5 ms·
What makes him anarchist?
by tete 11y ago
What makes him anarchist?
- shmerl 11y agoHis core ideas of free software are based on the concept of being free from control over it. The idea is anarchistic since by controlling the software and computing technology one controls society in some way, and the more technology is intertwined with social aspects (which gradually happens the more technology progresses), the higher is that level of control.
- majewsky 11y agoYou could just as well argue that his ideas are democratic, giving power to larger groups of people than before. Teaching the people to run their own services sounds pretty similar to what happened during the enlightenment, when people were taught to read at a large scale for the first time.
- shmerl 11y agoAnarchism is by nature truly democratic, except that it aims to avoid hierarchical powers.
- quadrangle 11y agoRMS is on record saying "I am not an anarchist. In fact, I have a pro-state gland"
- shmerl 11y agoI assume that's because someone tried to attribute to him certain anarchistic positions that he didn't share. This doesn't make his own ideas less anarchistic however.
- quadrangle 11y agoIndeed, but promoting some anarchist (or just anarchy-compatible) ideas does not make one an anarchist.
- shmerl 11y agoIt makes him anarchist in the context of those ideas. Are people defined by a single label? Rarely so.
- mark_l_watson 11y agoAs someone else said, Stallman does not identify himself as being an anarchist. If you listen to his talks, he does spend some time on what we need to do to protect ourselves politically and the need to protect democracy. I may be in the minority: I agree with almost everything that Richard says.
- shmerl 11y ago> As someone else said, Stallman does not identify himself as being an anarchist. Self identification is his personal choice. I'm talking about his ideas however.