Anarchist law

Legal theory within anarchist philosophy

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Anarchist law is a term variously used to describe the apparent norms regarding behavior and decision-making operative within an anarchist community from the perspective of a law-normative viewpoint. (Anarchy is not chaos, Anarchy is individualism.) Although many anarchists would consider "anarchist law" simply synonymous with natural law, others contend law as implied in anarchy by outside observers would have additional, unique elements.[1] Over the course of the last two hundred years as anarchism has grown and evolved to include diverse strains, there have been different conceptions of "anarchist law" produced and discussed, or used in practice by anarchist networks such as Peoples' Global Action[2] or Indymedia.[3]

## Non-coercion

[edit]

The most fundamental maxim of many anarchist tendencies is that no individual has the right to coerce another individual, and that everyone has the right to defend themselves against coercion (the non-aggression principle or zero aggression principle). Systems typically considered coercive include the state, capitalism, and institutional oppression. This basic principle, like mutual aid, is foundational to much of anarchist law, and indeed much of anarchist theory. Peter Kropotkin, a prominent anarcho-communist, stated it was "best summed up by the maxim 'do unto others as you would have them do unto you.'" In short, anarchist philosophy includes the "ethic of reciprocity," but typically condones violence intended to retaliate against or dismantle systems of oppression (with the exception of anarcho-pacifism, some Christian anarchism and other nonviolent/pacifistic movements.)[4]

## Consensus-based social contracts

[edit]

See also: Consensus democracy

Since the principle of non-coercion makes hierarchical state structures unfeasible, anarchist communities must find an alternative basis for setting the rules of engagement within a collective. Accordingly, virtually all anarchist legal models begin with the assumption that whatever rules are set in place must be freely agreed to by the entirety of the community that is to be governed by them in a setting free from coercion or intimidation. Such freely given consent constitutes a social contract, though the exact nature of such contracts is a matter of heated debate.[5]

Some anarchist legal theorists hold that an ideal anarchist society should be based strictly on natural law and mutual aid, which require no social contract.[6]

However, many anarchist theorists completely reject the concept of natural law as coercive and man-made. Natural law in this view is merely disguising authoritarianism so the oppressor does not have to take credit for it. Social anarchists, mutualists and many individualist anarchists reject private property, a core principle of most natural law theories.[7]

## Free association

[edit]

Free association (also called voluntary association) also implies the right of individuals to form those exact social contracts. This freedom to not associate means if the terms of a social contract become unacceptable to an individual member or sub-group(s) within a society, the discontented have the right to secede from the contract. They may also form new associations with others that more closely fit their needs.[8]

## Mutual aid

[edit]

The principle of mutual aid, originally identified by Peter Kropotkin as arising from natural law, is that since evolution occurs in groups - not individuals - it is evolutionarily advantageous for members of a community to assist each other. The anarchist approach to building power - and structuring power relationships - is derived from this evolutionary and biological imperative. In a nutshell the argument is that since individuals require the assistance of groups to self-actualize, individuals have a strong self-interest in the good of the community to which they belong. It follows that (freely associating) collectives of individuals working for mutual improvement and mutual goals must form the basis of any anarchist society, thus providing the sociological and economic imperative for the creation of social contracts capable of binding these self-selecting groups together.[6]

In a pre-revolutionary situation, the principle of "mutual aid" is the moral imperative that drives efforts by contemporary anarchists to provide material aid to victims of natural disasters;[9] those that are homeless or poor, and others who have been left without access to food or clean drinking water, or other basic necessities.

## Enforceability

[edit]

Enforceability is one of the most controversial areas of anarchist law. Early writers such as Proudhon argued that it was legitimate for working-class people to self-organize against criminals who prey on the weak, a process which would unequivocally entail some degree of coercion.[10]

## Decision-making

[edit]

Common techniques for decision-making, including decisions about the de facto laws themselves, among non-hierarchical societies include various forms of formal consensus,[3] supermajority voting, "consensus minus one" and direct democracy.[11] Anthropologist David Graeber argues that any community that lacks a centralized mechanism of force (a state) will naturally gravitate toward some form of consensus decision-making.

## Examples

[edit]

See also: List of anarchist communities

## See also

[edit]

* Voluntary association
* Polycentric law

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Anarchism and Law". The Anarchist Library. Retrieved 6 February 2023.
2. ^ "Organisational Principles". Peoples' Global Action. Archived from the original on 15 October 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-29.
3. ^ a b "Principles of Unity". Indymedia. Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2006-10-28.
4. ^ Tamblyn, Nathan (2019). "The Common Ground of Law and Anarchism". Liverpool Law Review. 40: 65–78. doi:10.1007/s10991-019-09223-1. hdl:10871/36939. S2CID 155131683. Archived from the original on 2020-10-09. Retrieved 2020-09-24.
5. ^ Tamblyn, Nathan (April 30, 2019). "The Common Ground of Law and Anarchism". Liverpool Law Review. 40 (1): 65–78. doi:10.1007/s10991-019-09223-1. hdl:10871/36939. ISSN 1572-8625.
6. ^ a b "Anarchist Writers – Anarchist analysis & the Anarchist FAQ". Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-04-10. Retrieved 2020-09-30.
7. ^ "The Myth of "Natural Law"". Archived from the original on 2020-10-28. Retrieved 2020-09-27.
8. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2021-08-13. Retrieved 2020-09-30.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
9. ^ "Katrina Relief". Archived from the original on 2006-06-13. Retrieved 2006-06-13.
10. ^ Ritter, Alan (1975). "Godwin, Proudhon and the Anarchist Justification of Punishment". Political Theory. 3: 69–87. doi:10.1177/009059177500300107. S2CID 149216607.
11. ^ "A.2.11 Why are most anarchists in favour of direct democracy?". Infoshop. Archived from the original on 25 October 2006. Retrieved 2006-10-28.

