Since it's been a while since I sang the praises of my favorite book 'Anarchy Works' by Peter Gelderloos: here's a reminder that there is an easy to read anarchism book out there organized around frequently asked questions and it's online for free with the authors consent. I'll copy-paste them all just to showcase how great it is:
What exactly is anarchism?
The tricky topic of representation
Aren’t people naturally selfish?
Aren’t people naturally competitive?
Haven’t humans always been patriarchal?
Aren’t people naturally warlike?
Aren’t domination and authority natural?
How will decisions be made?
How will decisions be enforced?
Who will settle disputes?
Without wages, what is the incentive to work?
Don’t people need bosses and experts?
Who will take out the trash?
Who will take care of the elderly and disabled?
How will people get healthcare?
What about people who don’t want to give up a consumerist lifestyle?
What about building and organizing large, spread-out infrastructure?
What about drought, famine, or other catastrophes?
Meeting our needs without keeping count
What’s to stop someone from destroying the environment?
What about global environmental problems, like climate change?
The only way to save the planet
Who will protect us without police?
What about gangs and bullies?
What’s to stop someone from killing people?
What about rape, domestic violence, and other forms of harm?
Beyond individual justice
How could people organized horizontally possibly overcome the state?
How do we know revolutionaries won’t become new authorities?
How will communities decide to organize themselves at first?
How will reparations for past oppressions be worked out?
How will a common, anti-authoritarian, ecological ethos come about?
A revolution that is many revolutions
Could an anarchist society defend itself from an authoritarian neighbor?
What will we do about societies that remain patriarchal or racist?
What will prevent constant warfare and feuding?
Won’t the state just reemerge over time?
What about other problems we can’t foresee?
It Works When We Make It Work
There, all you gotta do is click the question and read! Or start at the beginning and read the whole book if you want the best reading experience. It’s one of my favorite books. It doesn’t cover everything but it’s a great place to start.
