Anarchy Works: A discussion with author Peter Gelderloos

Peter Gelderloos, author of How Nonviolence Protects the State, will give a presentation on his new book, Anarchy Works, which details over 90 histories and recent stories showing anarchy in practice.

According to Gelderloss, "Anarchism is the boldest of revolutionary social movements to emerge from the struggle against capitalism—it aims for a world free from all forms of domination and exploitation. But at its heart it contains a simple and convincing proposition: people know how to live their own lives and organize themselves better than any expert could. Others cynically claim that we need a government to protect us. They claim anarchy is impractical and utopian: it would never work. On the contrary, anarchist practice already has a long record, and has often worked quite well."

"State-run societies tend to be extremely effective at conquering their neighbors and securing vast fortunes for their rulers. On the other hand, as global crises intensify, hierarchical models are not proving to be particularly sustainable. The histories in this book show that an anarchist society can do much better at enabling all its members to meet their needs and desires."