Post-Scarcity Anarchism
Encyclopedia
Post-Scarcity Anarchism is a collection of essay
s written by Murray Bookchin
and first published in 1971 by Ramparts Press. It outlines the possible form anarchism
might take under conditions of post-scarcity
. It is one of Bookchin's major works, and its radical thesis provoked controversy for being utopian
and messianic
in its faith in the liberatory potential of technology
.
, libertarian municipalism
, and an abundance of fundamental resources. Bookchin argues that post-industrial societies
are also post-scarcity societies, and can thus imagine "the fulfillment of the social and cultural potentialities latent in a technology of abundance". The self-administration of society is now made possible by technological advancement and, when technology is used in an ecologically sensitive manner, the revolutionary potential of society will be much changed.
Bookchin claims that the expanded production
made possible by the technological advances of the twentieth century were in the pursuit of market profit
and at the expense of the needs of humans and of ecological sustainability
. The accumulation of capital
can no longer be considered a prerequisite for liberation, and the notion that obstructions such as the state
, social hierarchy and vanguard political parties
are necessary in the struggle for freedom of the working class
es can be dispelled as a myth.
; while both concur that information technology
, being controlled by the bourgeoisie
, is not necessarily liberatory, Bookchin does not refrain from countering this control by developing new, innovative and radical technologies of the self. Postanarchist
scholar Lewis Call
compares Bookchin's language to that of Marcel Mauss
, George Bataille
and Herbert Marcuse
, and notes that Bookchin anticipates the importance of cybernetic technology
to the development of human potential over a decade before the origin of cyberpunk
. The collection has been cited favourably by Marius de Geus as presenting "inspiring sketches" of the future, and as "an insightful analysis" and "a discussion of revolutionary potential in a technological society" by Peggy Kornegger
in her essay "Anarchism: The Feminist Collection".
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
s written by Murray Bookchin
Murray Bookchin
Murray Bookchin was an American libertarian socialist author, orator, and philosopher. A pioneer in the ecology movement, Bookchin was the founder of the social ecology movement within anarchist, libertarian socialist and ecological thought. He was the author of two dozen books on politics,...
and first published in 1971 by Ramparts Press. It outlines the possible form anarchism
Anarchism
Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
might take under conditions of post-scarcity
Post scarcity
Post scarcity is a hypothetical form of economy or society, in which things such as goods, services and information are free, or practically free...
. It is one of Bookchin's major works, and its radical thesis provoked controversy for being utopian
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
and messianic
Messianism
Messianism is the belief in a messiah, a savior or redeemer. Many religions have a messiah concept, including the Jewish Messiah, the Christian Christ, the Muslim Mahdi and Isa , the Buddhist Maitreya, the Hindu Kalki and the Zoroastrian Saoshyant...
in its faith in the liberatory potential of technology
Technology
Technology is the making, usage, and knowledge of tools, machines, techniques, crafts, systems or methods of organization in order to solve a problem or perform a specific function. It can also refer to the collection of such tools, machinery, and procedures. The word technology comes ;...
.
Synopsis
Bookchin's titular "post scarcity anarchism" is an economic system based on social ecologySocial ecology
Social ecology is a philosophy developed by Murray Bookchin in the 1960s.It holds that present ecological problems are rooted in deep-seated social problems, particularly in dominatory hierarchical political and social systems. These have resulted in an uncritical acceptance of an overly...
, libertarian municipalism
Libertarian municipalism
Libertarian municipalism is a term first used by libertarian socialist theorist Murray Bookchin, and is used to describe a system in which libertarian institutions of directly democratic assemblies would oppose and replace the state with a confederation of free municipalities...
, and an abundance of fundamental resources. Bookchin argues that post-industrial societies
Post-industrial society
If a nation becomes "post-industrial" it passes through, or dodges, a phase of society predominated by a manufacturing-based economy and moves on to a structure of society based on the provision of information, innovation, finance, and services.-Characteristics:...
are also post-scarcity societies, and can thus imagine "the fulfillment of the social and cultural potentialities latent in a technology of abundance". The self-administration of society is now made possible by technological advancement and, when technology is used in an ecologically sensitive manner, the revolutionary potential of society will be much changed.
