Episode #194 - Do we really need the police? - Anarchism Pt. 3 (Gelderloos, Security)
Episode #194 - Do we really need the police? - Anarchism Pt. 3 (Gelderloos, Security)
This episode revisits the ideas of Byung-Chul Han, who sees modern life as increasingly self-centered and disconnected. He argues that today’s world pushes even well-meaning people to focus on themselves rather than others. The episode connects this to anarchist thought, suggesting that many of our biggest problems—violence, inequality, addiction—are shaped by systems built on hierarchy and disconnection. It looks at the 1919 Seattle General Strike as proof that communities can self-organize without top-down authority. While skeptics say anarchism is unrealistic, the show suggests it may be better understood as an ethical framework to guide how we live, not a blueprint to enforce overnight. It closes by asking whether imagining new ways of living is really naive—or whether not imagining them is the real danger.
Further Reading:
Anarchy Works by Peter Gelderloos (2010)
The Burnout Society by Byung-Chul Han (2015)
Anarchy by Errico Malatesta (1891)
See the full transcript here
Thank you to everyone who makes this podcast a possibility in the future.
I could never do this without your support! :)