[lbo-talk] anarchism & the state (was: When is private property NOT?)

[Gar Lipow]

On 6/25/05, Jim Devine <jdevine03 at gmail.com> wrote:
> I'm not an expert on anarchism, but as I understand it, anarchists
> compare the real world with a state and the ideal world without a
> state and choose the latter. Liberals are pragmatic, agreeing that the
> state is a bad thing in many ways but saying "we're stuck with the
> state but we have to make it better." As you say, they then use the
> state to run economy and society (in conjunction with markets).
> 
> (The relative role of the state and markets distinguish the "social
> liberalism" of FDR, etc. from the "free-market liberalism" of Milton
> Friedman.)
> 
> This seems a matter of degree: liberals see the benefits of having a
> state as higher than not having one (which for them leads to a
> Hobbesian-style chaos, or a situtation like the current Iraq, where
> "stuff happens"). (Liberalism sees the state as a "necessary evil.")
> Anarchism, on the other hand, see the benefits of having a state as
> less than not having one (which, I guess, would unleash human
> creativity so that peace and harmony would prevail).
> 

<snip>

Hi Jim - the thing is there are many anarchist traditions. But most
left anarchists have more  class conciousness than you imply.   There
is a rich tradition of socialist anarchism. (In fact non-socialist
anarchism is comparatively new.) There is even  Bookchin and the of
anarcho-marxists.   Also  marxism at least  claims to share the
anarchist goal of eliminating the state in the long run  - "withering
away of the state" etc.

On the question of eminent domain  Sam Smith passed  along a
suggestion from  a reader that I think is an  excellent one; uses of
eminent domain should require voter approval rather than just be
decided by the politicians.   That would stop giveaways to Walmart
without stoping legitimate public use.
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