Maybe as an experiment, let's try to understand each other's positions ITT and not have the same boring old arguments (because they're boring).

Edit - nice discussion everyone, thanks <3. I'm seeing a lot of responses from ML and not many from anarchists, but maybe I'm the only anarchist on this site lol

  • Commander_Data [she/her]
    ·
    2 years ago

    As an anarchist, something that has always frustrated me within my own ideology is any real actionable theory of change. It's always been my belief that communism and anarchism are the same; a way for humans to organize socially without the coercion of hierarchies. Marxism-Leninism, is, to me, a theory of change to bring forth the ideal society.

    • CoolerOpposide [none/use name]
      ·
      2 years ago

      I’m a Marxist-Leninist who sees it exactly the same way. True communism is inherently (and I would say obviously) anarchism. The entire left ideological debate is only on how to reach that point.

      • President_Obama [they/them]
        ·
        edit-2
        2 years ago

        The entire left ideological debate is only on how to reach that point.

        This I disagree with. Marxism is an ideology but also a tool box to develop a path towards communism. Sure, no definite answer, because it's still philosophy.

        Anarchists by and large go by moral philosophy. A completely moral society can be theorised. But the anarchist philosophy can't develop economic critiques of society or of the development of society. Marxist economics are a thing, anarchist economics I've never heard of.

        What I mean to say is that the disagreement isn't in "how to get there". It's in the basis for both ideologies, in their philosophy : moralist idealism & dialectical materialism.

        Personally I celebrate the rightful abandonment of diamat from the 50's onward (IMO all AES have been failures so far), but from Marcuse to Zizek, there's been no grand milestone in (post)Marxist political philosophy - nothing that new communist parties may be centred around. Anarchist political philosophy nowadays seems to be mostly culture critique (e.g. Fisher) , and as always descriptive rather than prescriptive. Nothing to draw positive political programs from either.

        • space_comrade [he/him]
          ·
          2 years ago

          But the anarchist philosophy can’t develop economic critiques of society or of the development of society. Marxist economics are a thing, anarchist economics I’ve never heard of.

          Not an anarchist but this is entirely disingenuous on your part. You might disagree with anarchist economics or find that they're underdeveloped or whatever but to say it doesn't exist is just wrong.

          • President_Obama [they/them]
            ·
            edit-2
            2 years ago

            That's my bad, I'm not familiar with it. As I said, "I've never heard of em". Though Marxist economics are irrelevant nowadays, there are still familiar names like Andrew Kliman, Paul Cockshott, David Harvey, Yanis Varoufakis, and Richard Wolff.

            Do you have any suggestions of modern anarchist economists for me to start with?

    • MC_Kublai [none/use name]
      ·
      edit-2
      2 years ago

      It was this realization that pushed me, an ancom at the time, towards ML theory. The goal hasn't changed, only the strategy.