This is so good - thank you. Do you think there should be freedom for hierarchy and wealth accumulation too? I've been thinking about a dual system where needs (including socioemotional and relational) are met through cooperative means without the use of money and a system for material accumulation for people with wealth currently or who seem to need this type of experience for their psyche/spiritual development. So really it would be just creating free protected land and housing/shared spaces for people to engage in agriculture, research, eco restoration, social projects, relaxation.. to decide their days but also act responsibly knowing that food must be growth etc. Free healthcare of course...and then the existing system would remain for people who desire it
So glad you like the article! You bring up an interesting question …
I like the idea of the self-sufficient oasis-like place you describe, especially if it is a community in which there was complete freedom, even though the rest of the world might still be hierarchal and capitalist. I’d be happy if there was such a place in which some people can find sanctuary. There are some examples of this right now.
The challenge I see with allowing ‘freedom’ for hierarchy and wealth accumulation is that, I’d always worry this kind of community (especially if it remains small and alone) would always be in danger from hierarchy and capital - maybe one day it’s land would be valuable or it might have some scarce mineral or other resource, or it may just be considered a threat because it shows that a better way is possible.
Of course it depends how you define hierarchy - I define it to mean when one person rules over another & believe that if someone is ruling over someone else then the person they are ruling over (and the system they are part of) isn’t completely free, because the the ruler has the power or ability to restrict or take away that freedom. So I see hierarchy and freedom as contradictions in terms, like saying ‘the freedom of anti-freedom’ - the one cancels the other out.
This is like the paradox of tolerating intolerance - if you tolerate intolerance then tolerance will always be in danger of not being able to exist. Likewise if you tolerate hierarchy then you are tolerating someone ruling over others and so freedom does not exist, at least in principle and potentially in reality. Does that make sense?
In a non-hierarchal world that doesn’t mean that there isn’t expertise (authority), or that there aren’t situations in which someone leads the way where they have the knowledge and experience to show the best / safest way. But it does mean expertise and experience don’t give people a right to rule over others, and people always have a right to dissent.
Likewise, if you allow the accumulation of wealth you will also allow the accumulation of power. You might try to set up safeguards but the means to use the wealth to exercise power to corrupt such safeguards will always exist as long as such wealth exists.
So you can only allow these things with the risk that they will ultimately take away the ‘freedom from hierarchy’ and the ‘freedom to be autonomous’, and the freedom from exploitation / commodification / enclosure / externalities and so on.
Having said all this there are the political concepts of dual power and prefiguration in which people don’t wait for the powerful to be overthrown, they just ignore or go around them while building a better world as close to the way it should be as they can, until those with power and wealth become irrelevant, or their wealth becomes worthless because no-one uses their services, money or banks, and their power useless because nearly everyone defies them. So in this way maybe both these worlds can exist on different levels, but the one will always be in tension with the other. My hope is that the one that values and maintains freedom will win in the end.
Thank you for the thorough response. I agree it would be problematic. I also think forcing people to be community minded would be problematic. After generations and generations of power, wealth and trauma I think some people may need more time. I wonder if the capitalist and hierarchical system was only able to exist in the realm of wants but never for housing, food, healthcare, etc. if it could work. I think the power-based people will poison the cooperation from the inside if it's not voluntary. Having a place for this type of human expression to take place to more authentically move through the journey of trauma and healing and towards spiritual truth may be beneficial
There is definitely changes in culture that need to happen, especially since so much money and effort has been spent by the 'other side' to make people more fearful and isolated.
There definitely should be more places where people can learn to live in constructive cooperative communities through experiencing it. Some intentional communities, cooperatives, towns, and even regions of the world are trying to do this, but we need more examples closer to where people already are. Maybe you'll be instrumental in starting one near you!
I hope to be! My efforts right now are in reducing cost of living with community projects including agriculture, large batch shared cooking/baking and lotion and soap making, library model for tools kitchen equipment toys, ecological restoration projects, community service around birth and death … so people can save enough to drop work to part time and reconnect with life as distinct from work. It’s been enjoyable but the cultural aspect has been limiting. People generally want to turn it into business and limit the collective expansion it can offer. There’s a real hunger in the north east usa for power. Hoping to start over after a move to western Canada and apply what i’ve learned
"The real impracticality lies in trying to maintain our current system of artificial scarcity, environmental destruction, and human misery. The real impossibility is believing we can continue this way indefinitely."
