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- A HIGHLY ORGANIZED SOCIETY
- THE ANTI-CAPITALIST ASPECTS
ANARCHO-SYNDICALISMNoam Chomsky is a strong supporter of the anarcho-syndicalist strain of anarchism. As noted previously, he became introduced to these ideas through the socialist-anarchist Jewish community in New York City. Following this school of thought, Chomsky advocates in numerous scholarly works for an anarchic society based on socialist ideology. He argues that such a society is the only true way to ensure freedom and liberty to every individual, as well as the only method to achieve social justice. A HIGHLY ORGANIZED SOCIETYThe society Chomsky describes is not one without rules, but rather a bottom-up form of organization. A community based upon anarcho-syndicalism would be a highly organized society derived from natural units or communities. The primary natural units would be the workplace and the neighborhood, and from these two units a highly integrated form of social organization would be formed through federal arrangements. Members of the communities would make the decisions, thus people would always have control over the relevant issues that affect their lives and their homes. Noam Chomsky has suggested two possible ways of organizing an anarcho-syndicalist society. He first explains that a network of worker’s councils could be developed to help organize and control the workplaces and communities. The next level of bureaucracy would then be representation across the different factories, crafts and industries. Finally, the top level of representation would consist of general assemblies of worker’s councils, which could act on a regional, national, and international scale. The second form of organization Chomsky describes would entail local assemblies that deal with local issues, regional assemblies that control regional issues, such as trade, and finally a national or international level of assemblies. Chomsky says he is unsure of what would be the best way to organize the society, but he believes that either of these two would be preferable to the current form of government in the United States. The key component of both these forms is that they grant significant autonomy and control to the workers in the society. Chomsky maintains that there should not be any elections in such a form of government, but that all people should be expected to participate in the decision-making at some point in their lives. And, most importantly, those who are making decisions only do so temporarily, and must continue to work in their communities. Thus, decisions are always made by the affected parties. VALUE OF TECHONOLOGICAL PROGRESS Chomsky concedes that the general populace must become much more educated if they are to maintain jobs and conduct management affairs. He explains, however, that technological advancements have made this possible. In an interview with Peter Jay, Noam Chomsky states that currently institutions do not allow workers to have access to the information and training to control their own affairs. However, Chomsky believes it is possible for people to control not only the their immediate affairs but also the entire economic system. This is possible because today, “much of the necessary work that is required to keep a decent level of social life going can be consigned to machines – at least, in principle, - which means that humans can be free to undertake the kind of creative work which may not have been possible, objectively, in the early stages of the industrial revolution” (Relevance). Thus, technology will be able to complete much of the labor that now requires people, and this will produce enough excess time for people to become acquainted to the process of controlling their affairs. THE ANTI-CAPITALIST ASPECTSFinally, it is important to note that a major tenet of anarcho-syndicalism is that workers are not paid for their labor. Rather, the society provides for the needs of all of the people, and workers are allowed to choose the jobs that provide them the most fulfillment. Chomsky argues that choosing jobs based on desire as opposed to a needed paycheck will provide enough satisfaction that no monetary compensation would be necessary. He believes that there are few jobs everyone would refuse to do (he maintains these jobs are bad because the current system has no reason to make them more attractable) but if there are jobs everyone refuses to do, then the community will share them. Thus a cooperative society will be established where everyone finds fulfillment in their work, while at the same time contributing to the wellbeing of the society. Noam Chomsky feels that an anarcho-syndicalist system would be vastly preferable to the current democratic system of the United States because of its greater ability to achieve justice. He has stated that he does believe in the founding ideals of the United States, such as its emphasis on individuality and liberty. However, he believes that the United States is deficient because the government has no control over the economic sector of the society. He points out that the United States was established before there were large concentrations of private wealth, and thus there was no need to regulate large corporations in the interest of the people. However, today there is such a need and the United States government has no power. Currently, businesses can leave communities, leave many workers unemployed, without seeking approval from the affected individuals. Thus, over one of the main components of a person’s life, their economic livelihood, they truly have no control. Chomsky argues this is not democratic, and may even serve to undermine democracy. If workers are dependent on a company for a job, they may be willing to revoke democratically approved environmental regulations merely to maintain their financial stability. Chomsky believes that such a system is neither democratic nor just. However, in an anarcho-syndicalist society, workers would have control over the relevant matters of their lives, such as the businesses, and thus will be able to determine what is best for their society. 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