Politics

On Anarchism

On Anarchism

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  • Author：Noam Chomsky
  • ISBN：0241969603
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Summary

On Anarchism is an essential introduction to the Noam Chomsky's political theory。

On Anarchism sheds a much needed light on the foundations of Chomsky's thought， specifically his constant questioning of the legitimacy of entrenched power。 The book gathers his essays and interviews to provide a short， accessible introduction to his distinctively optimistic brand of anarchism。 Refuting the notion of anarchism as a fixed idea， and disputing the traditional fault lines between anarchism and socialism， this is a book sure to challenge， provoke and inspire。 Profoundly relevant to our times， it is a touchstone for political activists and anyone interested in deepening their understanding of anarchism， or of Chomsky's thought。

'Arguably the most important intellectual alive' New York Times

Noam Chomsky is the author of numerous bestselling and influential political books， including Hegemony or Survival， Failed States， Interventions， What We Say Goes， Hopes and Prospects， Gaza in Crisis， Making the Future and Occupy。

Nathan Schneider is the author of Thank You， Anarchy: Notes from the Occupy Apocalypse and God in Proof: The Story of a Search from the Ancients to the Internet。

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Reviews

Charlotte ，

Good starter to anarchism however fails on experience of who people are and needs more

Pedja Ljubojevic ，

The title of this book is rather misleading and it should have been - On Socialism。 Anarchy is a broad term and it has a lot of different flavors to it。 Chomsky decided to focus only on Anarcho-socialism and anarcho-syndicalism。 His hypothesis and conclusions are quite subjective， frequently without any substantial references and with lots of childish wishful thinking。 The structure of the book is weird and it seems more like a compilation of different essays。 All in all - huge disappointment。 A The title of this book is rather misleading and it should have been - On Socialism。 Anarchy is a broad term and it has a lot of different flavors to it。 Chomsky decided to focus only on Anarcho-socialism and anarcho-syndicalism。 His hypothesis and conclusions are quite subjective， frequently without any substantial references and with lots of childish wishful thinking。 The structure of the book is weird and it seems more like a compilation of different essays。 All in all - huge disappointment。 Avoid this book if you are interested in a contemporary and realistic approach to Anarchism。  。。。more

kat ，

l’últim capítol es fa suuper llarg però crec q tothom l’hauria de llegir。 3。5

Isaac ，

Utopian and nonsensical。 Believing that workers can simply control production along a voluntary and individualist basis， whilst functioning as a collective in a free form way misunderstands necessity; taking all of Marxism and rebranding it’s concepts as non-hierarchical simply by a change of name。

Darcy ，

Noam Chomsky's "On Anarchism" is wholly inconsistent。 Though a brief and decent introduction to anarchy， the academic drivel and wordiness makes this a struggle to read。 Noam Chomsky's "On Anarchism" is wholly inconsistent。 Though a brief and decent introduction to anarchy， the academic drivel and wordiness makes this a struggle to read。 。。。more

Rosie ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 some sections of this book was very good， however Chomsky continually went back on his words。 for example， he wanted to abolish all forms of authority but he wanted the current government to fix all the current problems of the state and then be abolished。the book also continually spoke about the spanish civil war so it was interesting to finally learn about that， but the information was very heavy and hard to take in。

