academiccompositionab
Empowerment Equalizer
SSaragian
Antony Sammeroff
Ann Sterzinger
Rodney
RJ
busterjames
cainusmaxus
Craig FitzGerald
David Heleniak
Caity & Dan Greene
keirmartland
Keith Preston
Bill the Butcher
ljp711
MRDA
Jack Donovan
Rachel Haywire
comrade hermit
Michael
Vince
robertstark2014
Noonan
S E Pearson
Rachel Haywire
Nexus X HumectressAn interesting critique of anarchism from a medievalist, throne and altar, Eastern Orthodox perspective. It’s always interesting and a good plan to see what “the other side” has to say. Btw, folks, this is what true conservatism looks like, not the know-nothing shit being dished out by FOX News. One thing I have long shared in common with these neo-traditionalists is the view that modernity is overrated, though for somewhat different reasons.
By Jay, The Soul of the East
In an age when the ego is proclaimed sovereign, the appeal of anarchism is understandable, especially given the spectacular corruption of the establishment. In the online-fueled furor of Ron Paul’s libertarian surge in 2008, young activists lurching from Campaign for Liberty’s inability to change anything were left searching for more. And, after the failure of the libertarian surge to obtain anything from Ron Paul’s less inspiring offspring Rand, the Daily Paul types clicked and googled around to find names like Larken Rose or Adam Kokesh (and now Ken O’Keefe – with veganism!), figures who proclaimed that their Lockean-rooted political logic dictated that the “small state” position was never enough.
that is why Conservatism is PURE EVIL, Keith Preston. Putin is part of the New World Order, which is always right-wing tyranny. It’s no wonder why Traditionalism is always tyranny, & mankind will be better off when these tyrannical traditionalists are gone forever.
What would your response be to this criticism? That would probably make an interesting article
I always enjoy hearing or reading these kinds of perspectives. It’s a refreshing alternative to the slop at FOX News or Prager U. But the weakness of the author’s case can be summarised by pointing out one sentence in the article.
“Anarchism, with no divine authority in revelation or the supernatural, can only offer competing human opinions, leading to progressive disintegration.”
Because everyone was so peaceful and agreeable back in the day when societies were ruled by kings and clerics. No wars over dynastic secession, no sectarian religious wars, no tribal warfare…no, none at all.
The kind of “Third Rome” imperium this author seems to be advocating, based on his general comments and the theme of the site the article is on, is precisely the kind of Hobbesian Leviathan he claims to be criticizing. Hobbes was an absolute monarchist who thought the king should be able to impose whatever kind of religious orthodoxy he wanted for the sake of maintaining civil order. That’s what this author’s arguments would imply as well. But it solves nothing. There are still power struggles in those kinds of systems rooted in “palace intrigue,” sectarian religious conflict, etc. Saudi Arabia is more or less the kind of system this fellow is describing as being ideal. Isn’t that a paradise?
In recent years, a lot of these neo-traditionalists have become fixated on Eastern Orthodoxy with Russia supposedly being some kind of savior of Western civilization or the white man or Christianity or whatever they think they’re defending. It’s about as serious as the common hippieish/New Ager fascination with Eastern mysticism.
There was a reason why these throne and altar societies suffered bloody revolutions or civil wars. Their archaic nature prevented them from advancing or addressing the challenges of modernity.
A point I found weak in his article was anarchism is against tribalism, family, spirituality etc. There are anarchists who are against those things but for the most part they tend to be bourgeois liberal young people who are rebelling against their bourgeois upbringing ironically championing the propaganda of the Bourgeoisie or status quo. Here at ATS i found anarchists who champion and praise the things he claims anarchists universally disdain. I just found part of his argument was true but also weak because of the point I just brought up
I like your likening the Orthodox fixation to new age. I’ll have to thinking about it more.
The only thing that immediately comes to mind is how Joseph Campbell differentiates between traditionalism within your own culture, and outside ones. Like a Cato the younger reaching back generations.