It is difficult to have astute or timely socio-political or social ecological analyses when things are in a period of rapid development, as has been the case for the better half of 2020 and into this year. For those politically active in such times, one must try to navigate the
While it appears this project has laid dormant for quite some time, there has always been a small flame of activity, keeping things warm and lit. Behind the scenes the site has added a few selections to its Kropotkin page, as well as added some older posts from previous versions
This short discussion attempts to illustrate that the Western perception of nature (and concomitantly “human nature”) has developed through a dialectical interplay of social and natural scientific observations: Malthus’s work of political economy would influence and reinforce Darwin’s hard-scientific theory of evolution through natural selection. In turn, Darwin’s work gave legitimacy to Malthusian and “social Darwinist” theories in the social sciences.
The presence and prevalence of symbiosis–particularly mutualism and coopoeration–serves to temper notions of nature “red in tooth and claw.” Such skewed notions of nature also skew our perception of society and human “nature.”
In “Symbiotic Planet: A New View of Evolution” (1998), Lynn Margulis (1938-2011) outlines what could be considered an expanded and interconnected argument to that of Peter Kropotkin’s (1842-1921) mutualism, called serial endosymbiotic theory (SET). This argument expands that of Kropotkin’s in at least two ways…
As the war in Syria approaches its eighth year, the dynamics and interests are as complex as ever. Beginning as an Arab Spring popular revolt, large-scale defection from the Syrian army quickly turned it into a civil war. The subsequent entry of several foreign states transformed the conflict into a
Better Worlds, Brighter Futures contends that the attitudes toward the Democratic Confederation of Northern Syria (DFNS) (adminstered by the PYD/YPG and others) serve as a litmus test distinguishing those seriously committed to revolutionary social change from those whose analysis is occupied with more abstract or “pragmatic” concerns.
Work on the site continues apace. We’ve been steadily working on a major piece that will delve into Murray Bookchin’s Post-Scarcity Anarchism thesis, its insights and relevance for radicals at present. As far as the website is concerned, we realized belatedly it might help visitors share our content if we
The emergence of the so-called “gig” economy is another structural shift in the composition of the working class. Currently, these jobs provide additional income for millions of un- or under-employed people, filling a niche in the United States’ economy partially created by union-busting and subsequent wage depression. Not only are
Things are starting to come together! We’re working on getting older content migrated into this domain and putting the finishing touches on some new content. For now, please check these pages out: About/Perspective — Outlines the orientation of this blog, along with some brief thoughts about social ecology. Peter Kropotkin —