The Operating System: An Anarchist Theory of the Modern State - Eric Laursen Audiobook

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• 
  caesar963
  February 14th, 2023
  

  

  Those bullet points are hopelessly & childishly reductive. “The State is above the law” - does not take account of the role of judicial review. When the state is an “individual,” it can be sued. “The State is first/foremost an economic endeavor” - Economics & trade are not discrete from humanity, they are core.
  It’s inherently necessary to legally define the human person.

  “The State is an instrument of violence & war” -The state is innumerable things simultaneously, not just the expedient “stuff I really don’t like” adolescent reflex. The state is also a convenient structure whereby services can be delivered & rights vindicated. Violence & war don’t depend on the state; these pre-existed the modern state (”New Monarchies”) - & will always exist. Failed/absent states tend to feature almost nothing but brutal war & contending warlords (witness Somalia). “Bellum omnium contra omnes, the war of all against all,” to drop a killing Hobbes. Some of us do get by without war - even in punch-drunk Europe.

  Anarchists will engage in violence, and will inevitably organise to make (defensive or other) war. They might even construct state structures in order to specifically engage in war, because people like Putin will see your “mere anarchy” as opportunity. Thus eventually rendering anarchy “an instrument of violence & war.”
  “Not believing in force is the same as not believing in gravitation.”

  As for “State is relatively new in world hx,” & “is Euro in origin/outlook” - yet the global analogues & iterations were/are there: kingdoms, realms, empires, principalities, (complex) tribal structures, dynasties, commonwealths, sophisticated poleis, etc. etc.

  Just to ideologically torture the analogy - we don’t upgrade the operating system by destroying it. We endeavour to rationally & constructively improve it. When we hope to get new “windows” in a few months, we don’t immediately smash our current windows. That sorta thing.

  The Operating System: An Anarchist Theory of the Modern State - Eric Laursen
• 
  AudioBookBay12311
  February 14th, 2023
  

  “we don’t upgrade the operating system by destroying it. We endeavour to rationally & constructively improve it. When we hope to get new “windows” in a few months, we don’t immediately smash our current windows.”

  Why do you not support consistency of this argument by applying it to other systems of governing? Say, to a governments that tried composed one of the working class.

  The Operating System: An Anarchist Theory of the Modern State - Eric Laursen
• 
  AudioBookBay12311
  February 14th, 2023
  

  My cat jumped on the keyboard and wrote this. I’ll rephrase for my cat:

  Do you not support consistency of this argument by applying it to other systems of governing? Say, to governments that tried composing one of the working class.

  The Operating System: An Anarchist Theory of the Modern State - Eric Laursen
• 
  caesar963
  February 14th, 2023
  

  Compliments to that politically savvy cat. Time spent with that cat is not likely to be wasted.
  Gradual, rational, accountable reform, within a liberal democratic framework & rights-based legal order (fundamental, individual, legal, human, civil, political & constitutional rights.)

  This comprises all individual human beings - of whatever class - being politically represented. It’s necessary for these gradual, balanced reforms to be debated, empirically tested, modified - and abandoned when necessary. This requires responsive democratic structures & institutions. Frozen ideology, abandoning what works in favour of untested (often bizarre) theory - this has all resulted in centrally-planned catastrophe.

  The Operating System: An Anarchist Theory of the Modern State - Eric Laursen
• 
  Webby1948
  February 14th, 2023
  

  

  C963 Yet again wading in on an audiobook whose subject and premise you don’t agree with. You trying to put people off, and get your anti Putin rant in for good measure?
  It’s pathetic and ridiculous.Try being responsively democratic yourself instead of being stuck in your frozen ideology.
  Let other members download what they want. They can make their own minds up. Whereas you’re stuck in a concrete mindset that allows for nothing beyond your own tiresome and too-oft stated prejudices.
  If you’re not interested in a book, avoid it Don’t comment on it. Or here’s a radical idea. Listen to it first. Then comment.
  Hopefully it’ll take you so long we’ll all have moved on by then.

