Gregory's Server@DrDanMarshall
There are inherent differences between a system based on solidarity, cooperation, and mutual aid within communes and the traditional concept of communism. While both ideologies emphasize collective ownership and decision-making, Anarco-Communism seeks to eliminate hierarchy and coercion entirely, promoting voluntary cooperation and mutual support as fundamental principles.
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Top-level
6 comments
@DrDanMarshall Decisions at the federal level should be made through consensus among all participating communes, ensuring that no commune exercises undue influence over others, with mechanisms to prevent coercion, such as transparent decision-making processes, equal representation, and safeguards against the centralization of capital. @Radical_EgoCom What do you mean by "consensus"? Would a rich commune be able to veto a measure? Or would it be more like "accept the majority decision or there's the door"? If a commune proved stingy, would the federation be able to authorize the seizure of its capital by force? What other ways could we prevent the centralization of capital? (And, yes, poorer communes would be more vulnerable to de-federation than rich ones.) @DrDanMarshall @Radical_EgoCom I have found the clarification of our positions to be helpful. Two spots we couldn't agree was on, essentially, how egoistic humans (and collectives of humans) are, and the related question of how universal nepotism is. Those questions would have to be answered by empirical investigation, so we can't do it here. @Radical_EgoCom Beyond that, I think my central thesis can be boiled down to this: Do you think purely voluntary solidarity between one commune and another could be so strong that a prosperous commune could be convinced to help a fellow commune that has suffered a disaster, not only to some decent minimum of getting back on their feet, but back to economic *equality* with the first one? Or would it require a degree of coercion equivalent to taxation? |
@DrDanMarshall
In the scenario described, the potential for coercion arises when communes are pressured to fulfill requests from other communes to maintain trade partnerships and insurance. This pressure could lead to decisions being made not out of genuine solidarity but rather out of fear of negative consequences, such as being defederated or losing trade partners. Additionally, the accumulation of political capital by richer communes could result in disparities in power and influence...