Anarchy is a political structure where there’s basically no one in charge, right? But wouldn’t that just create a power vacuum that would filled by organized crime, corporations, etc.? Then, after that power vacuum is filled, we’re right back at square one, and someone is in charge.

Are there any political theorists that have come up with a solution to this problem?

  • pemptago@lemmy.mlEnglish
    2·
    10 hours ago

    I wonder if hierarchical structures need reframing rather than removing. If changing our mental model could be the dismantling. I’m considering the definition and observation of emergent and beneficial hierarchies as discussed in “Thinking in Systems” by Donella Meadows-- the hierarchy structure is not inherently bad. What’s bad is, when it comes to human social structure, the person coordinating a collection of people is often considered more important.

    If they were equally as replaceable as anyone in the collection (as it should be in a resilient system)-- perhaps by randomly reappointing that position, periodically-- then you could have a central-coordinator structure where benefitial, without the problems of that coordinator becoming drunk on power.

    Coincidentally, that book has a quote from Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance that’s very fitting for that last part you mentioned:

    if a factory is torn down but the rationality which produced it is left standing, then that rationality will simply produce another factory. If a revolution destroys a systematic government, but the systematic patterns of thought that produced that government are left intact, then those patterns will repeat themselves in the succeeding government. There’s so much talk about the system. And so little understanding.

    • qevlarr@lemmy.world
      1·
      9 hours ago

      Thank you, nice quote.

      I do think the hierarchy is the problem, not only who is in charge or how they transfer power. There is always tension between “give the people in charge enough power to get things done” versus “now they have too much power and are corrupt”, but by that point you cannot do anything about it. Democracy allows dictatorships to form in the name of government efficiency or the democratic will of the in-group majority.

      If you rotate leaders, you will sooner or later rotate in the dictator. Ruling over others should be unacceptable across the board. This is what anarchists fight for. You can fight for that even if the system you’re living in is predominantly hierarchical. You don’t need to dream about a revolution that never comes, it’s all about changing people’s mindset over time.