## Further reading

[edit]

* Holterman, Thom; Henc van Maarseveen (1984). Law and Anarchism. Montréal: Black Rose Books. ISBN 0-919619-10-X.

## External links

[edit]

* Anarchist Studies Network Reading List on Anarchism & Law. Archived 22 May 2019.

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Anarchism

Concepts|

* Anarchy
* Anarchist Black Cross
* Anarchist criminology
* Anationalism
* Anti-authoritarianism
* Anti-capitalism
* Anti-militarism
* Affinity group
* Autonomous social center
* Black bloc
* Classless society
* Class struggle
* Consensus decision-making
* Conscientious objector
* Critique of work
* Decentralization
* Deep ecology
* Direct action
* Free love
* Freethought
* Horizontalidad
* Individualism
* Law
* Mutual aid
* Participatory politics
* Permanent autonomous zone
* Prefigurative politics
* Proletarian internationalism
* Propaganda of the deed
* Refusal of work
* Revolution
* Rewilding
* Sabotage
* Security culture
* Self-ownership
* Social ecology
* Sociocracy
* Somatherapy
* Spontaneous order
* Squatting
* Temporary autonomous zone
* Union of egoists
* Voluntary association
* Workers' council

Issues|

* Animal rights
* Capitalism
* Education
* Love and sex
* Nationalism
* Religion
* Violence

Schools of thought|

| Classical|

* Individualist

* Egoist
* Illegalist
* Naturist
* Philosophical

* Mutualist
* Social

* Collectivist
* Communist
* Magonist

|

Post-classical|

* Feminist
* Green
* Primitivist
* Social ecology
* Independence
* Insurrectionary
* Pacifist
* Religious
* Christian
* Buddhist
* Jewish
* Without adjectives

Contemporary|

* Black
* Free-market
* Postcolonial
* Post-anarchist
* Post-left
* Queer

Types of federation|

* Affinity group
* Anarcho-syndicalism
* Platformism
* Synthesis anarchism
* Union of egoists

Economics|

* Communization
* Cooperative
* Cost the limit of price
* Decentralized planned economy
* Free association
* General strike
* Gift economy
* Give-away shop
* Labour voucher
* Market socialism
* Mutual bank
* Mutual credit
* Social ownership
* Wage slavery
* Workers' self-management

Culture|

* A las Barricadas
* Anarchist bookfair
* Anarcho-punk
* Arts
* DIY ethic
* Escuela Moderna
* Films
* Freeganism
* Infoshop
* Independent Media Center
* The Internationale
* Jewish anarchism
* Lifestylism
* May Day
* "No gods, no masters"
* Popular education
* "Property is theft!"
* Radical cheerleading
* Radical environmentalism
* Self-managed social center
* Symbolism

History|

* French Revolution
* Revolutions of 1848
* Spanish Regional Federation of the IWA
* Paris Commune
* Hague Congress
* Cantonal rebellion
* Haymarket affair
* International Conference of Rome
* Trial of the Thirty
* International Conference of Rome
* Ferrer movement
* Strandza Commune
* Congress of Amsterdam
* Tragic Week
* High Treason Incident
* Manifesto of the Sixteen
* German Revolution of 1918–1919
* Bavarian Soviet Republic
* 1919 United States bombings
* Biennio Rosso
* Kronstadt rebellion
* Makhnovshchina
* Amakasu Incident
* Spanish Revolution of 1936
* Barcelona May Days
* Red inverted triangle
* Labadie Collection
* Provo
* May 1968
* LIP
* Kate Sharpley Library
* Australian Anarchist Centenary
* Carnival Against Capital
* 1999 Seattle WTO protests
* Really Really Free Market
* Occupy movement

People|

* Alston
* Armand
* Ba
* Bakunin
* Berkman
* Bonanno
* Bookchin
* Chomsky
* Cleyre
* Day
* Durruti
* Ellul
* Ervin
* Faure
* Ferrer
* Feyerabend
* Giovanni
* Godwin
* Goldman
* González Prada
* Graeber
* Guillaume
* He-Yin
* Kanno
* Kōtoku
* Kropotkin
* Landauer
* Liu
* Magón
* Makhno
* Maksimov
* Malatesta
* Mett
* Michel
* Most
* Parsons
* Pi i Margall
* Pouget
* Proudhon
* Reclus
* Rocker
* Santillán
* Spooner
* Stirner
* Thoreau
* Tolstoy
* Tucker
* Volin
* Ward
* Warren
* Yarchuk
* Zerzan

