Anarchism and Authority: A Philosophical Introduction to Classical Anarchism

✍ Scribed by Paul McLaughlin

• Publisher: Ashgate Publishing
• Year: 2007
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 211
• Series: Ashgate New Critical Thinking in Philosophy
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Examining the political theory of anarchism from a philosophical and historical perspective, Paul McLaughlin relates anarchism to the fundamental ethical and political problem of authority. The book pays particular attention to the authority of the state and the anarchist rejection of all traditional claims made for the legitimacy of state authority, the author both explaining and defending the central tenets of the anarchist critique of the state.The founding works of anarchist thought, by Godwin, Proudhon and Stirner, are explored and anarchism is examined in its historical context, including the influence of such events as the Enlightenment and the French Revolution on anarchist thought. Finally, the major theoretical developments of anarchism from the late-nineteenth century to the present are summarized and evaluated.This book is both a highly readable account of the development of anarchist thinking and a lucid and well-reasoned defence of the anarchist philosophy.

✦ Table of Contents

Contents......Page 6
Acknowledgements......Page 8
Introduction......Page 10
Part 1 Anarchism and the Problem of Authority......Page 32
1 Defining Anarchism......Page 34
2 The Nature of Authority......Page 46
3 Forms of Authority......Page 70
4 The Legitimacy of the State......Page 90
Part 2 Anarchism and the History of Ideas......Page 108
5 The Historical Foundations of Anarchism......Page 110
6 Foundational Texts of Anarchism......Page 126
7 Theoretical Developments of Anarchism......Page 164
Conclusion......Page 178
Bibliography......Page 194
B......Page 206
E......Page 207
J......Page 208
P......Page 209
S......Page 210
Z......Page 211