Ivan Lanìa ，

Prima o poi arrivano nella vita dei momenti in cui o ci si dà un'alfabetizzazione politica， o si resta dei bambocci senza spina dorsale。 Ho deciso che per me era arrivato quel momento， ergo ho cercato dei saggi che risuonassero con i miei valori personali e， fra i vari， ho recuperato questo Anarchia: Idee per l'umanità liberata， una selezione di dieci scritti di Noam Chomsky composti fra gli anni Settanta e i primi Duemila。 Ora， è vero che prima o poi arrivano anche dei momenti in cui un pen Prima o poi arrivano nella vita dei momenti in cui o ci si dà un'alfabetizzazione politica， o si resta dei bambocci senza spina dorsale。 Ho deciso che per me era arrivato quel momento， ergo ho cercato dei saggi che risuonassero con i miei valori personali e， fra i vari， ho recuperato questo Anarchia: Idee per l'umanità liberata， una selezione di dieci scritti di Noam Chomsky composti fra gli anni Settanta e i primi Duemila。 Ora， è vero che prima o poi arrivano anche dei momenti in cui un pensatore o si ritira dalle scene civilmente o si attacca alla poltrona e rimbambisce， e che Chomsky ha scelto di attaccarsi alla poltrona e nell'ultimo paio di anni ha fatto un po' di figure da vecchio senile – però la sua prosa dei tempi d'oro raccolta in questo volume brilla ancora per limpidezza e per vis polemica e riesce a dimostrare， secondo me， egregiamente i fondamenti del progressismo libertario， dall'illegittimità etica della gerarchia alla compromissione con il potere economico delle classi intellettuali， passando per l'esempio virtuoso della fazione anarchica nella Guerra Civile Spagnola。 Come precisato nell'introduzione i dieci pezzi tornano spesso sui medesimi temi， portando avanti un unico discorso nell'arco di tanti anni， ma la ridondanza conseguente rende molto più masticabile il tema e talvolta permette a Chomsky di ritrattare punti opinabili （non tutti quelli degni di nota， ma non chiediamo troppo）。Forse non una lettura da illuminazione buddhista， ma di sicuro un bel tassello nella mia formazione。 。。。more

Jerre ，

Brief little book with some thoughts on anarchism， not sufficient in and of itself as an introduction to anarchist thought。

Tizi ，

I agree with the comment of Baal Of: "Chomsky writes for people who are already steeped in his kind of rhetoric。"That said， a book hard but full of food for thought。 I agree with the comment of Baal Of: "Chomsky writes for people who are already steeped in his kind of rhetoric。"That said， a book hard but full of food for thought。 。。。more

Dylan Moore ，

Did it make me an anarchist？ Only time will tell

Joel Peralta ，

That all forms of power should be subject of a thorough justification is a simple principle， but anarchism and its history can be studied through multiple points of view as seen in this book。The analysis of Spanish Civil War and the crushing of the social revolution of 1936 is brilliant and eye-opening in regards to the decision-making of the national powers of the time。 To me it is a starting point for further reading on the subject。 That period could be one of the most important episodes in hi That all forms of power should be subject of a thorough justification is a simple principle， but anarchism and its history can be studied through multiple points of view as seen in this book。The analysis of Spanish Civil War and the crushing of the social revolution of 1936 is brilliant and eye-opening in regards to the decision-making of the national powers of the time。 To me it is a starting point for further reading on the subject。 That period could be one of the most important episodes in history and who knows the implications on the world of today if that revolution would’ve ended some other way。I’d say more than 60 percent of the book talks about this revolution， and though it is an interesting topic and useful for understanding the idea of anarchism， I thought the author was too simplistic when assessing other topics。Nonetheless， Chomsky is thorough in his dissertations， and you can find yourself lost in a sea of ideas at times， but with the massive bibliography and numerous citations， this book is an essential reference for modern Anarchist ideology。 。。。more

Casper Weiss Bang ，

I went into this book with the expectation of understanding Noam Chomsky and his perspective on anarchism。 Not simply a definition but perspective and arguments that promoted it。 Instead I got a very detail oriented perspective on the Spanish civil war from an anarchist perspective。 I got an in-depth discussion on linguistics and freedom。 Based on my expectations from reading the back of the book， I was highly disappointed。 Parts were interesting and certain paragraphs gave me a higher understan I went into this book with the expectation of understanding Noam Chomsky and his perspective on anarchism。 Not simply a definition but perspective and arguments that promoted it。 Instead I got a very detail oriented perspective on the Spanish civil war from an anarchist perspective。 I got an in-depth discussion on linguistics and freedom。 Based on my expectations from reading the back of the book， I was highly disappointed。 Parts were interesting and certain paragraphs gave me a higher understanding of certain aspects but overall the wording was way too academic for me， and the focus was far from my expectations。 Maybe I'm simply not knowledgeable enough in this field to "get it" but there was a high fraction where I almost didn't understand what he was saying。 I wouldn't recommend the book， however I might be ignorant。 。。。more

