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A review by zykx
On Anarchism by Noam Chomsky
challenging
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
So this book has six sections and I have separate opinions on each of them:
1. Introduction by Nathan Schneider
I enjoyed it. It set up the book well and was interestingly relatable for me (high schooler in 2023) when it referenced a story about college students post-Occupy. I liked the scene it set, made me feel like I belonged here, reading the book, when in so many other cases, conversations about politics and ideology alienate young people. (I suppose that’s more common on the conservative side though.)
2. Notes on Anarchism
I read this book in chunks, separated by years, so as usual, it’s been a while. As I remember it, this is an introduction to anarchosyndycalism itself. What ideas it comes from. What it means. I think that this section in combination with the excerpt from Understanding Power are probably the two most important sections.
3. Excerpt from Understanding Power
It really put things into perspective for me, helped me to break away from my preconceived notions of hierarchy and showed how anarchism was possible. This section along with the end of Half-Earth Socialism have really helped me in conceptualizing my idea of a utopia. It’s a nice sort of hopeful feeling.
4. Part II of Objectivity of Liberal Scholarship
This part was really good in giving me things to talk about to people who disagree with me. Shows you how important it is to consider external intervention in why collectivism failed in Catalonia in the 1910s and after. Usually things are chalked up to the system being bad but by exposing the lack of understanding of intersecting factors, the book shows that issues run deeper than that.
This section was really helpful as a history student. Gave me a significantly better understanding of the effect of bias in historians’ work and how to use it to draw your own conclusions/how to analyze it.
5. Interview with Harry Kreisler
10/10 amazing wonderful loved
Yes, I learned things from the rest of the book but I just read this and I learned things RIGHT NOW. Enjoyed the insight and liked how he pointed out things that I’ve noticed and known but never verbalized.
6. Language and Freedoms
idk wasn’t into it
maybe i’ll give it a solid chance later on but since i wasn’t particularly interested it was kinda eh
Why 4 stars?!?
Good
Revolutionary for me and my opinions and my own ideology of how the world should be. It was like a secondary radicalization.
“Bad”
Section 4 got boring for me after a while. I got the point wayyyyy before the section ended which is great from an argumentative standpoint but not very readable.
Wasn’t into some parts and it’s been ages since I read the stuff I liked so I’m not that passionate about it.
1. Introduction by Nathan Schneider
I enjoyed it. It set up the book well and was interestingly relatable for me (high schooler in 2023) when it referenced a story about college students post-Occupy. I liked the scene it set, made me feel like I belonged here, reading the book, when in so many other cases, conversations about politics and ideology alienate young people. (I suppose that’s more common on the conservative side though.)
2. Notes on Anarchism
I read this book in chunks, separated by years, so as usual, it’s been a while. As I remember it, this is an introduction to anarchosyndycalism itself. What ideas it comes from. What it means. I think that this section in combination with the excerpt from Understanding Power are probably the two most important sections.
3. Excerpt from Understanding Power
It really put things into perspective for me, helped me to break away from my preconceived notions of hierarchy and showed how anarchism was possible. This section along with the end of Half-Earth Socialism have really helped me in conceptualizing my idea of a utopia. It’s a nice sort of hopeful feeling.
4. Part II of Objectivity of Liberal Scholarship
This part was really good in giving me things to talk about to people who disagree with me. Shows you how important it is to consider external intervention in why collectivism failed in Catalonia in the 1910s and after. Usually things are chalked up to the system being bad but by exposing the lack of understanding of intersecting factors, the book shows that issues run deeper than that.
This section was really helpful as a history student. Gave me a significantly better understanding of the effect of bias in historians’ work and how to use it to draw your own conclusions/how to analyze it.
5. Interview with Harry Kreisler
10/10 amazing wonderful loved
Yes, I learned things from the rest of the book but I just read this and I learned things RIGHT NOW. Enjoyed the insight and liked how he pointed out things that I’ve noticed and known but never verbalized.
6. Language and Freedoms
idk wasn’t into it
maybe i’ll give it a solid chance later on but since i wasn’t particularly interested it was kinda eh
Why 4 stars?!?
Good
Revolutionary for me and my opinions and my own ideology of how the world should be. It was like a secondary radicalization.
“Bad”
Section 4 got boring for me after a while. I got the point wayyyyy before the section ended which is great from an argumentative standpoint but not very readable.
Wasn’t into some parts and it’s been ages since I read the stuff I liked so I’m not that passionate about it.