Awesome article. Most worthy of pursuing— an intelligent utopian vision for people to be guided by. Fundamental problem is those of us who are the most oppressed and exploited will not read this long article. Hard to stay engaged when basic needs are not being met, when out of necessity one must put almost all of energy on the day to day struggle getting the basics covered. Need easy simple messages easy to use now. In my opinion, the beautiful messages need to fit on a bumper sticker, supporting info limited to a paragraph. We are vulnerable to the propaganda that sends simple straight forward messages because of life’s pressure and our anxiety about it. That’s how Trump was elected. We need hope and simple alternative answers that are easy for us to have access to and are being pushed to us. What’s are the plans for this?
Glad you liked it so much! It started life as a list of things I needed to cover in a series I'm planning on starting on revolutionary solutions, and somehow it became its own article. But I'm determined to keep coming back to practical proposals and how we make them happen.
You are right that sadly long form articles aren't for everybody. I try to add charts and images when I can, and post my daily anti-capitalist memes that I hope help raise awareness. I want to do more videos (and will have one out this Friday), but time is always in an issue.
Locally here there are groups of people who go around posting radical stickers and posters, local pressure groups who organise and protest regularly, and there is a radical newspaper sold by the homeless, but there is so much more that can be done, and should be.
There are about thirty action guides I've now seen about how to respond to Trump besides the ones I posted a few weeks ago, and groups like Black Rose, Crimethinc, Iron Front and the IWW seem to be active in this area, as well as other groups.
That's all very cool but people have to completely digest themselves from any beliefs that keep them tied to civilisation and social institutions of any kind before they can resist the brutal fascist in their head.
That is very true - although I don't think it is an all at once process, when people accept one contrary notion then - if they don't retreat from it to avoid facing its implications - then their mind makes room for another, and if they can experience a different practical reality in one area - if they don't give in to fear and insecurity and back out - then they become open to more radical changes.
This is so good - thank you. Do you think there should be freedom for hierarchy and wealth accumulation too? I've been thinking about a dual system where needs (including socioemotional and relational) are met through cooperative means without the use of money and a system for material accumulation for people with wealth currently or who seem to need this type of experience for their psyche/spiritual development. So really it would be just creating free protected land and housing/shared spaces for people to engage in agriculture, research, eco restoration, social projects, relaxation.. to decide their days but also act responsibly knowing that food must be growth etc. Free healthcare of course...and then the existing system would remain for people who desire it
So glad you like the article! You bring up an interesting question …
I like the idea of the self-sufficient oasis-like place you describe, especially if it is a community in which there was complete freedom, even though the rest of the world might still be hierarchal and capitalist. I’d be happy if there was such a place in which some people can find sanctuary. There are some examples of this right now.
The challenge I see with allowing ‘freedom’ for hierarchy and wealth accumulation is that, I’d always worry this kind of community (especially if it remains small and alone) would always be in danger from hierarchy and capital - maybe one day it’s land would be valuable or it might have some scarce mineral or other resource, or it may just be considered a threat because it shows that a better way is possible.
Of course it depends how you define hierarchy - I define it to mean when one person rules over another & believe that if someone is ruling over someone else then the person they are ruling over (and the system they are part of) isn’t completely free, because the the ruler has the power or ability to restrict or take away that freedom. So I see hierarchy and freedom as contradictions in terms, like saying ‘the freedom of anti-freedom’ - the one cancels the other out.
This is like the paradox of tolerating intolerance - if you tolerate intolerance then tolerance will always be in danger of not being able to exist. Likewise if you tolerate hierarchy then you are tolerating someone ruling over others and so freedom does not exist, at least in principle and potentially in reality. Does that make sense?
In a non-hierarchal world that doesn’t mean that there isn’t expertise (authority), or that there aren’t situations in which someone leads the way where they have the knowledge and experience to show the best / safest way. But it does mean expertise and experience don’t give people a right to rule over others, and people always have a right to dissent.
Likewise, if you allow the accumulation of wealth you will also allow the accumulation of power. You might try to set up safeguards but the means to use the wealth to exercise power to corrupt such safeguards will always exist as long as such wealth exists.
So you can only allow these things with the risk that they will ultimately take away the ‘freedom from hierarchy’ and the ‘freedom to be autonomous’, and the freedom from exploitation / commodification / enclosure / externalities and so on.
