Anarchism and Authority: A Philosophical Introduction to Classical Anarchism

211 Pages·2007·0.73 MB·English

by  Paul 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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Alan Musgrave, University of Otago, New Zealand
Graham Priest, University of Melbourne, Australia; University of St Andrews, UK
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Anarchism and Authority
A Philosophical Introduction to Classical Anarchism
PAUL McLAUGHLIN
University of Tartu, Estonia
© Paul McLaughlin 2007
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system
or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording
or otherwise without the prior permission 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.
Published by
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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
Printed and bound in Great Britain by Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham, Wiltshire.
Contents
Acknowledgements vii
Introduction 1
Part 1 Anarchism and the Problem of Authority
1 Defining Anarchism 25
2 The Nature of Authority 37
3 Forms of Authority 61
4 The Legitimacy of the State 81
Part 2 Anarchism and the History of Ideas
5 The Historical Foundations of Anarchism 101
6 Foundational Texts of Anarchism 117
7 Theoretical Developments of Anarchism 155
Conclusion 169
Bibliography 185
Index 197
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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.
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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