Abstract According to Jonathan Barnes, Aristotle's political philosophy runs rife with totalitarian principles. Not so, replies David Keyt, since Aristotle, perhaps never recognizing it himself, approached his political philosophy from a fundamentally anarchistic base. Was Aristotle essentially a totalitarian or an anarchist? This paper attempts to answer that question. First, it interprets Barnes' argument as presented in his 1990 essay ?Aristotle and Political Liberty.? It then moves onto an exposition of David Keyt's position as put forward in his 1993 paper ?Aristotle and Anarchism.? Thereafter, the paper returns to Barnes' essay and examines each numbered point. By combining his own arguments with Keyt's insights, the author of the paper refutes Barnes' position.
From the Paper "This contention against slavery, Keyt suggests, "contains the seeds of philosophical anarchism," since its conclusion infers about slavery that no difference exists by nature between master and slave, and the rule of master over slave depends on force. The same can apply in the political arena: no difference exists by nature between ruler and subject, and political rule depends on force. Hence, "a wholesale challenge of political authority is but a short step from the wholesale challenge of slavery" (138). The main idea behind philosophical anarchism is that coercion is unjust, and "the rejection of political authority ... is not a first principle of the theory (of anarchism) but a corollary of its view about coercion and force" (138)."
Abstract This paper examines how throughout her career, Ursula LeGuin was a participant in both the anarchist and feminist movements and represented the views of both in her writings. In particular, the paper looks at how Leguin's novels depict microcosms in which anarchy and feminism thrive and how her characters espouse views of the anarchists and feminists of today.
From the Paper "Anarchy, a movement LeGuin was strongly in favor of, was portrayed both directly and indirectly in a large part of her writing. In many cases, people describe anarchy as a complete lack of order or chaos but, in fact, this is not the way anarchy works at all. The definition of anarchy, which comes from the Greek word for "contrary to authority", is "the theory that formal government of any kind is unnecessary and wrong in principle." In this type of society, it is envisioned that agreements would be arrived at freely through the cooperation of all the individual groups involved, rather than by a forced submission to authoritarian laws as well as a fear of punishment for disobeying these laws. Those attempting to practice these beliefs feel that anarchy is more of a way of life than a political or social movement. "
Abstract This paper is about Emma Goldman and her various theories, political, societal and moral. It focuses on her forty years spent as an American, especially the years when she was an active member of the anarchist party. It details her involvement in the assassination of Henry Frick, and her accusal in the assassination of President McKinley. It also discusses how her divergent views involving feminism without suffrage, created isolation among politics that she lived with her entire life. Her involvement in the burgeoning sexual revolution and her persona as a figurehead of the atheists and a violent inciter is also expanded upon.
From the Paper "Emma Goldman put very little worth upon the idea of government as a protector of the greater society. Emma Goldman rejected the idea that philosophy could ever be political and she spent her time and energy trying to defeat all types of organized government that she so detested. Her radical and uncompromising views on the nature of government left her without a political forum to embrace, and shaped her reaction to and participation in American anarchism? "
Abstract This paper presents a thesis statement that Chesterton highlights that a balance between good and evil is significant in fostering a realization of good against evil in the society. The author points out that the novel is written in a way that encourages the readers to cling to the twists and turns in the storyline, mystified until the conclusion of the story. The paper relates that the story is focused on the character Gabriel Syme, appointed by the British police to infiltrate an anarchist movement in order to understand and report inside information on the plans of the movement.
Table of Contents
Introduction
About the Author
Thesis Statement
Theme
Analysis
Conclusion
From the Paper "Once settled, the members? every attempt had been to seek out Sunday, the president of the anarchic movement. Upon finding Sunday, another paradox emerges. Sunday is the same character who hired these police officers to infiltrate the movement in the first place. At this stage in the novel, the story takes a turn from a "satirical detective story to spiritual allegory". The council of the anarchists finally witnesses the unmasking of Sunday, revealed as the Sabbath rather than an anarchist leader. This is another paradox in the novel suggesting that the infiltration was a plan, a plot to establish the final and primary paradox of the novel. Sunday enlightens the council of anarchists that in their struggle to fight the evil of anarchy, they were unified in their fight against Satan."
Abstract This paper examines how William Blake, a conformist and anarchist, was an inspiration to many later generations with his style of poems, painting, engravings, and indirect teachings. It looks at how his religious practices, as well as his visions as a child, and his view on life in a monarchical government came to life in his works through such poems as "The Tyger" and "The Lamb".
