On Anarchism by Noam Chomsky (PDF)

Description

The definitive primer on anarchist thought and practice, from the thinker the New York Times Book Review calls “the most widely read voice on foreign policy on the planet”“The essence of anarchism [is] the conviction that the burden of proof has to be placed on authority and that it should be dismantled if that burden cannot be met.” —Noam ChomskyWith the specter of anarchy being invoked by the Right to sow fear, a cogent explanation of the political philosophy known as anarchism has never been more urgently needed. In On Anarchism, radical linguist, philosopher, and activist Noam Chomsky provides it. Known for his brilliant evisceration of American foreign policy, state capitalism, and the mainstream media, Chomsky remains a formidable and unapologetic critic of established authority and perhaps the world’s most famous anarchist.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. Chomsky eloquently refutes the notion of anarchism as a fixed idea, suggesting that it is part of a living, evolving tradition, and he disputes the traditional fault lines between anarchism and socialism, emphasizing the power of collective, rather than individualist, action.Including a retrospective interview with Chomsky where the author assesses his writings on anarchism to date, this is a book that is sure to challenge, provoke, and inspire. Profoundly relevant to our times, On Anarchism is a touchstone for political activists and anyone interested in deepening their understanding of anarchism and the power of collective action.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐A no nonsense, exceptional work from Chomsky (as usual) that gives a great introductory to Anarchism, looks back into the Spanish revolution, inspiring optimistic direct action for all the wage slaves to abolish this unsustainable wage slavery system of Humans ruling humans with unique contributions towards Anarchist thought and all around philosophy.

⭐Good ol’ Chomsky. We need a billion like him. Great read, though hard to understand at times. Worth rereading some sections. Great info and clear perspective.

⭐Great book. Pretty quick read. The topics kind of bounce around so for a full appreciation it would be good to have a foundational knowledge of historical events that Chomsky references, namely the anarchist revolution in Barcelona in 1936-1939.

⭐As advertised

⭐Not sure why I down loaded this to my kindle but was pleasantly surprise at some of the arguments presented in this book. There is a great reliance on the Spanish Civil war to highlight the doctrine and history, but there is also some stuff in here that challenged my cognitive biases. Makes you think. Interestingly enough the author does pays homage to the successes of capitalism and the resulting democracy which is interesting when juxtaposed with anarchism. A quick and easy read the author does suggest we need a new economic and political mechanism for the future. Don’t think that is anarchism.

⭐For those who are interested in introducing themselves to anarchism, in practice and in theory, this book is a great resource and a short read.

⭐Great introduction to Chomsky’s flavor of anarchism: anarcho-syndicalism. The first chapter covers the definition and history. The second and fourth are some really interesting Q&A format dicussions. The third one details an essay Chomsky wrote when he was younger discussing anarchism in the Spanish civil war. The last chapter discusses Freedom and Language which connects a bit to his work on linguistics. I highly recommend it!

⭐Simply brilliant and thorough. Perhaps the best introduction to anarchism one can read.

⭐One could do worst than to be introduced by Noam Chomsky to the subject of anarchism. This little book does that job brilliantly. Funny how after all these years, there are still so many morons out here who have no idea of what it actually means to be an anarchist – and that’s mostly the people who call themselves anarchists!But I would advise any reader not to expect a perfect book, or even one thoughtfully put together. It’s a a hatchet job. An awful introduction by some dude, followed by a haphazard collection of Chomsky’s old essays plus transcripts of some Q&A session. My 5 stars are for content, NOT form. I’d say, take what you like from it and discard the rest. The best part is the superb in-depth explanation of what exactly it means, to be an anarchist. You can just ignore the parts you might not be so interested in, the study of the Spanish Civil War for example; the book is cheap enough to skip or forget parts of it, if such is your wont.For a beginner in all things anarchist, this book is an excellent place to start. And then some. I would argue that it’s actually enough on its own, because it will get you thinking… for the rest of your thinking days. Seriously.

⭐The other reviews have highlighted some of the key problems with this book being selection of essays from over last 40 years (1969 onwards) so not wholly current, plus while a general connection exists around the issues of and understanding how anarchism might work in practice, overall the wide variety of ideas on show defeats the book being a well structured or logical read on the subject.The key problem for me as a general reader wanting to learn more is that in a number of cases the essays and content are simply too dense to easily communicate the ideas under consideration. The badly written introduction by Nathan Schneider or the final Chomsky essay “Language and Freedom” being a treatise on linguistics and philosophy which requires a pretty in depth initial understanding of both subjects to start to understand the points being made, are the two worst examples.Offsetting this are an excellent essay from 1969 on how “liberal” historians have treated the anarchist movement in the Spanish Civil War (given the great output of books since 1969 on this topic, especially across the last 20 years, the essay cries out for an Updated footnote by Chomsky which has sadly not been attempted) and a semi autobiographical Q&A interview on how Chomsky’s early years and family developed his interest in anarchism, including his early interest in the Spanish Civil War.Overall not an easy or consistent read but the gems that exist are well worth the price and persevering to struggle through to read.

⭐If you are beginning to look into anarchism in any form, then this is the book for you. Written by famed linguistic and political master Noam Chomsky. This along with books such as the conquest of bread or mutual aid are nigh essential to any anarchists library, especially newer ones.

⭐A cute idea but will never work.

⭐An interesting and well written book. I am pleased to have this in my library.

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