Anarchist Philosophy Blog

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About
2008-03-31 03:03:00
This site I started this site several months ago, intending it to be simply a place to host my book online when I complete it. I still hope this will happen, but I have further ambitions. The aim is to more directly spread the message of anarchism through articles I?ve written (and will write) and ...

Contact
2008-03-31 03:02:00
If you have questions or comments on this site or anything else please contact me at richard_a_b@xtra.co.nz. I?d especially appreciate any advice on the layout of the site and broken links and such.
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New Zealand Magic Mushroom Guide
2008-03-31 02:38:00
I decided to write this document after finding a lot of information on the internet about NZ psilocybin mushrooms, but no one place that provided all the necessary information in one place. I thought it would be useful for those wishing to identify these mushrooms to have such a resource. One should be extremely ...
More About: New Zealand , Magic , Mushrooms , Mushroom , Guide

Fusion Power: One Potential Source of Zero-point Energy
2008-03-31 00:16:00
Imagine this: ‘One kilogram of fusion fuel would produce the same amount of energy as 10,000,000 kg of fossil fuel.’ This would be the greatest achievement mankind ever attained up to this point. The energy of the sun harnessed on earth. The estimated time for a commercial reactor is 35 years, but this is an ...
More About: Science , Power , Energy , Fusion , Source

Waking Life: Kim Krizian on communication
2008-03-30 20:08:00
Kim Krizan, screenwriter: Creation seems to come out of imperfection. It seems to come out of a striving and a frustration. And this is where I think language came from. I mean, it came from our desire to transcend our isolation and have some sort of connection with one another. And it had to be ...
More About: Life , Dreams , Communication

Waking Life: Robert Solomon on Existentialism
2008-03-30 11:52:00
Robert Solomon: The reason why I refuse to take existentialism as just another French fashion or historical curiosity is that I think it has something very important to offer us for the new century. I’m afraid we’re losing the real virtues of living life passionately, sense of taking responsibility for who you are, the ability ...
More About: Philosophy , Life , Dreams , Psychology , Robert

Waking Life: Dream is Destiny
2008-03-30 10:32:00
Bill Wise: Ahoy there matey! You in for the long haul? You need a little hitch in your get-along, a little lift on down the line? Oh, um, yeah, actually, I was waiting for a cab or something, but if you want to … All right. Don’t miss the boat. Hey, thanks. Not a problem. Anchors aweigh! So what do ...
More About: Life , Dreams , Destiny , Dream

A World without Want is a World without Food
2008-03-30 08:32:00
Be it ours to see, from the first day of the Revolution to the last, in all the provinces fighting for freedom, that there is not a single man who lacks bread, not a single woman compelled to stand with the weariful crowd outside the bake-house-door, that haply a coarse loaf may be thrown to ...
More About: Food , World , World Politics , Futurism

Anarchism Essay
2008-03-06 11:22:00
A common feeling people have about modern anarchism is that it is primarily a negative political theory. They see it as defining itself more in its opposition to capitalism, coercive state power and general forms of authority rather than any positive alternative. It is also seen as closely tied to the anti-capitalist, anti-poverty, anti-United States ...
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Freerice.com
2007-12-08 14:19:00
Just a quick note to let people know about this brilliant scheme. Basically, it’s a vocabulary game in which each word you guess correctly (it’s multiple choice) the advertisers on the site donate 20 grains of rice through the UN food programme. Such a good idea and very addictive too! I will be writing some articles ...

RU Sirius - Top 20 Taboo Topics for Presidential Candidates
2007-09-22 02:07:00
Here’s a hilarious article on the ridiculous limits placed on anyone seeking high office: They call it retail politics. It…has to appeal to an awful lot of people, but it doesn’t have to appeal to them all that much. The successful presidential candidate wants to establish just enough passion for their political stances that voters will waddle down to the polling ...
More About: Presidential , Topics , Candidates , Sirius , Taboo

Finally!
2007-09-22 02:01:00
I have finally managed to get my lazy ass a job. It took long enough. Now, somewhat paradoxically, I reckon I’ll be able to put a lot more work into my blogs. I think it’s something to do with motivation. I’m working at Waterstone’s Piccadilly, the largest bookshop in Europe, and, so I hear, the ...
More About: Book Reviews , Finally , Fina , Ally