Lists|

* Anarcho-punk bands
* Books
* Fictional characters
* Films
* Jewish anarchists
* Musicians
* Periodicals

By region|

* Africa
* Albania
* Algeria
* Andorra
* Argentina
* Armenia
* Australia
* Austria
* Azerbaijan
* Bangladesh
* Belarus
* Belgium
* Bolivia
* Bosnia and Herzegovina
* Brazil
* Bulgaria
* Canada
* Chile
* China
* Colombia
* Costa Rica
* Croatia
* Cuba
* Czech Republic
* Denmark
* Dominican Republic
* East Timor
* Ecuador
* Egypt
* El Salvador
* Estonia
* Finland
* France
* French Guiana
* Georgia
* Germany
* Greece
* Guatemala
* Hong Kong
* Hungary
* Iceland
* India
* Indonesia
* Iran
* Ireland
* Israel
* Italy
* Japan
* Korea
* Latvia
* Malaysia
* Mexico
* Monaco
* Mongolia
* Morocco
* Netherlands
* New Zealand
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* Nigeria
* Norway
* Panama
* Paraguay
* Peru
* Philippines
* Poland
* Portugal
* Puerto Rico
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* Singapore
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* Syria
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* United Kingdom
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* Uruguay
* Venezuela
* Vietnam

Related topics|

* Anti-corporatism
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* Anti-fascism
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* Anti-statism
* Anti-war movement
* Autarchism
* Autonomism
* Communism
* Definition of anarchism and libertarianism
* Dual Power
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Law

Core subjects|

* Administrative law
* Civil law
* Constitutional law
* Contract
* Criminal law
* Crime
* Deed
* Doctrine
* Equity
* Evidence
* International law
* Law of obligations
* Private law
* Procedure
* Civil
* Criminal
* Property law
* Public law
* Punishment
* Corporal
* Restitution and unjust enrichment
* Statutory law
* Tort

Disciplines|

* Abortion law
* Agricultural law
* Aviation law
* Amnesty law
* Banking law
* Bankruptcy
* Commercial law
* Competition law
* Conflict of laws
* Construction law
* Consumer protection
* Corporate law
* Cyberlaw
* Drugs law
* Election law
* Energy law
* Entertainment law (Media law)
* Environmental law
* Family law
* Financial law
* Financial regulation
* Health law
* Immigration law
* Intellectual property
* International criminal law
* International human rights
* International slavery laws
* International trade law
* Jurimetrics
* Labour
* Landlord–tenant law
* Law of war
* Legal archaeology
* Legal fiction
* Maritime law
* Marriage law
* Military law
* Nationality law
* Probate
* Estate
* Will and testament
* Product liability
* Public international law
* Refugee law
* Reparations
* Space law
* Sports law
* State of emergency
* Tax law
* Transport law
* Trust law
* Unenforced law
* Women in law

Sources of law|

* Charter
* Legal code / Statutory law
* Constitution
* Custom
* Divine right
* Divine law
* Human rights
* Letters patent
* Natural law
* Natural and legal rights
* Case law
* Precedent
* Law reports
* Legal treatise
* Regulations

Law making|

* Ballot measure
* Codification
* Decree
* Edict
* Executive order
* Proclamation
* Legislation
* Delegated legislation
* Regulation
* Rulemaking
* Promulgation
* Ratification
* Repeal
* Treaty
* Concordat
* Statutory law
* Statute
* Act of parliament
* Act of Congress
* Basic structure doctrine

Legal systems|

* Civil law
* Common law
* Chinese law
* Legal pluralism
* Religious law
* Canon law
* Catholic canon law
* Hindu law
* Jain law
* Jewish law
* Parsi law
* Sharia
* Roman law
* Byzantine law
* Socialist law
* Statutory law
* Xeer
* Yassa

Legal theory|

* Anarchist
* Contract theory
* Comparative law
* Expressive function
* Feminist
* Law and economics
* Legal formalism
* History
* Libertarian
* International legal theory
* Principle of legality
* Principle of typicality
* Pseudolaw
* Rule of law
* Rule of man
* Sociology

Jurisprudence|

* Adjudication
* Administration of justice
* Constitutionalism
* Criminal justice
* Court-martial
* Dispute resolution
* Fiqh
* Lawsuit/Litigation
* Legal opinion
* Legal remedy
* Judge
* Justice of the peace
* Magistrate
* Judgment
* Judicial review
* Jurisdiction
* Jury
* Justice
* Practice of law
* Attorney
* Barrister
* Counsel
* Lawyer
* Legal representation
* Prosecutor
* Solicitor
* Question of fact
* Question of law
* Trial
* Trial advocacy
* Trier of fact
* Verdict

Legal institutions|

* Barristers' chambers
* Bureaucracy
* The bar
* The bench
* Civil society
* Court
* Court of equity
* Election commission
* Executive
* Judiciary
* Law enforcement
* Agency
* Legal education
* Law school
* Legislature
* Military
* Police
* Political party
* Tribunal

History|

* History of the legal profession
* History of the American legal profession

* Law portal
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