Section I - What would an anarchist society look like?

Introduction

I.1 Isn't libertarian socialism an oxymoron?

I.1.1 Didn't Ludwig von Mises's "calculation argument" prove that socialism can't work?
I.1.2 Does Mises's argument mean libertarian communism is impossible?
I.1.3 What is wrong with markets anyway?
I.1.4 If capitalism is exploitative, then isn't socialism as well?

I.2 Is this a blue-print for an anarchist society?

I.2.1 Why discuss what an anarchist society would be like at all?
I.2.2 Will it be possible to go straight to an anarchist society from capitalism?

I.3 What could the economic structure of an anarchist society look like?

I.3.1 What is a "syndicate"?
I.3.2 What is workers' self-management?
I.3.3 What role do collectives play in the "economy"?
I.3.4 What relations exist between individual syndicates?
I.3.5 What would confederations of syndicates do?
I.3.6 What about competition between syndicates?
I.3.7 What about people who do not want to join a syndicate?

I.4 How could an anarchist economy function?

I.4.1 What is the point of economic activity?
I.4.2 Why do anarchists desire to abolish work?
I.4.3 How do anarchists intent to abolish work?
I.4.4 What economic decision making criteria could be used in anarchy?
I.4.5 What about "supply and demand"?
I.4.6 Surely anarchist-communism would just lead to demand exceeding supply?
I.4.7 What are the criteria for investment decisions?
I.4.8 What about funding for basic research?
I.4.9 Should technological advance be seen as anti-anarchistic?
I.4.10 What would be the advantage of a wide basis of surplus distribution?
I.4.11 If libertarian socialism eliminates the profit motive, won't creativity and performance suffer?
I.4.12 Won't there be a tendency for capitalist enterprise to reappear in any socialist society?
I.4.13 Who will do the dirty or unpleasant work?
I.4.14 What about the person who will not work?
I.4.15 What will the workplace of tomorrow look like?

I.5 What could the social structure of anarchy look like?

I.5.1 What are participatory communities and why are they needed?
I.5.2 Why are confederations of participatory communities needed?
I.5.3 What will be the scales and levels of confederation?
I.5.4 How will anything ever be decided by all those confederal conferences?
I.5.5 Are participatory communities and confederations not just new states?
I.5.6 Won't there be a danger of a "tyranny of the majority" under libertarian socialism?
I.5.7 What if I don't want to join a commune?
I.5.8 What about crime?
I.5.9 What about Freedom of Speech under Anarchism?
I.5.10 What about Political Parties?
I.5.11 What about interest groups and other associations?

I.6 What about the "Tragedy of the Commons"? Surely communal ownership will lead to overuse and environmental destruction?

I.6.1 How can anarchists explain how the use of property "owned by everyone in the world" will be decided?
I.6.2 Doesn't any form of communal ownership involve restricting individual liberty?

I.7 Won't Libertarian Socialism destroy individuality?

I.7.1 Do "Primative" cultures indicate that communalism defends individuality?
I.7.2 Is this not worshipping the past or the "noble savage"?
I.7.3 Is the law required to protect individual rights?
I.7.4 Does capitalism protect individuality?

I.8 Does revolutionary Spain show that libertarian socialism can work in practice?

I.8.1 Wasn't the Spanish Revolution primarily a rural phenomenon and therefore inapplicable as a model for modern industrialized states?
I.8.2 How were the anarchists able to obtain mass popular support in Spain?
I.8.3 How were Spanish industrial collectives organized?
I.8.4 How were the Spanish industrial collectives coordinated?
I.8.5 How were the Spanish agricultural cooperatives organized and coordinated?
I.8.6 What did the agricultural collectives accomplish?
I.8.7 I've heard that the rural collectives were created by force. Is this true?
I.8.8 But did the Spanish collectives innovate?
I.8.9 Why, if it was so good, did it not survive?
I.8.10 What political lessons were learned from the revolution?
I.8.11 What economic lessons were learned from the revolution?