Aucklanders should vote RAM.
2007-09-04 19:55:00
This post is only applicable to Auckland residents (I live in London now, but I think I can comment on Auckland politics having lived there for 21 years of my life). Now I don’t normally advocate voting, but I think the Resident Action Movement (RAM) can bring some very positive changes to Auckland that will undoubtedly ...
More About: Vote , Voting , Lander , Klan

John Pilger - The G8 Summit: Fraud and Circus
2007-08-28 15:49:00
Here’s a compelling article by the great John Pilger on why the G8’s efforts are not only lacking, but deliberately counter-productive and obfuscating. The Spark 1 July 2005 The front page of the London Observer on 12 June announced, “55 billion Africa debt deal ‘a victory for millions’.” The “victory for millions” is a quotation of Bob Geldof, who said, “Tomorrow 280 million Africans will wake up for the first time in their lives without owing you or me a penny…”. The nonsense of this would be breathtaking if the reader’s breath had not already been extracted by the unrelenting sophistry of Geldof, Bono, Blair, the Observer et al. Africa’s imperial plunder and tragedy have been turned into a circus for the benefit of the so-called G8 leaders due in Scotland next month and those of us willing to be distracted by the barkers of the circus: the establishment media and its “celebrities”. The ill...
More About: Fraud , Summit , John Pilger , Circus

Michael Albert - Youtube Videos on Parecon
2007-07-20 13:30:00
Here are some very informative videos of an interview with Michael Albert talking about Parecon. In my opinion, his theory definitely seems to be going in the right direction. I’m not quite sure about the nuts and bolts of it yet, but the principles he invokes I believe are inarguably correct as maxims to base ...
More About: Videos , Youtube , Econ

ZNet - Parecon and Anarcho-Syndicalism: An Interview with Michael Albert
2007-07-17 14:34:00
Michael Albert interviewed by DC Tedrow Participatory economics, or parecon for short, is a classless economic system that serves as an alternative to capitalism, market socialism, and centrally planned economies. Parecon is based upon equity, solidarity, diversity, and participatory self-management, as well as takes into account kinship/gender, community/race, and polity in addition to economic considerations. Under parecon, workers and consumers councils are responsible for self-managed decision making; workers have balanced job complexes; effort and sacrifice are rewarded, not hours worked or how much capital was invested; and planning is participatory.   When I first read about Parecon, what struck me was that it sounded like an anarchist economic vision. Do you think this is a fair assessment? Why or why not?   Yes, I do think it is fair. Anarchism is a very broad and rich approach to understanding social relations and affecting them. Most broadly anarchism says ...
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Tom Harvey - Anarchism
2007-07-16 14:04:00
Here is a piece on anarchism by my good friend Tom Harvey. I will respond to it in a separate post (or possibly in the comments section) when I get the chance, though it appears we agree much more than we disagree. Thanks a lot, Tom.   If this piece works as I intend, anarchist readers will hopefully ...
More About: Narc , Anarchism

IANS - Worker-managed companies thriving in Argentina?s boom
2007-07-16 13:53:00
Only two things worry me about this article: #1 - the mention of Marx and Lenin, #2 - the fact that there is a ‘vice-president’ of the national union (not unusual of course, but not parituclarly in line with anarchist’s dislike of hierarchy). These are all positive developments, however, because it shows that what some ...
More About: Companies , Argentina , Boom , Ving , Manage

AGLOCO
2007-07-05 17:25:00
A month or so ago I stumbled across this ‘internet users should benefit from the internet’s value’ programme, AGLOCO (it stands for ‘A Global Community’). It has been done in the past, but it seemed like a pretty good idea all the same. It’s not entirely anarchist (i.e. it still involves markets, advertising and capitalism) ...

