.
Click to expand...

Anarchism as a political theory is not the "survival of the fittest" scenario you describe, though I recognize the word anarchism in its common usage does represent that.
 
apoState said:
Anarchism as a political theory is not the "survival of the fittest" scenario you describe, though I recognize the word anarchism in its common usage does represent that.
Click to expand...

Are you in favor of extreme individualism, or extreme collectivism?
 
apoState said:
Anarchism as a political theory is not the "survival of the fittest" scenario you describe, though I recognize the word anarchism in its common usage does represent that.
Click to expand...

I believe in its political concept that it's a failure, because nature abhors a vacuum. For example look what happened in Iraq when we pulled out, Maliki became only concerned with Shia and Baghdad, leaving the rest of Iraq open for an organized group of thugs. In Mexico's weal governance the Drug Cartels took over. That's typically what happens when civilization or social development doesn't occur. Unfortunately, where society does rule, it's usually leveraged to favor the elite.

Anarchy as an abstract rule really does occur, because people only follow order by choice.
 
apoState said:
Anarchism as a political theory is not the "survival of the fittest" scenario you describe, though I recognize the word anarchism in its common usage does represent that.
Click to expand...
an·ar·chy:
a state of disorder due to absence or nonrecognition of authority.
No laws or some type of law enforcement, equal "survival of the fittest".
 
Helix said:
while government is far from perfect, comparing it to the potential societal chaos of anarchy is utterly ridiculous.
Click to expand...

What is your proof that we are talking of chaos? What makes you think that any of your arguments don't apply to government and what makes you think they apply to a system of anarchy?
 
apoState said:
I am an anarchist and an anarchist world is the world I strive for. That said, humanity as a whole is not yet ready for it. Most people are still too reliant on governments and religions telling them what to do and how to live. So the main reason it won't work at this point in history is that most people won't accept it. My preferred path toward anarchism is one of evolution rather than revolution.
Click to expand...

How does progress work in an anarchy?? If I put a massive effort into producing something that benefits everyone and someone else can come along and take it from me, what's my motivation for busting my ass??

There's also this silly idea that if you give people a chance they will all be good little citizens, yet that ignores a multi-millennia long trend of there being people who are good little citizens. How do you deal with the people who are going to harm others?? If you think that society will simply rise up and stop them, you're wrong. These kind of people will band together and force their will on the general population because they are willing to far more harm to you than you are willing to do to them. If you have kids, they'll kill them. If they have kids, you won't. That's how things work int he real world. Either you form a cooperative societal structure for mutual benefit and protection (a government) or you end up a slave to those who are willing to do the evil that you won't do.
 
longview said:
an·ar·chy:
a state of disorder due to absence or nonrecognition of authority.
No laws or some type of law enforcement, equal "survival of the fittest".
Click to expand...

Yes, that is the common usage, which is what dictionary definitions give you. Look anarchism up in an encyclopedia and see what you get.

Just as the dictionary or common usage of the word "theory" is not the same as is used in the scientific community or the word "agnosticism" is used in philosophical discourse.
 
Henrin said:
Might makes right is essentially what government is.
Click to expand...
It's essentially what everything is. Anarchism would just make it more local. It'd either be better or worse then the current system, depending on how strong and powerful one is and could be.
 
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