by thecollective
May 12, 2026
From Andrewism (YouTube)
Sharing my thoughts on the subject of individualist and social anarchism.
- https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/john-clark-bridging-the-unbridgeable-chasm-on-bookchin-s-critique-of-the-anarchist-tradition
- https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/ricardo-mella-concerning-an-antinomy
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Comments
cool
km (not verified) Tue, 05/12/2026 - 16:37
Andrewism has been on point lately. this and his short on mutual aid are good refresher/ primers on some (what should be basic) @ principles.
agreed. the mutual aid one…
chisel Tue, 05/12/2026 - 21:37
In reply to cool by km (not verified)
agreed. the mutual aid one is in the chute as well.
remember when anarchist…
anonymous (not verified) Sat, 05/16/2026 - 10:42
In reply to agreed. the mutual aid one… by chisel
remember when anarchist media wasn't an echo chamber? leaving critics out to dry is fine with me but do we not deconstruct our ideas at all anymore? This content creation biz is flimsy as hell, and way too legibile
I don't really understand why
CalvinSmith Wed, 05/13/2026 - 09:07
In reply to cool by km (not verified)
People are still complaining about Bookchin though...his premise was bullshit, and he is dead. I can't think of a better reason to read something else.
to be fair
km (not verified) Wed, 05/13/2026 - 11:23
In reply to I don't really understand why by CalvinSmith
to be fair here, this video is not complaining about Bookchin so much as offering a coherent, short explanation as to why there is no unbridgable chasm between individuals and groups in anarchy.
i think Bookchin keeps coming up because some of his followers are still pushing his ideas and perhaps also because Rojava gave him publicity, however unwarranted.
Yeah i like some individualist thinkers
CalvinSmith Wed, 05/13/2026 - 12:09
In reply to to be fair by km (not verified)
Like stirner and nietzsche, but overall i don't like individualism itself as a moral principal. I became disinterested when guy above was talking about bookchin...im so tired of people talking about that particular dichotomy.
Individualism & Collectivism, A False Dichotomy
Lakes (not verified) Thu, 05/14/2026 - 06:50
I understand that there are differences between a "collective" and "individualistic" reasoning behind values. But when it comes to how society is structured, I always saw it as somewhat of a false dichotomy, even when I was a socdem, since stuff that is beneficial to the group is beneficial for the individuals in that group. However I still bought into the individual & social anarchist distinction. I didn't even know Bookchin was behind it. The only book I read by Bookchin was on the Spanish Civil War. So I really can't speak much on his political theory.
Wildlyfist
anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/14/2026 - 12:01
In reply to Individualism & Collectivism, A False Dichotomy by Lakes (not verified)
"since stuff that is beneficial to the group is beneficial for the individuals in that group."
That is totally within collectivist capital logic. Individualism departs from collectivism in how relations between individuals are actually *not* subjected to the politics of the collective.
Like there is no mechanism of exclusion and privation in individualism, as you got in collectivistic arrangements.
A land or building can be used by anyone as there are no in/out group dynamics based on arbitrary proprietarian (formal or not) designations. Collectivist patterns are exactly what makes anarchist occupations turn into communally-owned housing coops, where the in/out group dynamic becomes intertwined with the space being occupied.
In an individualistic and anarchist relationship, anyone can occupy a building regardless of who was there before, even if the latter can have their own space within it. Same pattern applies to countries, nation-states, lands... Basically privatizing IS first and foremost a collectivist pattern. It needs the acceptance of many individuals in order to become reified and institutionalized.
These domains are all fake. They are made into "nomos" only through collective relations.
nomos is the real of the…
anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/14/2026 - 14:49
In reply to Wildlyfist by anonymous (not verified)
nomos is the real of the symbolic. in being fake, its not alive like you, but it requires delicacy if you interact with others, not least thanks to "the big other"
"nomos is the real of the…
anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/14/2026 - 17:37
In reply to nomos is the real of the… by anonymous (not verified)
"nomos is the real of the symbolic." No that'd be the topos. Nomos means the "spirit of laws", or any sort of institutionalized order, which is made of codes and representations.
okay, i guess i meant "the…
anonymous (not verified) Fri, 05/15/2026 - 15:26
In reply to "nomos is the real of the… by anonymous (not verified)
okay, i guess i meant "the way someone might feel controlled by nomos is a hallucination of the symbolic as real, acting on their real body." if it matters to anyone, even youu?
Makes sense
Lakes (not verified) Thu, 05/14/2026 - 18:00
In reply to Wildlyfist by anonymous (not verified)
Thanks for explaining more in depth.
what if the following two…
anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/14/2026 - 14:53
In reply to Individualism & Collectivism, A False Dichotomy by Lakes (not verified)
what if the following two sentences are true:
what a person wants to do is what they do.
what comes from their action in the world is what they deserve.
these two sentences can clarify where the agency resides
simplistic and embarrassing…
anonymous (not verified) Thu, 05/14/2026 - 17:03
In reply to what if the following two… by anonymous (not verified)
simplistic and embarrassing. sad
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