Zuihitsu.org - Godspeed You Black Emperor! and the Politics of Chaos
2007-06-28 21:22:00
Sorry I haven’t written anything for a while. I’ve just made a move over to London so have very little time to work on the blog while looking desperately for work. When I get a little more settled I should be able to write much more frequently. Here’s an article I read on the very interesting ...
More About: Politics , Black , Emperor , Chaos , Poli

CBS5.com - Pentagon Confirms It Sought To Build A ?Gay Bomb?
2007-06-11 16:54:00
I couldn’t resist posting this. I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. Just picture it… http://cbs5.com/topstories/local_story_15 9222541.html
More About: Pentagon , Bomb , Build , Firms , Penta

Property is Theft
2007-05-30 14:16:00
I certainly agree with this guy: http://tfac.wordpress.com/2007/05/29/prop erty-is-theft/ So, alright, Proudhon responds to Locke?s assertion on the right to private property.  I guess I am just a wee bit naive. Both of these cats argue their positions on the basis of Natural Law?the God thing?, and silly me being an atheist just don?t seem to get it.  But ...
More About: Property , Theft , Prop , Pert , Rope

Billions Upon Billions of Animals Slaughtered Every Year
2007-05-30 13:57:00
I don’t have recent figures, but the worldwide number of animals killed for food in 2000 was 45 billion, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization. I don’t think anyone would doubt that this extraordinary number would have increased in the last six/seven years. This number included 306 million cattle, buffalo, and calves, 1.2 billion pigs, ...
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UN study says 2% of adults have 50% of world?s wealth
2007-05-30 13:51:00
Bottom 50% have a mere 1% of planet’s vast wealth Helsinki (7 Dec. 2006) - The verdict is on “trickle down” economics, the marketplace theory hailed by conservatives from Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher to Brian Mulroney and the two George Bushes. The promise - in reality the big lie - was based ...
More About: World , Wealth , Study

Marie Trigona - Workers Without Bosses at a Turning Point
2007-05-30 13:47:00
Excellent article on worker-run cooperatives in  Argentina. For more imformation on this subject see the documentary The Take by Naomi Klein and Avi Lewis.   ZNet Commentary Workers without bosses at a turning point November 09, 2006 By Marie Trigona In recent years leading up to Argentina’s 2001 financial crisis, thousands of factories have closed and millions of jobs have been lost. ...
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William Dvorak - The Political Norm of Centuries (Carnival of Anarchism)
2007-05-30 03:14:00
This is my first worthy submission for my Carnival of Anarchism: There has consistently been a conflict between conservatives and liberals. Between those who want to maintain the status quo and those who want to see change. The connotations of the words conservative and liberal can change over time; here we are interested in their denotation. ...
More About: Political , Archi , Liam , Poli

Urgent: Cats Needing Adoption in New Zealand
2007-05-29 15:01:00
This is an email I got from animal rights group Auckland Animal Action. If anyone could adopt a kitten, or knows anyone who could, please contact them urgently. Subject: [aucklandanimalaction] URGENT: THREE CATS FACE EUTHANASIA Importance: High   Dear Friends,   Due to the huge workload involved in this year?s kitten season, you have not heard from me for a while. ...
More About: Cats , New Zealand , Adoption , Animal Rights , Zeal

Wikipedia Article on ?Anarchism? One of the Most Active
2007-05-23 23:51:00
http://myimedia.blogspot.com/2007/05/top- 20-most-active-articles-in.html I suppose this should definitely be considered a positive thing. More discussion of anarchism is exactly what we need. Here’s a link to the anarchism entry on Wiki pedia , it really is an exemplary introductory article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anarchism
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Bush One Step Closer to Dictatorship
2007-05-23 06:26:00
This is pretty scary stuff. The President would have  the discretion to decide what constitutes a ‘national emergency’. It’s also worrisome that this hasn’t appeared in a mass media whatsoever. Here’s one article which includes the entire text of the directive: Bush Anoints Himself as the Insurer of Constitutional Government in Emergency By Matthew Rothschild May 18, 2007 With scarcely a ...
More About: Dictatorship , Loser , Step , Ship

Free Voice of Labour - The Jewish Anarchists
2007-05-22 12:51:00
An interesting documentary on Jewish -American anarchists. Has much more useful information on anarchism than the other major documentary on anarchism: Anarchism in America. It kind of portrays anarchism as a dying movement (not only because most of the people interviewed are in their 80s or older), but these anarchists’ stories are often inspirational.
More About: Voice , Free , Labour , Archi