You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
hopeful
informative
reflective
medium-paced
As a prominent anarchist thinker, Kropotkin takes on the task of showing that the idea of human nature as fundamentally individualistic and antagonistic to other people is either a myth or has been extremely exaggerated in the interest of power. He tries to show that mutual cooperation and a leaning toward collectivism is an inherent part of human nature. He engages in a kind of rewriting/ revisiting of history to show examples of this trend in both humans and non-human animals. While I was primed to be convinced by his arguments, I wish his sources (especially the ecological/ scientific ones) were better cited, as he draws wide generalizations from small examples or even anecdotal accounts. The chapters on human civilizations were also pretty Eurocentric, but not exclusively so.
Dans ce livre Kropotkine nous fait réfléchir sur un aspect de l'évolution qui n'est pas souvent approfondis, l'entr'aide.
En partant des animaux puis en passant par les société tribales jusqu'à son époque, il détermine l'importance de cet aspect naturel pour la survie de l'espèce, mais aussi pour son développement culturel. Il démontre aussi sa puissance contre d'autres mouvances autoritaires.
Un livre très intéressant et facile à lire. Il permet aussi de comprendre son grand optimisme vis à vis de l'être humain dans son livre "la morale anarchiste".
En partant des animaux puis en passant par les société tribales jusqu'à son époque, il détermine l'importance de cet aspect naturel pour la survie de l'espèce, mais aussi pour son développement culturel. Il démontre aussi sa puissance contre d'autres mouvances autoritaires.
Un livre très intéressant et facile à lire. Il permet aussi de comprendre son grand optimisme vis à vis de l'être humain dans son livre "la morale anarchiste".
I fully agree with the premise but my god was this book a slog 😩 I suspect that part of it is that it's in conversation with a lot of texts and types of discourse that were popular at the time but that I am unaware of. Also, some of the science in the animal sections is very 1900s. Might be a worthwhile read for history buffs but it wasn't for me.
slow-paced
Intressant på sina ställen, men den tar sin tid att komma igenom. Kropotkin själv lyser igenom, vilket ibland är underhållande (i exv medeltidsstaden där han mer eller mindre säger "jag är född i fel årtionde, allt är så fult nu, buhu") och andra gånger inte. Ganska ofta missade bokstäver i texten som irriterar, speciellt eftersom det är en seriös och populärvetenskaplig text. Väldigt intressant i början (om djuren), men det är ca 1/4 av boken.
Mutual Aid was already a must-read for anyone who wants to understand how life has persisted this far. Add the illustrations of NO Bonzo and an introduction by David Graeber and you have the perfect book. Read this, even if you've already read the original.
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
hopeful
informative
slow-paced
Idk what to rate this book because it's so good but also SO racist. Like so, so, so, racist. Like "race was just invented" racist
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Colonisation
Moderate: Child death, Cannibalism