Anarchism and authority : a philosophical introduction to classical anarchism

248 Pages·2007·1.65 MB·English

by  McLaughlin

ANARCHISM AND AUTHORITY
Examining the political theory of anarchism from a philosophical and historical
perspective, Paul McLaughlin relates anarchism to the fundamental ethical and
political problem of authority. The book pays particular attention to the authority
of the state and the anarchist rejection of all traditional claims made for the
legitimacy of state authority, the author both explaining and defending the
central tenets of the anarchist critique of the state.
The founding works of anarchist thought, by Godwin, Proudhon and Stirner, are
explored and anarchism is examined in its historical context, including the
influence of such events as the Enlightenment and the French Revolution on
anarchist thought. Finally, the major theoretical developments of anarchism from
the late-nineteenth century to the present are summarized and evaluated.
This book is both a highly readable account of the development of anarchist
thinking and a lucid and well-reasoned defence of the anarchist philosophy.
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Anarchism and Authority
A Philosophical Introduction to Classical Anarchism
PAUL McLAUGHLIN
University of Tartu, Estonia
ASHGATE
© Paul McLaughlin 2007
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
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of the publisher.
Paul McLaughlin has asserted his moral right under the Copyright, Designs and
Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.
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British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
McLaughlin, Paul
Anarchism and authority : a philosophical introduction to
classical anarchism. - (Ashgate new critical thinking in
philosophy) 1. Anarchism 2. Authority
I. Title
320.5’7
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data McLaughlin, Paul.
Anarchism and authority : a philosophical introduction to classical anarchism /
Paul McLaughlin.
p. cm. -- (Ashgate new critical thinking in philosophy) Includes
bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-7546-6196-2 (hardcover) 1. Anarchism. I. Title.
HX833.M35 2007
335’.83--dc22
2007007973
ISBN: 978-0-7546-6196-2
ISBN: 978-1-40948540-7 (ebk-ePUB) Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham, Wiltshire.
Contents
Acknowledgements
Introduction
Part 1 Anarchism and the Problem of Authority
1 Defining Anarchism
2 The Nature of Authority
3 Forms of Authority
4 The Legitimacy of the State
Part 2 Anarchism and the History of Ideas
5 The Historical Foundations of Anarchism
6 Foundational Texts of Anarchism
7 Theoretical Developments of Anarchism
Conclusion
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgements
Many individuals deserve thanks for their help over the last five years.
Prof. John Cleary of NUI Maynooth and Boston College supervised my work
with an open yet critical mind, and continued to support the project in a time of
personal tragedy. I am most grateful to him.
Two employers, Prof. Roman Bäcker of Nicolaus Copernicus University and
Prof. Margit Sutrop of the University of Tartu, allowed me to give courses on
anarchism. I have found that there is no better basis for my research than
teaching, and am thankful to them for the opportunities they offered to me.
Heartfelt thanks must go, as always, to family, friends, colleagues, and
students, wherever they may be: Ireland, England, Belgium, Poland, Germany,
Estonia, Finland. You know who you are! However, two people should be
singled out for special thanks: my mother, Maura McLaughlin, and my partner,
Marta Majdecka. This book is dedicated to them.
Introduction
A Philosophical Approach to Anarchism
This book aims to define – or to re-define – anarchism in relation to the
fundamental ethico-political problem of authority. Authority is defined in terms
of the right to exercise social control (as explored in the ‘sociology of power’)
and the correlative duty to obey (as explored in the ‘philosophy of practical
reason’). Anarchism is distinguished, philosophically, by its scepticism towards
such moral relations – by its questioning of the claims made for such normative
power – and, practically, by its challenge to those ‘authoritative’ powers which
cannot justify their claims and which are therefore deemed illegitimate or
without moral foundation.
Part 1 of the book analyzes both the nature of anarchist scepticism (Chapter
1) and the nature of authority itself (Chapter 2). It pays particular attention to the
authority of the state and the anarchist rejection of all traditional claims made for
the legitimacy of state authority (Chapter 4). However, it also seeks to establish
that anarchism cannot be defined simply in terms of its rejection of the state, still
less in terms of its supposed rejection of authority as such. The anarchist sceptic
must, in principle, be open to the possibility that authority of every kind can be
justified. Indeed, a comprehensive treatment of authority (moral, theoretical, and
practical) demonstrates that there are forms of authority that all but the most
absolutist or abstract of anarchists (so-called ‘philosophical anarchists’) believe
to be legitimate (Chapter 3).
Part 2 places anarchism in historical context, attempting to locate the origins
of the political philosophy outlined in Part 1. It is argued that the three most
important influences on the development of anarchism were the eighteenth
century Enlightenment, the French Revolution of 1789–1793, and the radical
enlightenment philosophy of Left Hegelianism that flourished in the 1830s and
1840s (Chapter 5). The three foundational texts of anarchism – William
Godwin’s An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice and Its Influence on General
Virtue and Happiness (1793), Pierre-Joseph Proudhon’s What is Property?
(1840), and Max Stirner’s The Ego and Its Own (1844) – are studied in some
detail (Chapter 6). Finally, the major theoretical developments of anarchism
from the late-nineteenth century to the present are summarized (Chapter 7).
This book is, therefore, largely a work of conceptual analysis. However, it is
premised on the understanding that political ideas are products of history. The
intellectual aspect of this history is central to the study. We will attempt to frame
our analysis of the problem of authority within this intellectual history, thus
blending conceptual analysis (in Part 1) with the history of ideas (in Part 2).
In Part 1, we will analyze anarchism as a critical social philosophy and
investigate its philosophy of authority : its conceptualization of authority, its
scepticism towards the notion of its legitimacy, and its critique of claims made
for the legitimacy of various forms of authority. Particular attention will be paid
to the issue of political authority and the anarchist critique of the claims made
for the legitimacy of the state. Of course, anarchism as an ideology involves a
good deal more than this, including diverse visions of ‘anarchy’ and
interpretations of the means required to realize it. It is these aspects of the
ideology that divide the tradition along individualist and socialist, gradualist and
revolutionary, pacifist and terrorist, and other such lines.1But even taking into
account these ideological elements, one is still left wondering about precisely
what it is that unites anarchists, about what exactly the ‘anarchist idea’ is.2 This
can only be determined at a fundamental philosophical level. Indeed, when
confined to this level of abstraction, and divorced from other ideological
elements, the anarchist idea is affirmed (often in absolutist terms) by the so-
called ‘philosophical anarchist’ – in David Miller’s words, ‘a rather bloodless
member of the [anarchist] species’.3 The account of anarchism presented here
may appear to characterize the present author in this light, though, for what it’s
worth, I would be extremely uncomfortable with such a characterization, and
will attempt, especially in the Conclusion, to draw anarchism back from the
realm of abstractions into the realm of concrete problems and radical solutions.
The Conclusion, then, will contain a number of remarks on the social relevance
of anarchism, as defined here. These remarks are intended to counter the
widespread belief that a philosophical or ‘sophisticated’ expression of anarchism
necessarily points to an abstract anarchism – an anarchism without revolutionary
designs or potential. Our claim, on the contrary, is that a coherent philosophical
articulation of the anarchist position is necessary (though obviously not
sufficient) to make it practically forceful. Fundamental social change is, we
contend, not only desirable but imperative. And anarchist alternatives, properly
understood and communicated, may provide the best road ahead.
While it is the critical philosophy of anarchism that may distinguish it most
clearly, a full and adequate philosophical analysis ought to give consideration to