Reviews

The Ecology of Freedom: The Emergence and Dissolution of Hierarchy by Murray Bookchin

cchapple's review against another edition

5.0

An epic work of scientific, social, political and historical philosophy. Could probably add some other fields in there too, it covers an intense amount of ground.

It was more dense and jargon filled than I expected. Bookchin really likes the word "desiderata". But it's also full of great quotes and fascinating insights.

I'd definitely recommend it to anyone interested in Social Ecology, Anarchism, and Libertarian Socialism.

kropotkin's review against another edition

4.0

Exceptional read.

Still relevant and cutting although I'd argue not quite succinct. Bookchin has a knack for waffling and, while self-aware with contested definitions, will sometimes plough ahead with messy phrasing: eg "suprahuman world of energetics" , "social desideratum" or "radiant energy of our musculatures". Generally all can be decoded in time it's just a bit abrasive when reading an entire book in this manner.

Critiquing the hollow gaia spiritualism environmentalists all to often turn to. The pitfalls within the harsh objectification of Marxist dogma. The challenge of social good within shamanism, animism and heretical christianity. And explaining the emerging counter movement for social ecology based on localised and decentralised small scale relations. Organic society that was accountable to itself. Well worth the read despite any challenges.

adrianrucker12's review against another edition

3.0

I really wanted to like this book, but it was pretty disappointing overall. Bookchin's treatment of "preliterate" cultures falls prey to the exact same projection of social structure into the natural world that he accuses everyone else of doing, except the social structure he is influenced by is one that has yet to be realized. A lot of this feels like it was written by someone stuck in the failure of the 60's ambient revolutionary culture to materialize into new ways of organizing life. I saw a review of this that criticized Bookchin for being under the influence of "New Age anthropology" and that feels accurate. Some interesting ideas throughout but not ultimately compelling as a complete work.

saulprompt's review against another edition

4.0

This book is dense and full of references to events, figures, and groups that aren't always fully explained in depth. It is written for an audience familiar with theory, philosophy, and history, requiring less experienced readers to do research alongside the text. For these reasons, it's not a fun read and it requires a bit of patience but Bookchin does have compelling arguments, observations, and questions to make the endeavor worth it. There were many passages that were relatable, ideas that I could never put into words so concise. Epiphanies, wonderment, or validation were had in each chapter and at times I would find myself at odds with Bookchin's observations due to conditional evidence or simplifying subjects. His focus on Western culture and history is unfortunate, as the subject could have filled multiple volumes in consideration of Asian, Latin American, and African movements/philosophy/political history. Bookchin shines most when his criticisms of the libertarian left put scrutiny on ineffective, harmful, and self-defeating modes that ought to promote self-conscious growth from the awareness he instills. The tone is generally grim but it has illuminating moments that inspiration can be drawn from for anyone interested in learning the past, present, and future of hierarchy in our species.

liliannkuu's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective slow-paced

5.0

Truly enlightening and powerful piece of philosophy. As cliché as it sounds, this book and its toughts on social ecology have completely changed the way I see the world, humans and society, and their relation to the environment and to each other. This is a book I will be referencing for years to come.

sonicdonutflour's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

4.25

This one took forever; been meaning to tackle since I was young. Parts of this book felt truly life-changing and many ideas felt life-affirming. Could also probably have edited 100+ pages out of the middle of the text and had a better book.

joyfullyexisting's review against another edition

hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

4.5

daytonm's review against another edition

5.0

I don't agree with Bookchin on everything, but he asks the right questions and pursues the right trains of thought. The book's an incredibly expansive journey through human history that—while for all I know some of his anthropology is bogus and/or outdated, and certainly some of his biology is—takes seriously what was good about preliterate societies while also hoping to learn from the misadventure called "civilization" and move forward into something distinct from both hunter/gatherer primitivism and modern hierarchical society. It's less readable than some of his other writing, but also more thought-provoking.

drjohnbrown's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative reflective slow-paced

3.75

While I am a great admirer of Bookchin's, and found this book to have many ideas that are more than valuable, I found this doorstop of a manifesto to be over-the-top to the extreme. What Bookchin attempts to synthesize into one grand work should have been split into many- and in fact, in Bookchin's other work, often is. While it was good, I would never recommend anyone to try to read Bookchin by starting with this.

sgaragancio's review against another edition

5.0

This book has consequences. It was quite difficult to read and it took me some time to finish, nevertheless it has been a super read and it changed me. It changed my perspective in a way that makes my living in modern times a little more difficult to bear but also makes me feel more conscious and more free to some extent.
I found it well written, going through a long but necessary journey into concepts.