  The Operating System: An Anarchist Theory of the Modern State - Eric Laursen
• 
  AudioBookBay12311
  February 14th, 2023
  

  By what I gather, the answer is no? Because this is what it is (a frozen ideology) that cannot possibly change.

  The Operating System: An Anarchist Theory of the Modern State - Eric Laursen
• 
  caesar963
  February 14th, 2023
  

  Stay off the coffee & next time break your pill in half, Wobbly1933. Merely because Putin’s such an evil loser does not mean you have to precisely emulate your idol in that also. D’load away, fill yer shiny jackboots, heinrich. Sheesh…

  The Operating System: An Anarchist Theory of the Modern State - Eric Laursen
• 
  caesar963
  February 14th, 2023
  

  Audio - Such a frozen, concrete-headed ideologue has just joined us! An object lesson in objective lunacy.

  Yeah, as you say, the anti-democratic, frozen ideological insanity of the last century, which created nothing but genocidal, failed, slave states & centrally-planned catastrophe. It could not evolve or reform itself - to attempt to do so would was to admit failure, that Utopia hadn’t been achieved after all. That it had all been for nothing (even worse than that, of course). We learned an extremely bloody lesson there, but much of the ideological insanity has thankfully subsided. Although you’ll still see lots of tragic tankies haunting the net!

  The Operating System: An Anarchist Theory of the Modern State - Eric Laursen
• 
  caesar963
  February 14th, 2023
  

  (too much “would” there - without a cat to blame)

  The Operating System: An Anarchist Theory of the Modern State - Eric Laursen
• 
  Webby1948
  February 14th, 2023
  

  

  Tired and tiresome rant from C963. And we’re off again. Sure anybody who argues with this person is a Nazi. He won’t go into the earthquake situation - maybe he might now I’ve mentioned it - because it shows a contrary narrative to the corporate propaganda.
  Quote: ‘Putin’s such an evil loser does not mean you have to precisely emulate your idol.’
  See how he does it? Predictable, shameless, worthless. Propose there’s a different narrative background to the Ukraine situation and the accusations come piling in.
  Russia ,Iran, Venezuela, China are sending aid but America won’t lift its sanctions and Al Qaeda refuses to accept it from Damascus. This shows how little the USA cares about people, as if anybody didn’t know already, even before Madeline Allbright said half a million kids dead in Iraq was ‘worth it’. American sanctions are just economic terrorism and the refusal to allow aid to Syrian victims is more of that. America is occupying Syrian oilfields and Syrian wheatfields. People are dying but that’s okay, eh Seizure? Long as they’re Palestinians and Venezuelans and Syrians refusing to comply with American hegemony. And they’re not on the side of your frozen ideology.

  The Operating System: An Anarchist Theory of the Modern State - Eric Laursen
• 
  caesar963
  February 14th, 2023
  

  “any who argue is Nazi” - Not at all. But you are. You’re a power-worshipping, Putin supporter who cheerleads the killing of civilians, & defends these crimes with transparent, mindless “Whataboutism?” (see above.) Because the crimes of your “side” must always be heroic acts, Wobbly1933. Useful id!ot tankie to the end (of innocent life).

  Enough alterna-truth, tyrant-boosting, and - ranting about the earthquake?! The book concerns Anarchist Theory, other demands for attention & frozen, obsolete, ideological slogans you can “deploy” elsewhere.

  The Operating System: An Anarchist Theory of the Modern State - Eric Laursen
• 
  goyoelburro2
  February 15th, 2023
  

  I’m eager to check out this book. Thank you!!!

  The Operating System: An Anarchist Theory of the Modern State - Eric Laursen
• 
  AudioBookBay12311
  February 16th, 2023
  

  Not following logical consistency is considered illogical. Meaning that if somebody is not logically consistent, a rational conversation pertaining to that subject is not possible.

  From my observation, you do use arguments against socialism that apply to capitalism on an even larger scale, but in the case of capitalism, you do not use that as evidence of the failure of capitalism.