From the Paper "William Blake was born in London, England, on November 28, 1757. In eighteenth century England, religion and conformity to king and country ruled the daily lives of most people, especially peasants. Blake was born into a poor family to his mother Catherine nee Wright and his father James Blake, a hosier and haberdasher on Broad Street in Golden Square, Soho. As a child, Blake was prone to spiritual visions that concerned his parents. Blake often spoke of visions of angels and ghostly monks. He claims that he conversed regularly with God, the Virgin Mary, the archangel Gabriel, and various other historical and biblical figures. Later in his life, Blake admitted to talking to the spirit of his dead brother. This is an early sign that Blake is either a mentally disturbed person or is truly blessed with a close relationship with God. "
Abstract This paper talks about Emma Goldman, known for her role in the anarchist political movement in North America in the early twentieth century. Describing Goldman as an anarchist who had a very personalized ideology of how the world should be run, the paper gives an account of the early life of Goldman and describes her early life in Russia where her revolutionary ideas begun to take root. The paper goes on to outline Goldman's life after her migration to the United States and brushes she had with the law due to her anarchist activities. The author discusses Goldman's views on feminism and notes in the conclusion that although Goldman was persecuted for her beliefs to the point where she was eventually deported from the United States, her contribution to the development of anarchism was important as was her feminist ideals in that era.
From the Paper "Emma Goldman was an anarchist who had a very personalized ideology of how society should be run. She believed that the only way in which a truly just society could exist would be if her ideologies were followed completely. This includes her view that women needed to get to the root of their repression, rather than just masking it with empty advancements in society. She supported the use of birth control and was in favor of a sexual revolution. While early in her career she was involved in some violent encounters, she did not believe that violence would solve the social injustices that are present in the world. She instead believed that peaceful means were the most effective manner by which to achieve a just society."
Tags: politics anarchy feminism, women in politics
This paper discusses Henry David Thoreau's essay "Resistance to Civil Government" and argues that his ideas represent extreme individualism and anarchist ideology.
Abstract This paper examines Thoreau's philosophy of resistance and civil disobedience as the roots of anarchy. The paper shows that within his work, the idea of individualism is paramount. Thoreau's views show that he was deeply skeptical of the government and rejects the view that a person must sacrifice or marginalize her values out of loyalty to her government.
From the Paper "The renowned American author and naturalist Henry David Thoreau is considered to be one of the most influential minds in the American thought and literature. Thoreau had not only great influence on American thought but also on the politics of the world, some of his ideas and concepts that he developed were the most original political doctrines devised by American thinker. We appreciate this more, considering the fact that he was an unconventional thinker. At the heart of Thoreau political philosophy was the concept of individualism, he was a supreme individualist and championed the human spirit against materialism and social conformity. His most famous book, "Walden" 1854 is an eloquent account of his experiment in near solitary living in close harmony with nature, it is also an expression of transcendentalist philosophy. One of Thoreau's most important work, the essay "Resistance to Civil Government" which was later published as "Civil Disobedience 1849, grew out of an overnight stay in prison as a result of his conscientious refusal to pay poll tax that supported the Mexican War which to Thoreau represented an effort to extend slavery. Thoreau's advocacy of civil disobedience as a means for the individual to protest those actions of his government that he considers unjust has had a wide-ranging impact."
The paper describes anarchy as the theory or doctrine that all forms of government are unnecessary, oppressive and undesirable and should be abolished.
Abstract The paper shows how, throughout history, all forms of government are undesirable and explains the two different lines of anarchist thought: "Left-anarchism" and "Anarcho-capitalism". The paper concludes that humanity would benefit from anarchy.
From the Paper "Some of the most misunderstood theories are often more sensible than the majority of common well-known doctrines. Anarchy is an extremely frequently misconstrued political view. Many people believe anarchists favor chaos and disfavor customary organizations like religion. Most of society does not look at anarchism for what it is; a simple solution to the difficulties many countries are experiencing today, and have been experiencing since the beginning of civilization."
Abstract The paper introduces James Baldwin and Emma Goldman - two of the 20th century's key rhetoricians who managed to de-intellectualize many of the problems facing disempowered social groups. It shows how Baldwin, who writes from France in 1963, addresses a Black audience and offers solutions in overcoming the white social hierarchy in a time before the existence of a black middle class. In comparison, the paper shows how Emma Goldman, the foremost written advocate of anarchy in the 20th century , addresses a mostly urban audience and echoes the concerns for factory workers we hear from prominent socialists such as Upton Sinclair. The paper first discusses Baldwin's view of freedom and describes Goldman?s, contrasting the two.
From the Paper "Baldwin uses his experiences as a preacher to segue into an evaluation of religion as it affects blacks in America. Although Baldwin was what we would consider a firebrand preacher, his assessment of Christianity is based on its utility as a methodology for liberating Harlem blacks from their poor collective self-image that he equates with a lack of freedom. Baldwin compellingly states "If the concept of God has any validity or use, it can only be to make us larger, freer, and more loving. If God cannot do this, then it is time that we got rid of Him." In his positivist approach to religion, he not only demonstrates that he would see it best used as a moral agent in creating freedom, but he also illustrates that his intended audience is that of the leaders of the black community. Baldwin's image of freedom is thus portrayed as a categorical set of values that allow a group to demand fair treatment."
