I'm pretty sure Graeber was - in the sense that he seems to think that any other form of decision making can be overwritten as soon as one person objects. Bartlett seems to think he has a rule for consensus - any group not subject to class conflict is most effectively and morally run by consensus.
To quote Bartlett:
" It is unrealistic to expect for example that a committee made up of employers and employees can make decisions about their workplace by consensus. That is readily apparent and it follows for the same reason that consensus decision making is impractical in a class society. All the parties won't agree, because in a class society there are irreconcilable class conflicts.
However, in any economic organisation where there are no irreconcilable conflicts of interest, it follows that consensus decision making is possible."
Graeber seems to argue for consensus as the only truly democratic
method of decision making, Bartlett as both desireable and practical
in the absence of class conflict. So it does seem I'm arguing against
a real position - and I will add one I encounter fairly often among
activists.
>
> Joanna
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> I'm going to answer Barlett below. But I should point out that my
> Quaker example was not an example of the failure of consensus, but the
> high price sometimes paid for success. I'm also curious. I seem to be
> the only one on this list who thinks elevating consensus to a general
> principle, whether it is Barlett's principle or some other, is a
> serious error. Does nobody else think that whether to use consensus
> or not for group decision making should depend on particular
> circumstances rather than having some simple "principle" or checklist
> that determines when it is suitable?
>
> ___________________________________
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