anarchists only. please.?

[Hanna]

I want to be an anarchist. And practice it. But I need to know like The jist of it. The history and how to become a good one . so anyone know any good books like that. That isn't fictional I want real info. So help ASAP. Thanks

[Dr. Hing Lee Pak]

Noam Chomsky, Godwin, Proudhon, Kropotkin and Bakunin. Maybe Nozick.

Why silly girl want to be anarchist?
Silly girl should only be anarchist if silly girl does not like other philosophies.
Silly girl not look at other philosophy, only want to look at anarchist philosophy.
Silly girl is stupid.

[IA]

I recommend George Lichtheim's "Short History of Socialism" as a starting point for a discussion of the various strands of Socialist thought and their history. Anarchism is not a single system, there are various approaches and some like Anarcho-Syndicalism are close to the Soviets of the Russian Revolution, while others are so individualistic as to approach right-wing Libertarianism.
At its core Anarchism is about bringing autonomy as close to the individual as possible so that people have control of the economic and political decisions which affect their own lives. Thus in Anarcho-Syndicalism, the workers own the factory, the workforce democratically elects its own administration and ideally each work group chooses how to self-organise.

[bigguitar894]

you need to know whats going on in the world first

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_uLwHFR2aA

[Shranarchist]

Anarchism has probably been with humanity since the origin of the state. Anarchist thinking can be found in the works of ancient Greeks.

The origin of modern anarchism arguably starts with the libertarian writings of William Godwin, especially his "Enquiry Concerning Political Justice." While I enjoyed that work, and consider Godwin an anarchist, the term "anarchism" for the political theory of stateless social organization originates with Pierre Joseph Proudhon. Proudhon was a mutualist - a form of socialism that allowed for free markets, but advocated land ownership based on use and occupation, and put forward a plan for cooperative community banking that would make credit easily available and nearly interest free (requiring only the cost of administration). A third anarchist thinker emerged around this time; arguably, the founder of modern individualist, "philosophical anarchism" (anarchism that doesn't necessarily advocate any revolutionary or 'political' program, but wherein the anarchist does not recognize the authority of the state) -- Max Stirner. Stirner's work, "The Ego and Its Own," has been much maligned for its extreme individualism, and is often accused of nihilism. Personally, I think the key to appreciating Stirner is to understand the work as an abstract argument, not as a literal program for how to live one's life.

The early anarchists were friendly to the more radical libertarian elements of the socialist and communist movements. There was much ideological cross-contamination, and the character of most anarchism (then and now) became socialist - libertarian socialism, anarcho-communism, anarcho-syndicalism, and the rest of the anarchist "left" originates from this time. Notable figures include Mikhail Bakunin and Peter Kropotkin. Karl Marx and the anarchists initially worked together. Anarchists were a part of the First International. After falling out with Proudhon and Bakunin, Marx turned on the anarchists, and anarchists were barred from the Second International. Nevertheless, socialist anarchists like Emma Goodman and Alexander Berkman continued to work closely with the radical socialist and communist labor movements.

I don't have room to give you the full history here, but this is a taste. You should read the Wiki articles on the First and Second International (see also "International Workingmen's Association"), and the Haymarket Affair. Also, learn about the Spanish anarchists in the Spanish Civil War. These are critical episodes in anarchist history.

For the best modern history on anarchism, see Peter Marshall's book, "Demanding the Impossible." If you can find them, two excellent histories are George Woodcock's "Anarchism," and James Joll's "The Anarchists" (currently out of print). Labor history is also important to socialist anarchists -- see Patrick Renshaw's book "The Wobblies," on the history of the IWW (an anarcho-syndicalist labor union).

It's important to note that there are many schools of anarchist thought. A short list would include: libertarian socialism, anarcho-syndicalism, anarcho-communism (or "libertarian communism"), anarcho-primitivism, mutualist anarchism, market anarchism, individualist anarchism, and philosophical anarchism.

A good first step is to learn about the different schools of thought, and figure out about where you are. You might even find schools of thought annoying and stupid, and be an "Anarchist Without Adjectives." However, I highly, highly recommend engaging with these ideas. It will help you both to learn about anarchism, and to find out what issues are most important to you, and why anarchism resonates with you as a person.

There is no litmus test or rite of entry to be an anarchist. The bare minimum requirement is to be opposed to involuntary forms of government. Traditionally, anarchism has sought to challenge all forms of authority, in all spheres of human existence. The goals tend to be: society based on voluntary association, minimizing violence and coercion, ending disparities between groups (sexism, ageism, racism, etc.), and challenging hierarchical forms of interaction. It need not be these things, but most anarchists have found that challenging the state alone is insufficient. These days, many anarchists are environmentalists or have green sympathies - again, not by necessity. Most anarchist "practice" has been direct action, and historically, labor organizing.

For now, I would recommend just learning about anarchism, and figuring out the "practice" part later. "Demanding the Impossible" by Peter Marshall is the best place to start, in my opinion. Wikipedia is another good place, if you like online learning.

[The MopPetal]

The best thing you can do to practice anarchism is to learn to think for yourself. There's left wing anarchists and right wing anarchists and I personally lean somewhere in the middle of the two. I like a lot of things left and right anarchists talk about so I personally try not to get caught up in the politics of left vs. right. I also try to follow the "Non-Aggression Principle" which says that an individual or group of individuals do not have the right to initiate force against another individual or group of individuals and if someone does then the individual being aggressed against has the right to defend him/her self. The non-aggression principle applies to anyone weather its your grandma or a police officer.

You could start off with reading books like:

-The Constitution of no Authority - Lysander Spooner
-The Voluntary City

This link has hundreds of resources like books, articles, videos, podcasts, etc all about anarchism!

http://libertyontour.com/resources/


And with that, I'll leave you with some compelling and thought provoking quotes:

-If taxation without consent is not robbery, then any band of robbers have only to declare themselves a government, and all their robberies are legalized. - Lysander Spooner

-Government is in reality established by the few; and these few assume the consent of all the rest without any such consent being actually given.-Lysander Spooner

-Resolve to serve no more, and you are at once freed. I do not ask that you place hands upon the tyrant to topple him over, but simply that you support him no longer; then you will behold him, like a great Colossus whose pedestal has been pulled away, fall of his own weight and break in pieces. - Étienne de La Boétie

-Politicians can’t give us anything without depriving us of something else. Government is not a god. Every dime they spend must first be taken from someone else. - Gary Asmus

-The Christian God says thou shalt not covet but coveting is the life blood of the beast that is the state. You were taught to resent, despise and hate anyone who has anything you don't have. You clamor for the state to tear other people down, steal their property and give it to you, and you call that fairness? The Bible calls it coveting and stealing. You are not Christians, you are not Jews, you are not Muslims, and you certainly aren't atheists. You all have the same god and it's name is government. - Larken Rose