this post was submitted on 12 May 2025
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Anarchism
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Not an anarchist but a revolutionary Marxist, and I don't really have any Anarchist literature to share on this topic but here's how I understand it:
Essentially, both Anarchism and Communism operate within "production for use", which sees things being manufactured for use and to satisfy people's needs rather than for profit as commodities to be sold on a market, and so this necessitates economic planning - after all, how else would the community know what and how many goods they need to produce/trade for?
Anarchist economic planning is done communally via local assemblies with them also communicating their productive capacities (like what they can make and the manpower) and needs they cannot fulfill locally with other communes, creating a regional federated network of sorts. These federations would then coordinate with other federations globally which is where all the transportation networks and production chains requiring continental and planetary integration get handled.
How I imagine this would play out in reality is essentially an order based system, where factories making certain component would make X amount of goods, ship them over to their next step of assembly where they would be further developed or turned into a complex finished product and distributed to the corresponding communities.
And to address some of the comments I see here - the whole idea of "everyone producing as a hobby" or "everyone does work only when they feel like it" is absolute bs and is a surefire way to peoples needs not being met. If you've been told that you need to produce something like 100 tools or 100kg of grain as your quota to meet the needs, then it doesn't matter if you feel like it or not - you gotta produce it, especially if its an essential good like food. Do not be detached from reality voluntarist utopian, read economic books like Marx or Kropotkin and whoever else Anarchists have - ground your claims in coherent doctrine.
I think some people's working conditions are so horrible that they can only imagine doing work in response to coercive violence. Like it's true, nobody in an anarchist society is going to flip burgers for 8 hours straight with 1 30 minute break being shouted at if production slows marginally. That is inhumane bullshit. Nobody is going to destroy their lungs in a mine without protective equipment and on long shifts that compromise safety because that is an insane thing to be forced to do.
Loads of work is meaningful shit, even if a lot of it is tedious and difficult. When a (functional) household or community organisation divides work it somehow manages to get things done without anything threatening each other. Feelings of obligation, love, respect, generosity, shame, guilt, and responsibility are extremely powerful motivators. Mining is hard and dangerous, but some people don't mind that and will do it because it needs doing and commands respect provided they are treated with dignity.
The conditions of many jobs will have to change sure, and many jobs which serve only to elevate one above others will vanish (many freeing up huge amounts of resources. e.g. all the fucking energy and production that goes into stock trading computers) but the fundamental industries humans need to do change surprisingly little when you remove the capital.
Thank you very good and full answer.
I am again and again surprised how little things need to change to go into some sort of planned economy, be it centraly planned or request based economy.