Big Muddy rancher
Well-known member
Libertarian socialism or socialist anarchism[1][2] is a group of political philosophies that aspire to anarchist forms of socialism in that they wish to create a society without political, economic, or social hierarchies, i.e. a society in which all violent or coercive institutions would be dissolved, and in their place every person would have free, equal access to tools of information and production, or a society in which such coercive institutions and hierarchies were drastically reduced in scope.[3]
This equality and freedom would be achieved through the abolition of authoritarian institutions that own and control productive means as private property,[4] in order that direct control of these means of production and resources will be shared by society as a whole. Libertarian socialism also constitutes a tendency of thought that informs the identification, criticism and practical dismantling of illegitimate authority in all aspects of social life. Accordingly libertarian socialists believe that “the exercise of power in any institutionalized form – whether economic, political, religious, or sexual – brutalizes both the wielder of power and the one over whom it is exercised.”[5]
While more state-based varieties of socialism emphasize the role of the state or political party in promoting state control of the economy and social engineering[citation needed], libertarian socialists place their hopes in trade unions, workers' councils, municipalities, citizens' assemblies, and other non-bureaucratic, decentralized means of direct democracy.[6] Many libertarian socialists advocate doing away with the state altogether, seeing it as a bulwark of capitalist class rule.[7]
Political philosophies commonly described as libertarian socialist include most varieties of anarchism (especially anarchist communism, anarchist collectivism, anarcho-syndicalism,[8] most forms of mutualism,[9],social ecology,[10] autonomism and council communism).[11] Some writers use libertarian socialism synonymously with anarchism.[12]
This equality and freedom would be achieved through the abolition of authoritarian institutions that own and control productive means as private property,[4] in order that direct control of these means of production and resources will be shared by society as a whole. Libertarian socialism also constitutes a tendency of thought that informs the identification, criticism and practical dismantling of illegitimate authority in all aspects of social life. Accordingly libertarian socialists believe that “the exercise of power in any institutionalized form – whether economic, political, religious, or sexual – brutalizes both the wielder of power and the one over whom it is exercised.”[5]
While more state-based varieties of socialism emphasize the role of the state or political party in promoting state control of the economy and social engineering[citation needed], libertarian socialists place their hopes in trade unions, workers' councils, municipalities, citizens' assemblies, and other non-bureaucratic, decentralized means of direct democracy.[6] Many libertarian socialists advocate doing away with the state altogether, seeing it as a bulwark of capitalist class rule.[7]
Political philosophies commonly described as libertarian socialist include most varieties of anarchism (especially anarchist communism, anarchist collectivism, anarcho-syndicalism,[8] most forms of mutualism,[9],social ecology,[10] autonomism and council communism).[11] Some writers use libertarian socialism synonymously with anarchism.[12]