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Anarchism, Anachronisms and Social Ecology -by Darryl Eyle ------------------------------------------ There are two reasons why I still consider myself an anarchist.Firstly I believe that the critique mounted around the question of hierarchy by anarchists throughout the last two centuries is still not only correct but seems more relevant than ever when the assaults on our personal liberty take more insidious forms withthe passing of time. Secondly, anarchism deals with freedom.Despite the current fad to promote the noxious anything goes typecharacterisation that the state and the private media love togobble up, anarchism has always championed the rights of theindividual within the group be it the work place, the family, orthe whole of society. These two positions place anarchism squarely on the radical platform with incredible potential forsocial emancipation and revolution. Sadly with the advent of the new world order has come the adoption of the new "natural" order. Hierarchal power structures today are accepted by groups as seemingly diverse as the headsof international state bureaucracies to the managerial socialconstructionists in private and state run business right throughto what used to be called the more "progressive " of the socialmovements such as the peace or environment movements. Systemstheories have been created in everything from economy to ecologythat refuse to allow spontaneous or evolutionary processes anyplace to exist. Some so called ecologists even promote hierarchyas the "natural" order. The left is no better. It's academicshave skulked off into the institutions to create post)moderndystopias. The inevitable outcome of these untouchable, anti- rational, intellectual cess)pits is the systematic destructionof history and the creation of ethical and moral voids. In suchan environment it becomes impossible to ground oneself and findcoherence. Often the very attempt to do so is seen asintellectually oppressive! The vacuum thus created is presentlybeing rapidly filled by the right. The individualism championedby post-modernists and some anarchisms these days could just aseasily come from those that sit in the boardrooms of Westinghouseor General Electric. With such a ruthless and thorough incorporation of the ideals of the left into this consumerist culture, we are staring at the total disintegration of meaning! Similarly, discussions about freedom and the concept of a freesociety (Utopia) are tragically absent from what passes forradical debate. The only freedom it seems ever discussed thesedays is personal freedom. Placed within a social framework suchdebate can have real meaning when talking about the role of thechurch/ state/ police/ military and its impact on the individual.However it can just as easily degenerate into freedom from socialresponsibility and narcissistic, yuppie like neurotic obsessionwith personal desire. The left seems bereft of thinkers/dreamerswho can perceive of another reality. It has continually demandeda state of slavery/tyranny for it to even conceptualise itsabsence! The right talks about freedom far more eloquently andconvincingly than the left and has developed an integrated visionbased firmly on peoples fear of the unknown (god) and fear ofeach other (social darwinism) to articulate the brave, competitive new future. As anarchists we should be describingother realities, other possibilities. The emergence of coherent and radical philosophies like socialecology help me to remain optimistic. Its roots lie in anarchismand the ecology movement. At the core of this work is theunderstanding that ecological problems are first and foremostsocial problems. Its major proponent, Murray Bookchin, drawsheavily on organic traditions in western philosophy from thinkerssuch as Hegel. He talks about human freedom within the frameworkof social responsibility. Particularly illuminating is hisanalysis of the emergence of hierarchal power from tribalcultures to the present degree of sophistication seen in westerncapitalism. He parallels the unfolding of organic potential inthe natural world towards more and more complexity with thedevelopment of complexity in culture As agents for social change what we need, is a more sophisticatedunderstanding of the political and social systems that allowunbridled rapacious capitalism to plough us under in its wake?Along with alternative social systems we need to create differenteconomic systems that not only dual power the state but givemeaning to work In a time where history is rapidly becoming irrelevant and themost important thing in the world becomes our own egos, thecoherence provided by ideas like social ecology can not beunderestimated