Are you an anarchist?

[badman]

Originally posted by ThePlagueRat
Hi badman... All respect to you, but I think it's kinda risky to state that something lies in the nature of mankind. It might be true for some, and false for others... Some philosphers state that cooperation also lie in the nature of man. When it comes to organizing the society and caring for others, this might be true.
[...]

I don't think it's too risky since it really lies in the nature of mankind (and not only mankind), that is how evolution works.

Of course destructive competition is something we should not desire but that's why I argue against anarchy and in favor of democracy (and capitalism).

I think cooperation also lies in the nature of man but (most, perhaps all) humans only cooperate when they get an advantage out of it so the group or the individual is more likely to "win" the competition.
I think people like saints get a psychological bonus from helping others. (it's kinda hard for me to make my point in English)

In your post you also stated the reason why competition exists and I totally agree with you there.

[ThePlagueRat]

So what about the good Samaritan then?
When you give something to charity or help someone who is in desperate need of help, it's usually out of empathy and not to gain anything for yourself. Well, you gain the psychological feeling of being nice. Darwins theory fit well on reproduction and most businesslike behaviour, but it cannot answer everything. So I think this is a philosophical question rather than an evolutionary one...

[Az]

Good samaritan laws are against Freedom.

[jolair]

Originally posted by Kramerman


any good links?

http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/2419/spaindx.html

http://burn.ucsd.edu/~mai/iau/history.html

IMHO a good book in english about the begining of the spanish anarchist movement is " The Spanish Anarchists . The heroic years 1868 - 1936" by Murray Bookchin

About the Spanish Civil War the best book I have read about it is "Homage to Catalonia" by Eric Arthur Blair (AKA George Orwell) (good example Ramo )

A good film about the diference between Stalinist and Anarchists in the SCW is "Land and freedom" (Ken Loach).

BTW (quite late because of my recent holidays in Mingapulco) I am an anarchist (At least I would like to be )

[Ramo]

Ramo: where's the link?

http://apolyton.net/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=81792

Oh, and I see the expansion of humanity into space as a primary objective. Why? because it's our nature.
I could elaborate further.

Why is it our "nature?" And why should our societies follow our "nature?"

Hmm...I've read libertarians who referred to ~1200-1600 AD Iceland as more or less a libertarian state. I suppose the libertarians and anarchists would both lay claim to it so it must have been close.

By the 11th and 12th centuries, statism and wealth disparity developed to a sufficient degree that it couldn't be considered libertarian or socialist. Wealthy landlords and arbriters became the rulers of Icelandic societey.

[ThePlagueRat]

Originally posted by Azazel
Good samaritan laws are against Freedom.

If so, then any law is against freedom.

[PeteH]

I cannot stand it. A society of anarchy could never work in a progressive state. It would be nothing more than a hunting and gathering society... there would be no great art, archetecture, or scientific advances. There would be no modern convenieces, or leisure activities (ie grocery stores and internet forums)

This statement sums up many of the myths of civilized people.

Why would there be no art/music/leisure in a hunter gatherer community? The free time in such a society makes even the most liberal country's vacation time look like a prison camp. While there is some variation by envoronment, in general it is no more than a couple hours a day to provide for your needs in a hunter gatherer tribe. The rest of the time is leisure, spent talking, singing, crafting, visiting neighbors etc. Why bother with a grocery store when the land around you provides all the food you could want? Why post on an internet forum when you have a group around you that is genuinely concerned with your well being and ideas to share with?

[Az]

TPR: I am not "against" freedom, per se, but I think that this is not the scale that things have to be judged upon.

[ThePlagueRat]

Ok, I just tried to argue that 'human nature' could be seen in a more philosophical way, rather than in the evolutionary way.
e.g. Social-Darwinism, which is too narrowminded in IMHO.
The good samaritan example was just to illustrate that it can be natural for humans to care for other people, without having to profit each time. However, in a desperate situation like a war, those who is close to eachother would care for eachother.