I don't see anarchy as a destructive philosophy. That would be more like nihilism to me. Where anarchism means "no rulers", nihilism means "no rulers, no rules, no manners, steal, kill, bring on the chaos!" So nihilism is probably what most people are thinking of when they say "anarchy". Even the dictionary overlaps the two.
Just because I don't think rulers are legitimate doesn't mean I believe that evolved "laws" of behavior are wrong. That is the basis of the Zero Aggression Principle and the other moral principles that guide our lives. Even written law can be good as long as it stays within the bounds of naturally evolved laws such as "don't steal or attack the innocent". I only have a problem with written "laws" that violate individual rights or the natural laws that I think are carried inside each of us from birth.
I have been running across a lot of people who identify themselves as "anarchists" but who only want to destroy everything; the good and the bad. Simply because it is there. They are really socialistic revolutionaries who want to get rid of the current system so that they can commit wrongs with no fear of punishment. That is not me, nor is it any of the anarchists I know. This is the problem with language. I know what I mean when I say certain words, but others may mean something completely different when they use the exact same words. No wonder people are (or pretend to be) so confused about the meaning of the Second Amendment!
________________________
Virtually everyone I've ever spoken to outside the choir gets anarchism and nihilism mixed up. I don't think that's an accident; ask any school teacher you happen to meet, and you'll see the same confusion.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I think it's state-monopoly education, rather than war, that's really the health of the state.
In a recent discussion someone told me "Anarchy means no rules! That's ALL it is! It IS chaos, even the dictionary says that." And then proceeded to tell me how incredibly ignorant I am to not believe the dictionary.
ReplyDeleteDid he think that GOD or some other supernatural omniscient being wrote the dictionary?
ReplyDeleteI have that problem with people about laws also. "But it's THE LAW". Yeah, both laws and dictionaries are written by people, neither are error free.