ANARCHISM

- normally associate with disorder, chaos, lawlessness, revolution, mayhem, rebellion etc.

Anarchism basically is a political theory that is opposed to all forms of government. Arnachists believe that the highest attainment of humanity is the freedom of individuals to express themselves, unhindered by any form of repression or control from without. They hold that the perfection of humanity will not be attained until all government is abolished and each individual is left absolutely free. One limitation on such freedom, however, is the ban against injuring other human beings. From this limitation arises another : if any human being attempts to injure others, all well-meaning individuals have the right to organize against him or her, and the orderly class may repress the criminal class, although only by voluntary cooperation and not under any governmental organization.

Frenchman Pierre Joseph Proudhon is generally regarded as the father of the system of philosophical anarchism. According to Proudhon and his followers, anarchism would exclude authority from society, setting up extreme individualism. Philosophic anarchists, however, repudiate violent methods and hope for a gradual evolution of society toward anarchic organization. Those anarchists who reject Proudhon’s theories maintain that the entire trend of human development is toward achievement by cooperation and that social cooperation can never be wholly voluntary.

Another school of anarchism, relying on organized action and even deeds of terror to achieve its purposes, grew out of the socialist movement and appeared toward the end of the 19th century.
Philosophic anarchists continue to differ from socialists in their emphasis on freedom from control, especially from state control. Many anarchists participated in the trade union movements, usually as member of unions with a syndicalist programme. Others accepted the terrorist policy and practiced assassinations. Although most anarchists have not advocated terrorism, the popular view has unjustly identified all anarchism with violence. Anarchism declined steadily as a political philosophy and as an organized movement during the second quarter of the 20th century.

In this age of new millennium, there arisen a new form of “anarchism” – those groupings seeking total freedom of speech and total freedom to act under the pretext of human rights from governmental control. In voicing their discontent or displeasure on certain governmental policies and programmes they usually resorted to organizing street demonstrations, public rallies etc which normally leads to public riot and chaos. The actions of riot police in discharging their duties to safeguard public law and order during these public mayhems are usually scrutinised by the so called “human rights watch groups and their respective solicitors”. More often than not, police and governmental actions were negatively publicised and challenged in the court of law.

Perhaps, it is time that philosophical and political scientists coined a new category for these group of “troubled” people!!!!