Having said all this there are the political concepts of dual power and prefiguration in which people don’t wait for the powerful to be overthrown, they just ignore or go around them while building a better world as close to the way it should be as they can, until those with power and wealth become irrelevant, or their wealth becomes worthless because no-one uses their services, money or banks, and their power useless because nearly everyone defies them. So in this way maybe both these worlds can exist on different levels, but the one will always be in tension with the other. My hope is that the one that values and maintains freedom will win in the end.
Thank you for the thorough response. I agree it would be problematic. I also think forcing people to be community minded would be problematic. After generations and generations of power, wealth and trauma I think some people may need more time. I wonder if the capitalist and hierarchical system was only able to exist in the realm of wants but never for housing, food, healthcare, etc. if it could work. I think the power-based people will poison the cooperation from the inside if it's not voluntary. Having a place for this type of human expression to take place to more authentically move through the journey of trauma and healing and towards spiritual truth may be beneficial
There is definitely changes in culture that need to happen, especially since so much money and effort has been spent by the 'other side' to make people more fearful and isolated.
There definitely should be more places where people can learn to live in constructive cooperative communities through experiencing it. Some intentional communities, cooperatives, towns, and even regions of the world are trying to do this, but we need more examples closer to where people already are. Maybe you'll be instrumental in starting one near you!
I hope to be! My efforts right now are in reducing cost of living with community projects including agriculture, large batch shared cooking/baking and lotion and soap making, library model for tools kitchen equipment toys, ecological restoration projects, community service around birth and death … so people can save enough to drop work to part time and reconnect with life as distinct from work. It’s been enjoyable but the cultural aspect has been limiting. People generally want to turn it into business and limit the collective expansion it can offer. There’s a real hunger in the north east usa for power. Hoping to start over after a move to western Canada and apply what i’ve learned
Friend, the second table under Objections is a duplicate of the table under Freedom Gains. I'm eager to learn more about the objections.
Oops. Thanks for letting me know.
The proper table is now there. It’s only a brief overview, but I’ll be covering more of these objections in future posts.
Another brilliant piece 👏
"The real impracticality lies in trying to maintain our current system of artificial scarcity, environmental destruction, and human misery. The real impossibility is believing we can continue this way indefinitely."
Very kind. So much to cover, so little time to write it all
Awesome article. Most worthy of pursuing— an intelligent utopian vision for people to be guided by. Fundamental problem is those of us who are the most oppressed and exploited will not read this long article. Hard to stay engaged when basic needs are not being met, when out of necessity one must put almost all of energy on the day to day struggle getting the basics covered. Need easy simple messages easy to use now. In my opinion, the beautiful messages need to fit on a bumper sticker, supporting info limited to a paragraph. We are vulnerable to the propaganda that sends simple straight forward messages because of life’s pressure and our anxiety about it. That’s how Trump was elected. We need hope and simple alternative answers that are easy for us to have access to and are being pushed to us. What’s are the plans for this?
Glad you liked it so much! It started life as a list of things I needed to cover in a series I'm planning on starting on revolutionary solutions, and somehow it became its own article. But I'm determined to keep coming back to practical proposals and how we make them happen.
You are right that sadly long form articles aren't for everybody. I try to add charts and images when I can, and post my daily anti-capitalist memes that I hope help raise awareness. I want to do more videos (and will have one out this Friday), but time is always in an issue.
Locally here there are groups of people who go around posting radical stickers and posters, local pressure groups who organise and protest regularly, and there is a radical newspaper sold by the homeless, but there is so much more that can be done, and should be.
There are about thirty action guides I've now seen about how to respond to Trump besides the ones I posted a few weeks ago, and groups like Black Rose, Crimethinc, Iron Front and the IWW seem to be active in this area, as well as other groups.
That's all very cool but people have to completely digest themselves from any beliefs that keep them tied to civilisation and social institutions of any kind before they can resist the brutal fascist in their head.
That is very true - although I don't think it is an all at once process, when people accept one contrary notion then - if they don't retreat from it to avoid facing its implications - then their mind makes room for another, and if they can experience a different practical reality in one area - if they don't give in to fear and insecurity and back out - then they become open to more radical changes.
True, it's not all at once. But until someone has really disengaged they seem very vulnerable to being dragged back in to tie cult 😂