Anarchist Theory FAQ by Bryan Caplan

[Vasco Grilo🔸]

Link post

This is a linkpost for Anarchist Theory FAQ by Bryan Caplan. Relatedly, Bryan recently shared some critical comments by Rodrigo Coelho on anarcho-capitalism.

On the same theme, I liked Michael Huemer’s summary of his book The Problem of Political Authority.

Table of Contents

1. What is anarchism? What beliefs do anarchists share?

2. Why should one consider anarchism in the first place?

3. Don’t anarchists favor chaos?

4. Don’t anarchists favor the abolition of the family, property, religion, and other social institutions besides the state?

5. What major subdivisions may be made among anarchists?

6. Is anarchism the same thing as libertarianism?

7. Is anarchism the same thing as socialism?

8. Who are the major anarchist thinkers?

9. How would left-anarchy work?

10. How would anarcho-capitalism work?

11. What criticisms have been made of anarchism?

    1. “An anarchist society, lacking any central coercive authority, would quickly degenerate into violent chaos.”

    2. The Marxist critique of left-anarchism

    3. The minarchists’ attack on anarcho-capitalism

    4. The conservative critique of anarchism

    5. “We are already in a state of anarchy.”

12. What other anarchist viewpoints are there?

13. What moral justifications have been offered for anarchism?

14. What are the major debates between anarchists? What are the recurring arguments?

    1. “X is not ‘true anarchism.’”

    2. “Anarchism of variant X is unstable and will lead to the re-emergence of the state.”

    3. “In an anarchist society in which both systems X and Y existed, X would inevitably outcompete Y.”

    4. “Anarchism of type X would be worse than the state.”

    5. Etc.

15. How would anarchists handle the “public goods” problem?

    1. The concept and uses of Pareto optimality in economics

    2. The public goods problem

16. Are anarchists pacifists?

    1. Tolstoyan absolute pacifism

    2. Pacifism as opposition to war

17. Have there been any historical examples of anarchist societies?

18. Isn’t anarchism utopian?

19. Don’t anarchists assume that all people are innately virtuous?

20. Aren’t anarchists terrorists?

21. How might an anarchist society be achieved?

22. What are some addresses for anarchist World Wide Web sites?

23. What are some major anarchist writings?