Helen ，

This book includes five essays or excerpts from books about anarchism。 Some of it was hard for me to understand。

Wilf Vall ，

on ass

Max Kobernick ，

interesting ideas and good introduction to anarchism but also very dry and dense，，，but that’s also what i get for reading political philosophy

Sergio LePoulet ，

The historical parts about the Spanish Civil War are quite interesting。 Sadly they cover most of the book core。 The result is that the book ends up being mostly a recollection of historical events rather than an actual discussion on anarchism。 Still quite good。

Anurag Vaishnav ，

It is important to note that this book is a compilation of a series of interviews and essays by Noam on Anarchism。 To those who have been following Noam's work， it may seem what's new in this since most of Noam's thoughts on Anarchy as a political philosophy date back to the 1970s and they haven't exactly changed。 Yet， this makes a great short read as it clarifies Noam's position on whether the goals of Anarchism stand opposed to the goals of democratic socialism or welfare state， which too， Noa It is important to note that this book is a compilation of a series of interviews and essays by Noam on Anarchism。 To those who have been following Noam's work， it may seem what's new in this since most of Noam's thoughts on Anarchy as a political philosophy date back to the 1970s and they haven't exactly changed。 Yet， this makes a great short read as it clarifies Noam's position on whether the goals of Anarchism stand opposed to the goals of democratic socialism or welfare state， which too， Noam has been vocal about since the last decade。 In the light of recent developments where the legitimacy of the welfare state has come into question， Noam explains how his notion of Anarchy has the same goal as a welfare state: ensuring that every child has a right to eat and every person a right to healthcare。 。。。more

Oliver Clarke ，

Hard going at times， but some fascinating insights

Edward Glennie ，

Excellent read， Chomsky is clear and concise， profound and understandable。 The book itself goes over multiple political concepts， contains interviews， writings， theories and treatises， and an excellent account of multiple Anarchist collectives in Catalonia during the Spanish Civil War， along with an very thorough history of the conflict in general。 Well worth reading。

Luke Mešterović ，

A fantastic introduction to a philosophy that has been misrepresented all too often by those it challenges。 A compilation of interviews， speeches and essays， On Anarchism features Noam Chomsky collating arguments for and dissecting the arguments against anarchism。 His dry yet engaging tone is straight to the point， devoid the radical left rhetoric that often does more harm than good。 Chomsky leads us through the annals of anarchist history， from Bakunin's prediction that state socialism would le A fantastic introduction to a philosophy that has been misrepresented all too often by those it challenges。 A compilation of interviews， speeches and essays， On Anarchism features Noam Chomsky collating arguments for and dissecting the arguments against anarchism。 His dry yet engaging tone is straight to the point， devoid the radical left rhetoric that often does more harm than good。 Chomsky leads us through the annals of anarchist history， from Bakunin's prediction that state socialism would lead to a totalitarian 'red bureaucracy' to the miraculous success of anarchist Catalonia， before diving into how language shapes our relationship with political systems。 While this makes it an amazing introductory read， it is not revolutionary in any way - Chomsky has made his points elsewhere and shares little in the way of new perspectives。 Its success is thus derived from its compilation of the most important arguments into a slim paperback that can be easily referred to。Not only is this a must read for budding anarchists - it ought to be read by everyone。 As we witness the rise of surveillance capitalism， we need to remind ourselves of the unofficial 'creed' of anarchism。 That authority is not self-justifying， and that authority that cannot justify its existence ought to be dismantled。 。。。more

