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=                        Anarcho-primitivism                         =
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                            Introduction
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Anarcho-primitivism is an anarchist critique of civilization that
advocates a return to non-civilized ways of life through
deindustrialization, abolition of the division of labor or
specialization, abandonment of large-scale organization and all
technology other than prehistoric technology, and the dissolution of
agriculture. Anarcho-primitivists critique the origins and alleged
progress of the Industrial Revolution and industrial society. Most
anarcho-primitivists advocate for a tribal-like way of life while some
see an even simpler lifestyle as beneficial. According to
anarcho-primitivists, the shift from hunter-gatherer to agricultural
subsistence during the Neolithic Revolution gave rise to coercion,
social alienation, and social stratification.

Anarcho-primitivism argues that civilization is at the root of
societal and environmental problems. Primitivists also consider
domestication, technology and language to cause social alienation from
"authentic reality". As a result, they propose the abolition of
civilization and a return to a hunter-gatherer lifestyle.


                               Roots
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The roots of primitivism lay in Enlightenment philosophy and the
critical theory of the Frankfurt School. The early-modern philosopher
Jean-Jacques Rousseau blamed agriculture and cooperation for the
development of social inequality and causing habitat destruction. In
his 'Discourse on Inequality', Rousseau depicted the state of nature
as a "primitivist utopia"; however, he stopped short of advocating a
return to it. Instead, he called for political institutions to be
recreated anew, in harmony with nature and without the artificiality
of modern civilization. Later, critical theorist Max Horkheimer argued
that environmental degradation stemmed directly from social
oppression, which had vested all value in labor and consequently
caused widespread alienation.


                            Development
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The modern school of anarcho-primitivism was primarily developed by
John Zerzan, whose work was released at a time when green anarchist
theories of social and deep ecology were beginning to attract
interest. Primitivism, as outlined in Zerzan's work, first gained
popularity as enthusiasm in deep ecology began to wane.

Zerzan claimed that pre-civilization societies were inherently
superior to modern civilization and that the move towards agriculture
and the increasing use of technology had resulted in the alienation
and oppression of humankind. Zerzan argued that under civilization,
humans and other species have undergone domestication, which stripped
them of their agency and subjected them to control by capitalism. He
also claimed that language, mathematics and art had caused alienation,
as they replaced "authentic reality" with an abstracted representation
of reality. In order to counteract such issues, Zerzan proposed that
humanity return to a state of nature, which he believed would increase
social equality and individual autonomy by abolishing private
property, organized violence and the division of labour.

Primitivist thinker Paul Shepard also criticized domestication, which
he believed had devalued non-human life and reduced human life to
their labor and property. Other primitivist authors have drawn
different conclusions to Zerzan on the origins of alienation, with
John Fillis blaming technology and Richard Heinberg claiming it to be
a result of addiction psychology.


                       Adoption and practice
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Primitivist ideas were taken up by the eco-terrorist Ted Kaczynski,
although he has been repeatedly criticised for his violent means by
more pacifistic anarcho-primitivists, who instead advocate for
non-violent forms of direct action. Primitivist concepts have also
taken root within the philosophy of deep ecology, inspiring the direct
actions of groups such as Earth First!. Another radical
environmentalist group, the Earth Liberation Front (ELF), was directly
influenced by anarcho-primitivism and its calls for rewilding.

Primitivists and green anarchists have adopted the concept of
ecological rewilding as part of their practice, i.e., using reclaimed
skills and methods to work towards a sustainable future while undoing
institutions of civilization.

Anarcho-primitivist periodicals include 'Green Anarchy' and 'Species
Traitor'. The former, self-described as an "anti-civilization journal
of theory and action" and printed in Eugene, Oregon, was first
published in 2000 and expanded from a 16-page newsprint tabloid to a
76-page magazine covering monkeywrenching topics such as pipeline
sabotage and animal liberation. 'Species Traitor', edited by Kevin
Tucker, is self-described as "an insurrectionary anarcho-primitivist
journal", with essays against literacy and for hunter gatherer
societies. Adjacent periodicals include the radical environmental
journal 'Earth First!'


                              See also
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* Abecedarians, religious sect supposedly opposed to learning
* Agrarian socialism
* Anti-modernization
* Back-to-the-land movement
* Degrowth
* Doomer
* Earth liberation
* Ecofeminism
* Ecofascism
* Eco-socialism
* Ecoterrorism
* Environmental ethics
* Evolutionary psychology
* Freedomites
* Individualists Tending to the Wild
* Jacques Camatte
* National Anarchism
* Neo-Luddism
* Neo-tribalism
* Noble savage
* Primitive communism
* Romanticism
* Solarpunk
* Survivalism


                           External links
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*
*
* Articles tagged with
"[https://www.theanarchistlibrary.org/category/topic/anarcho-primitivism
anarcho-primitivism]" and
"[https://theanarchistlibrary.org/category/topic/anti-civ anti-civ]"
at The Anarchist Library.


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