Abstract Discusses anti-democratic factors. Democratic ethos. Issue of national self-determination. Fear of imperialist domination by the Central Powers. Policital process; lack of political participation. Impact of European anarchists. Impetus towards war of policy makers. Attack-based war strategy. Democratic sttes resistance to military action. Democratic nation-state equivocation. Power policitcs. Gamesmanship of Britain and Europe.
From the Paper "One of the most easily made arguments in favor of the view that World War I could have been avoided if all belligerents were democracies is the historical record: It was not, and they were not, and those facts help explain why the war came about. This was a period in which democracy had not exactly won the war of ideas among Europe's rulers or the institutions of European governance. It has also been said that communism, the antidemocratic ideology that supplanted absolute monarchy in Europe where constitutional democracies did not and that survived the Great War for most of the 20th century, nevertheless itself eventually fell to "the superior strength of a rival body of ideas, free-market democracy, which was powerful enough to hold together the 16 countries of the West's alliance through all the ..."
Abstract This paper will discuss the book "The Dispossessed" by Ursula Le Guin and seek the principles that make the two planets in the tale represent dualistic natures along the symbolism of Chinese thought. The main objective will be how the planets evolve under these circumstances and the way that the author attempts this. Also, an anarchist point of view will be described about the story and its ramifications on the tale within the scope of the planetary evolutions of the planets involved. By an overall analysis of the good and bad points of both philosophies, a better understanding of the basis of dualistic thought can be brought to the forefront.
Abstract This paper provides an introduction of the ideology of anarchism, where the government is typically perceived as evil as well as wholly unnecessary. It includes a background to the development of the theory and its main principles and assumptions. It also looks at a number of key examples throughout history such as Barcelona during the Spanish Civil war and the Paris Commune as well as the current standing of anarchism today.
From the Paper "The individual within the Anarchism ideal is thus rational, but must also be to an extent compassionate, as Buchanan proposes in "The Limits of Liberty" individuals should be "dictated by mutual tolerance and respect". So with this understanding of the individual within anarchic society as a basis, a perception of Anarchism can be developed. Anarchy is most often defined as the ?Lack of a centralized authority.? Government is typically perceived as evil as well as wholly unnecessary. This can often have negative connotations, suggesting a lack of social direction and stability. Yet as Herbert Read proposes in his script, "Anarchy and Order", anarchy ?is ambiguous ? for . . . "without ruler", the literal meaning of the root of the word, is not necessarily "without order", the meaning often loosely ascribed to it.?"
Abstract This paper discusses the case of Sacco and Vanzetti, who in 1920, were convicted for the murders of a paymaster and his guard during a robbery. On the surface, the trial seems to be straightforward. However, many believe that it represents a major miscarriage of justice in the American judicial system. The paper examines the case, showing that the verdict was unduly affected by the Red Scare, represented a clash between social radicals and conservative reactionaries, and helped lay the foundation for modern ethnic racism in the United States. On April 15, 1920 the paymaster for a shoe factory and his guard were murdered during a robbery of the factory payroll. Three weeks later Sacco--a shoe factory worker--and Vanzetti--a fish peddler--were arrested for the crime. Both were Italian immigrants and anarchists.
Abstract The paper documents the student uprisings in 1968, which occurred when student anarchists decided to use Nanterre University facilities to print and distribute political materials. The students in the group were suspended and a demonstration followed. When police became involved in the protest, the students at the University fought back with student campus wide support. In the days that followed the initial protests, students took their rebellion into the streets of Paris where rioting, hundreds of arrests and police action inflamed the situation.
Abstract This paper discusses Georges Sorel's 1908 "Reflections on Violence" and describes the work as a shocking text to read. The paper discusses the concepts that he advocates of society only being able to change from the outside in-- that marginal persons such as anarchists, trade unionists and workers denied political power must act and energize the laboring classes to overthrow their bourgeois oppressors. The paper discusses the impact of his ideas and the ways that he expresses them in his book.
From the Paper "The primary reason Sorel uses the radical and mobilizing word of violence in his treatise is because he sees incremental, reformist methods of improving the legal status of the laboring classes, not only as not only minimally effective, but as actually contributing to the authoritarian rule of state that relies upon class inequality to survive. "All the revolutionary disturbances of the nineteenth century ended by strengthening the State," he writes in his introduction. (19) Sorel praises anarchists who taught the workers that they need not be ashamed of acts of violence, and believes violence is not an unfortunate byproduct of oppression but a natural and necessary response on the part of laborers to the inherent inequality of their situation, in a state where factory owners control their destines and lives. (37)"