Trevor ，

Every good an insightful。 I didn’t know much about Spanish civil war so I I was lost for that part but the other sections rape the interview chapters were quite good

ALEXA ，

mr。 chomsky i LOVE you but this book is overall a 3/5 somewhat of a mixed bag。 am not a big fan of the mix of q&a， normal writing and interview， thought the chapter on the spanish revolution was too long， but the last two chapters （ESPECIALLY the very last one） were a 5/5 Amazing。 what a banger， mr。 chomsky。

Amine ，

So how best to introduce this book。。。This is not really a book。The introduction by Nathan Schneider is a demistifier a general greeting of do not be afraid gentle traveler， we will not ask you to go raid the local police office。 It is also not badly written and carries an interesting idea。The first chapter of the book， Notes on Anarchism， is quite interesting。 Here enters Chomsky to explain what Anarchism is to him。 He places his anarchism as a sibling if not a twin to libertarianism， he disting So how best to introduce this book。。。This is not really a book。The introduction by Nathan Schneider is a demistifier a general greeting of do not be afraid gentle traveler， we will not ask you to go raid the local police office。 It is also not badly written and carries an interesting idea。The first chapter of the book， Notes on Anarchism， is quite interesting。 Here enters Chomsky to explain what Anarchism is to him。 He places his anarchism as a sibling if not a twin to libertarianism， he distinguishes it from socialism， or state socialism rather。 He introduces the thoughts of several thinkers， socialists and not， on the matter at hand。 He does answer a lot of what anarchism is to him here and he replies to some of the most common objections as well。 The second chapter is excerpts from some sort of interview or lecture， in it Chomsky replies to some comments and questions relating to the subject matter。 The third chapter seems to be an article in reply to an account of the civil war in Spain with which Chomsky disagrees。 Arguably relevant because of the anarchist element in the said war。The fourth chapter is an interview with Chomsky about some of his ideas and experiences。The fifth chapter is an essay on freedom and language。For all intents and purposes， this is a bad book。 And I am saying that based on the standards of this very book， based on the objectives I imagine it sets for itself。 This book taught me little about anarchism， would teach little to people who know nothing about anarchism， and does little to counter the opponents of anarchism。 In short， this is not a serious book "on Anarchism"。 I would argue that it should be named "some thoughts relating to Anarchism" or something of the sort。However， I do not say I principally disagree with Chomsky on his ideas regarding Anarchism。 To Chomsky， anarchism is mostly the questioning of illegitimate authority。 It is not chaos， and it is not the senseless abolition of the state。 To him it is in a sense being a true classical liberal or a libertarian socialist。 He opposes capitalism and wage slavery but also any authoritarian version of the state。 His aim is maximum individual liberty。 He is in that sense as much an opponent of Marxist-Leninists as he is an opponent of neoliberals。 His view opens itself up to various objections which he doesn't even acknowledge。 To add to that， the objections he does acknowledge he mostly replies to half-heartedly with a wave of hand。 I would say that this is what I found most disappointing in this book， but then again， this is not really a book in that sense。 This is not a serious book about anarchism with strong anarchist arguments。 In a sense this is a form of "pop politics" book with which people can entertain themselves about anarchism or an entry point to delve deeper， but no more。I exaggerate somewhat， but this was a disappointing read， better replaced by a YouTube video。Funnily enough， my favorite chapters of the book are the one about the Spanish Civil War， an event of which I know little and have always wanted to read on， and the chapter on language and freedom which was cohesive enlightening and entertaining to the end。 。。。more

Joseph Langham ，

A really interesting insight into some of Chomsky's core ideas， since most of his other writing often appears far more critical than constructive。 It is interesting to better understand his ideological foundations of socialist libertarianism and how anarchist principles can be applied in contemporary criticisms。 A really interesting insight into some of Chomsky's core ideas， since most of his other writing often appears far more critical than constructive。 It is interesting to better understand his ideological foundations of socialist libertarianism and how anarchist principles can be applied in contemporary criticisms。 。。。more

