Launch of An Anarchist FAQ

by Ilan S. - ainfos Sat Nov 08, 2008 04:05 Tel Aviv

Yes. This work is really big. However, it is just one person mainly take on anarchism. Long ago, I translated the A part of it into Hebrew... but I could not be faithful to the source.

I feel I had to change it significantly - and stated so.

Many places you will find personal opinion of Iain pretending to be objective description.

Lot of false and ancient takes on psychology. Not much better take on political economy and related items.

From a text intended to refute the "Anarcho-Capitalism" it was inflated to and pretend to be a kind of one person wikipedia of the value anarchism.

I wish one day a serious collective of social class struggle anarchists involved also in social struggle will take on itself such a project.

by nestor mcnab - fdca (pc) Sat Nov 08, 2008 14:40 nestor_mcnab at yahoo dot co dot uk

I don't think that's entirely fair, Ilan. While Iain may be the main author, it was not so by design. I remember countless appeals he made for contributions to this work, and indeed others have contributed, though not to the extent Iain might have preferred. If anything it is the fault of others that the FAQ is not mainly a collective effort, not Iain's.

by Paddy Rua - WSM Sun Nov 09, 2008 08:02

Does it really make any difference if it is the work of Iain or more of a collective work? I really appreciate that someone took the work of putting it all together and though I may disagree with bits of it (no human product is capable of letting everyone 100% happy), I think it is a great resource. Thanks very much for the people that worked on it, fair play, well done, and I really appreciate your initiative. Sometimes it takes one person to get some initiative rolling...

by Anarcho Mon Nov 10, 2008 17:59

"However, it is just one person mainly take on anarchism. Long ago, I translated the A part of it into Hebrew... but I could not be faithful to the source.

I feel I had to change it significantly - and stated so."

I know, only Ilan really knows what anarchism is. I'm so sorry that I suggested that others may not agree 100% with his totally correct position on anarchism.

As such, I will be urging AK Press to destroy this version and instead translate Ilan's corrected version back into English from Hebrew....

"Many places you will find personal opinion of Iain pretending to be objective description."

I know, the only really person able of true "objective description" is Ilan. I should be ashamed of myself for daring to suggest that other anarchists have different opinions!

"Lot of false and ancient takes on psychology. Not much better take on political economy and related items."

ROTFL! Really, "false and ancient takes" on political economy? That explains why it discussed Minsky's theories on financial instability before the credit crunch made them relevant. And so on...

"From a text intended to refute the "Anarcho-Capitalism" it was inflated to and pretend to be a kind of one person wikipedia of the value anarchism."

Sure, that is why AK Press is publishing it -- because they think its just my personal opinion....

"I wish one day a serious collective of social class struggle anarchists involved also in social struggle will take on itself such a project."

Why should they bother, when Ilan will dismiss their work because they dare not to be 100% in agreement with him?

After all, I'm a "serious" social class struggle anarchist so Ilan cannot assume that others like me will agree with him... Funnily enough, I've had plenty of "serious" social class struggle anarchists praising the FAQ. Just not Ilan. Now, whose opinion do I take seriously?

And I should, of course, note that it's called "An Anarchist FAQ", not "The Anarchist FAQ". Unlike Ilan, the people who started AFAQ recognise that other anarchists have valid takes on anarchism.