Bookchin claims that the expanded production
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
made possible by the technological advances of the twentieth century were in the pursuit of market profit
Profit (economics)
In economics, the term profit has two related but distinct meanings. Normal profit represents the total opportunity costs of a venture to an entrepreneur or investor, whilst economic profit In economics, the term profit has two related but distinct meanings. Normal profit represents the total...
and at the expense of the needs of humans and of ecological sustainability
Sustainability
Sustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
. The accumulation of capital
Capital accumulation
The accumulation of capital refers to the gathering or amassing of objects of value; the increase in wealth through concentration; or the creation of wealth. Capital is money or a financial asset invested for the purpose of making more money...
can no longer be considered a prerequisite for liberation, and the notion that obstructions such as the state
State (polity)
A state is an organized political community, living under a government. States may be sovereign and may enjoy a monopoly on the legal initiation of force and are not dependent on, or subject to any other power or state. Many states are federated states which participate in a federal union...
, social hierarchy and vanguard political parties
Vanguard party
A vanguard party is a political party at the forefront of a mass action, movement, or revolution. The idea of a vanguard party has its origins in the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels...
are necessary in the struggle for freedom of the working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
es can be dispelled as a myth.
Exegesis
Bookchin's thesis is a more radical form of anarchism than that of Noam ChomskyNoam Chomsky
Avram Noam Chomsky is an American linguist, philosopher, cognitive scientist, and activist. He is an Institute Professor and Professor in the Department of Linguistics & Philosophy at MIT, where he has worked for over 50 years. Chomsky has been described as the "father of modern linguistics" and...
; while both concur that information technology
Information technology
Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
, being controlled by the bourgeoisie
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...
, is not necessarily liberatory, Bookchin does not refrain from countering this control by developing new, innovative and radical technologies of the self. Postanarchist
Post-anarchism
Post-anarchism or postanarchism is the term used to represent anarchist philosophies developed since the 1980s using post-structuralist and postmodernist approaches. Some prefer to use the term post-structuralist anarchism, so as not to suggest having moved "past" anarchism...
scholar Lewis Call
Lewis Call
Lewis Call is an American academic notable for being a central post-anarchist thinker. He is best known for his 2002 book Postmodern Anarchism, which develops an account of postmodern anarchism through philosophers such as Friedrich Nietzsche and cyberpunk writers such as William Gibson and Bruce...
compares Bookchin's language to that of Marcel Mauss
Marcel Mauss
Marcel Mauss was a French sociologist. The nephew of Émile Durkheim, Mauss' academic work traversed the boundaries between sociology and anthropology...
, George Bataille
Georges Bataille
Georges Bataille was a French writer. His multifaceted work is linked to the domains of literature, anthropology, philosophy, economy, sociology and history of art...
and Herbert Marcuse
Herbert Marcuse
Herbert Marcuse was a German Jewish philosopher, sociologist and political theorist, associated with the Frankfurt School of critical theory...
, and notes that Bookchin anticipates the importance of cybernetic technology
Cybernetics
Cybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems. Cybernetics is closely related to information theory, control theory and systems theory, at least in its first-order form...
to the development of human potential over a decade before the origin of cyberpunk
Cyberpunk
Cyberpunk is a postmodern and science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life." The name is a portmanteau of cybernetics and punk, and was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," published in 1983...
. The collection has been cited favourably by Marius de Geus as presenting "inspiring sketches" of the future, and as "an insightful analysis" and "a discussion of revolutionary potential in a technological society" by Peggy Kornegger
Peggy Kornegger
Peggy Kornegger is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in a wide variety of feminist, spiritual, and political publications, including Spirit of Change, Bay Windows, Sojourner, Second Wave, Sinister Wisdom, and Plexus. In the 1970s, she was an editor of Second Wave magazine and the book...
in her essay "Anarchism: The Feminist Collection".