Francesca ，

Meh。 First essay and the interviews were interesting。 Essay on the Spanish Civil War was surprisingly boring。 The essay "Language and Freedom" was unintelligible to me。 He wrote about language and he wrote about freedom， and I saw no connection between the two。 The only parts I understood were the quotes by Rousseau and Humboldt。 Something is wrong when I feel relieved to see a 18th century block quote。 "I am no less puzzled by the topic 'language and freedom' than when I began--and no less intr Meh。 First essay and the interviews were interesting。 Essay on the Spanish Civil War was surprisingly boring。 The essay "Language and Freedom" was unintelligible to me。 He wrote about language and he wrote about freedom， and I saw no connection between the two。 The only parts I understood were the quotes by Rousseau and Humboldt。 Something is wrong when I feel relieved to see a 18th century block quote。 "I am no less puzzled by the topic 'language and freedom' than when I began--and no less intrigued。 In these speculative and sketchy remarks there are gaps so vast that one might question what would remain， when metaphor and unsubstantiated guess are removed。"Seems to me like Chomsky himself has no idea what that essay was about。 。。。more

Justin Taylor ，

Last year， I saw on display a Shepard Fairey artwork that read “I lived with the system and took no offense/until Chomsky lent me the necessary sense。” My feelings are equal and opposite of this artwork - instead of Chomsky “lending me sense，” I felt myself getting annoyed at the number of conclusions I came to the long way around that Chomsky could have just told me， if I’d cared to listen earlier - and he expanded upon ideas that had been swirling half-formed wonderfully。

Barut ，

garbaggio。 dude thinks we still live in 1936

Pushon Bhattacharya ，

An essential collection of Chomsky's writings/speeches/interviews on Anarchism。 An essential collection of Chomsky's writings/speeches/interviews on Anarchism。 。。。more

Jacob ，

Not comprehensive by any means， but a decent read if you want to hear some basic commentary on why we might consider anarchism as a viable mode of society。 The best parts， for me， were the Q&A sections from Understanding Power and the interview with Harry Kreisler。

Shahryar Khan ，

Digging deep into anarchism。 What I loved about this book is the extensive references and footnotes Chomsky gives。 Gave me a lot to chew on for my further studies of anarchism and anarcho-syndicalism， such as the works of Bakunin， Rocker， Orwell etc。 I'm following up this read with Orwell's classic Homage to Catalonia。Besides the excellent essay on Anarchism， there is an extensive refutation of some of the claims made by Jackson in his award-winning work on the Spanish Civil War。 Also lays bare Digging deep into anarchism。 What I loved about this book is the extensive references and footnotes Chomsky gives。 Gave me a lot to chew on for my further studies of anarchism and anarcho-syndicalism， such as the works of Bakunin， Rocker， Orwell etc。 I'm following up this read with Orwell's classic Homage to Catalonia。Besides the excellent essay on Anarchism， there is an extensive refutation of some of the claims made by Jackson in his award-winning work on the Spanish Civil War。 Also lays bare many of the liberal biases Jackson was operating on。 After these， there was a short interview with Harry Kreisler which talked about Chomsky's early influences and how his worldview was shaped。At the very end was an illuminating essay called Language and Freedom， in which Chomsky connected the two strands of Western Enlightenment thought on the concept of freedom （that freedom is the fundamental postulate of human existence） and the concept of language （that creative， infinitely-varied use of the language faculty distinguishes us from animals）， through the works of Rousseau， Humboldt （one of Chomsky's fav thinkers）， Descartes， Kant and others。 A very enlightening and uplifting read indeed！ Looking forward to reading more Chomsky books in the future。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=On Anarchism

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=On Anarchism&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,On Anarchism&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0