I think... I’m an anarchist now

3/5
As someone who is relatively new to anarchist and leftist theory, I found it to be a good introduction to anarchist thought as it familiarised the reader with the central viewpoints of anarchism through the lens of historical events and personal anecdotes without presenting it in too much of a ‘forcing it down your throat’ fashion, allowing the reader to develop a greater curiosity in the subject without making sweeping (sometimes ‘scary’) statements that anarchist is RIGHT/WRONG (and thus encouraging the reader to form their own opinion on this question through further reading). I particularly enjoyed Scott’s observations on the nature of historical movements as disorganised and chaotic, as well as his comments on common land ownership and standardisation. However, I also found the book was sometimes inaccessible in terms of vocabulary and knowledge assumed and found parts to be downright boring as far too much irrelevant information was used (eg. spending 10+ pages dissecting the Yale grading system which I’m sure is useful to academics at that particular institution but is the topic that most of us do not care about in the slightest). Also found the book lacked making solid conclusions about what anarchism would look in practice and lacked detail disseminating actual anarchist movements (Spanish Civ war, Zapatistas, Rojava) that I would’ve loved to read about. Also found the bit on anarchist callisthenics to be a bit daft- what is the point of deviance in the name of anarchism if it isn’t working to achieve political ends (e.g. non violent direct action) or a resistance to being unable to afford that item as a result of the gross inequality of capitalism?

This is a super quick and breezy read confirming something a lot of us know already: the concentration of power (whether in companies, the state or somewhere else) is always a major bummer. Scott does a great job pointing out how ineffective so many of life's necessities are. My favorite observations came early on and centered on how a lot of the fairest laws came about through initially breaking old laws (think New Deal reforms or Civil Rights Era legislation). This book probably won't turn you into a full-fledged anarchist but it'll certainly give you plenty of fodder when you want to complain about the man keeping you down.

This little book aims to challenge our preconceived notion and bring a little more anarchy in our society. No in fast, as the author says in the introduction, most of our daily social interactions are anarchic in that they are spontaneous and not regulated/controlled by a third party (think your friends, family, the way you walk on sidewalks,...). The point is just to remember this, to remember that sometimes, often, decentralization, emergent order (from chaos), in short Anarchy, works better than hierarchical static(st) order.

I didn't find all the arguments equally strong, but my statist biais could be working here. I am thinking about the arguments against quantitative measures which I found beside the point though important points in themselves.

All in all, this was a thought provoking read which helped rewrite my world-view a bit.

3.7 tiene libros mejores. arranquen por seeing like a state, 5 aclamado