In his new introduction to "The Anarchists," Horowitz points out
that anarchism is an ideology in search of a movement, and also a
psychology in search of a polity. While this seems to be a paradox,
the fact is that anarchism has more than one hundred thousand
entries on electronic search engines, but one can search high and
low for a society that embraces its essential anti-Statist vision.
At the same time, anarchism continues to attract people to its
premises, seemingly generation after generation. Despite
similarities in values and goals, anarchism seems especially
attractive to those for whom individualism rather than collectivism
provides a way of life. In this, it stands at the opposite pole
from Behemoth, from the gods of political order.
"The Anarchists" is a rich collection of theories and practices
in the words of those who have rebelled against the restrictive
institutions and oppressive conditions imposed by state power upon
the individual. Idealists and self-seekers, saints and assassins,
they have often served as the conscience of the world and have
expressed with eloquence and convictions, the deep-seated sense of
anarchy that resides, to a greater or lesser degree, in most human
beings.
Anarchism is not simply a European import; it is deeply rooted
in the American political experience. The volume gives strong
representation to this side of the anarchist tradition. Thomas
Paine wrote, "Government even in its best state is but a necessary
evil. This was a sentiment echoed by Ralph Waldo Emerson, who said,
"the less government we have the better." The Anarchists offers the
most thoughtful and comprehensive selection of writings by and
about those who protest against all rule by man over man,
particularly that embodied in the State. As such, this anthology
presents the history and philosophy of anarchism in the words of
thirty-five of its greatest students, observers, and
proponents.
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