Post-Scarcity Anarchism

by Murray Bookchin

Hardcover, 265 pages

English language

Published Jan. 7, 1996 by Black Rose Books.

ISBN:: 978-0-920057-41-4
OCLC Number:: 16645602

(7 reviews)

In a series of related essays, Murray Bookchin balances his ecological and anarchist vision with the promising opportunities of a "post-scarcity" era. Surpassing Marxist political economy, which was rooted in an era of material scarcity, Bookchin argues that the tools necessary for the self-administration of society have largely been developed and, that, combined with an ecological outlook have greatly altered our revolutionary landscape. Technological advances made during the twentieth century have expanded production greatly, but in the pursuit of corporate profit and at the expense of human need and ecological sustainability. Far from a time when "capital accumulation" could be considered a prerequisite for liberation, the working class now more than ever can dispel the myth that obstructions such as the state, hierarchical social relations, and political parties (vanguards) are necessary appendages to their struggle for freedom. Bookchin's utopian vision, rooted in the realities of contemporary society, remains refreshingly pragmatic. …

Perhaps his most influential collection of essays (including the legendary 'Listen, Marxist!', and 'Ecology And Revolutionary Thought') this new third edition includes a new preface from the author.

11 editions

dvo reviewed Post-Scarcity Anarchism by Murray Bookchin

A very faint sketch

3 stars

This book is mostly concerned with the idea that technology CAN produce a post-scarcity society, but if you're expecting a clear picture of what that looks like or what it entails, you're going to be disappointed. I read the third edition which included "Listen, Marxist!" which includes a very valuable anarchist reading of the October Revolution and how power was consolidated.

When Bookchin is rattling off all of the things his enlightened anarchist society can cast off, a lot of it is feminine. It doesn't invalidate the book but it does highlight some of his limitations as a social thinker.

I grabbed this off The Anarchist Library and fixed all of the OCR errors that were made in its production as I read through so if you're looking for a nice digital edition, I can recommend it.

ynyz reviewed Post-Scarcity Anarchism by Murray Bookchin

An amazing articulation of ideas

5 stars

This might be one of, if not the best books of it's kind I've ever read. Massive insight into social, ecological, technological, and philosophical concepts and and how they can play into liberatory fronts

It's not often you come across a book that fundamentally updates the way you think. This was the first of Bookchin's works that I have read, and will definitely be looking at more in the near future.

Whom reviewed Post-scarcity anarchism by Murray Bookchin

Review of 'Post-scarcity anarchism' on Goodreads

No rating

It's kinda funny the degree to which Bookchin praises the exact lifestylism which we now associate him with disavowing. I guess watching this counterculture get re-absorbed by bourgeois society must've been exactly what pushed him in that direction. Just a guess, I need to actually read later stuff.

There's a lot of brilliant attempts in here to sort traditional socialist dogma into two piles: the genuine theoretical core worth keeping and the reactions to specific historical moments which have nevertheless been uncritically accepted. This is a worthwhile read for any leftist, anyone invested in social revolution, or anyone interested in a somewhat more modern look at the revolutions and attempts at true democracy of the past.

Look, don't read this and take it to heart too much. Recognize that it came from a time where youth movements might have become something, when it seemed like a new revolutionary group entirely separate from the class system could be formed from outcasts all over the social ladder rejecting the norms and expectations of their time. Let yourself slip into that mindset and that optimism, and you'll come out of this with something worthwhile. You'll at least probably have a better understanding of how previously revolutionary forms of organization like leftist parties and unions have become kinds of capitalist internal self-regulation which keep capitalism from reaching a tipping point and angering the people enough to spring us to action.

You'll end up understanding why even in times like right now in 2020 when everyone is rightfully pissed off, there doesn't seem to be any fuel for that spark to catch.