Anarchism as Political Philosophy
By: [edited by] Robert Hoffman
Publisher: AldineTransaction
Published: 2010
Place of publication: New Brunswick, NJ
Language: eng
Format: Paperback
Number of pages: 165
ISBN-13: 9780202363646
Copyright date: 1975
Other titles: Anarchism
Description: Reports of people rejecting political authority, assaulting it with words and often violent acts, are actions that are part of modern life. Anarchism has been considered a dead movement of the nineteenth and early twentieth century, but it assumed a renewed and substantial relevance in the late twentieth century. Robert Hoffman points out in his incisive Introduction that anarchists have always been viewed either as foolish idealists or, at the other extreme, as serious threats to justice and social tranquility. But, the editor argues, most anarchists have been ordinary people who have shared a singular passion for what they believe to be a just society.

To clarify widespread misconceptions about anarchism, this volume offers a lively debate on the subject, consisting of works by both advocates of anarchism and people who take it seriously but reject it. Represented here, in the writings of Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, Leo Tolstoy, George Bernard Shaw, Bertrand Russell, and others, are different types, styles, and periods of anarchist writing, reflecting a rich variety of thought arising from the anarchist perspective. The essays deal with many of the different strands of anarchists, including anarchist attacks on democracy, patriotism, and military conscription, and provide an outline of the movement's tumultuous history. Against these are set pieces that argue anarchism's impossibility and estimate its relevance to social change.

The debate format of Anarchism introduces the reader to a fresh perspective and understanding of vital issues of political and social theory, and provokes him to examine his own thinking. Looking at both sides of the controversy, this volume discourages unquestioning or over-confident opinions. Although the anarchist credo that man can live without government is difficult or impossible for most people to accept, as long as we find it difficult to live within the framework of government control, the influence and potential appeal of anarchist thought will continue to be felt.

(Source: [Routledge](https://www.routledge.com/Anarchism-as-Political-Philosophy/Hoffman/p/book/9780202363646))
Notes: Originally published: New York : Atherton Press, 1970.

Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction–Robert Hoffman
pagenum: 1; label: 1
title: What Is Government?–Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
pagenum: 15; label: 2
title: What Is Anarchism?–Alexander Berkman
pagenum: 17; label: 3
title: The Place of Anarchism in the History of Political Thought–Derry Novak
pagenum: 20; label: 4
title: Anarchism: What It Really Stands For–Emma Goldman
pagenum: 34; label: 5
title: An Anarchist's View of Democracy–Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
pagenum: 50; label: 6
title: Patriotism and Government–Leo Tolstoy
pagenum: 70; label: 7
title: Essentials of Anarchism–David Thoreau Wieck
pagenum: 86; label: 8
title: The Impossibilities of Anarchism–George Bernard Shaw
pagenum: 98; label: 9
title: The Philosophical Anarchist–William Ernest Hocking
pagenum: 115; label: 10
title: Government and Law–Bertrand Russell
pagenum: 125; label: 11
title: An Estimate of Anarchism's Role–James Joll
pagenum: 140; label: 12
title: The Black Flag of Anarchism–Paul Goodman
pagenum: 147; title: For Further Reading
pagenum: 161; title: Index
pagenum: 163