  One example would be that around 20 million people die every year because they do not get their most basic needs met. Which is ironic because the several famines that have happened under socialism due to a combination of early bad policies, natural disaster events, and war with far more developed nations who used scorched earth policies to destroy agriculture and other sectors, are used as the failure of socialism. Even though nearly for its whole existence sufficient food intake was present. While ignoring that under capitalism, even just from lack of access to food, around 9 million people die every single year (current figures). Which if taken even over a 10 year scale, is 90 million people. Capitalism kills more people per decade, just from lack of access to food, than socialism ever did in its whole existence. If we were to include the other most basic needs, the number is to at minimum, double. As shown in the “Capitalism, socialism, and the physical quality of life” study, when socialist and capitalist countries are compared with equalized development levels, socialism provides these most basic needs while capitalism struggles or is unable (as that is socialism’s whole purpose - rather than shifting money upwards to a small group, it shifts it down to the majority).

  Another point would be the repression factor (which is undoubtedly horrible to live under - but a case can be made that upon early establishment, during chaos and turmoil, and in the case of socialism, when far more developed powers attack and sabotage (e.g. such as even during its earliest establishment: the intervention of the allied powers (on the side of the white army) in Russia during the 1917 October revolution and resulting civil war), authoritative structures develop for organizational reasons - as is seen in all systems as is about to be shown). There have been many fascist dictatorships that enforced capitalism with military/repression/state terrorism/racism (which did not bring about freedom, liberty, nor prosperity in most of these cases - in most of these cases, the coups were carried out to prevent leftist reforms to keep the working class oppressed and as poor as possible). Operation Condor lists some examples (but there are many more):

  1. El Salvador in 1931: Military coup overthrowing democratically elected president Arturo Araujo Fajardo.
  2. Germany in 1934: Adolf Hitler dictatorship.
  3. Nicaragua in 1936: Samoza family coup and dictatorship.
  4. Taiwan in 1949: Chiang Kai-Shek fascist dictatorship.
  5. Cuba in 1952: Military dictatorship coup overthrowing democratically elected president Carlos Prio Socarras.
  6. Guatemala in 1954: Carlos Castillo Armas military dictatorship couped democratically elected president Jacobo Árbenz.
  7. Brazil in 1964: Military dictatorship coup overthrowing president João Goulart.
  8. Uruguay in 1973: Military dictatorship coup.
  9. Argentina in 1976: General Jorge Rafael Videla coup.
  10. Ecuador in 1976: Military dictatorship coup.
  11. Indonesia in 1965: General Suharto coup.

  Just with these examples, tens of millions of people were killed, tortured, imprisoned, politically targeted, silenced, repressed, and other state terrorism techniques. There are at least 50 examples of this pertaining to capitalist countries.

  With observation, what you will notice is that mostly only developed countries who aren’t under threat allow more freedom, regardless of system (and even developed countries are quick to do away with freedoms upon threat - the Patriot act is one example in the US. Another would be US disbanding of voting rights to reclude groups, such as making it as hard to vote for students, native Americans, black people and etc).

  The point is that it is inconsistent to use these as the failure of socialism if it applies even moreso to capitalism.

  The Operating System: An Anarchist Theory of the Modern State - Eric Laursen
• 
  AudioBookBay12311
  February 16th, 2023
  

  I should’ve included 1. The US 1917 Espionage and 1918 Sedition Acts that were made to punish free speech/dissent (quickly banned newspapers and jailed 2k dissenters for up to 20 years - sent a clear message. Others then knew that free speech against the US government is a no go zone). 2. The first and second Red Scares extended state repression to such an extent, that socialism was practically made illegal in the US (only allowable choices are between capitalist parties). 3. In the 1940s, another example would be the 125k Japanese Americans that were put into concentration camps in the US after Pearl Harbor. 4. COINTELPRO exposed how many movements are shut down by the state. For a modern example (since all other movements have been killed), look into BLM infiltration via state actors who try to incite violence. 5. Edward Herman’s and Noam Chomsky’s book “Manufacturing Consent” showed how censorship works in western countries, particularly the US (it is done moreso by private corporations - journalists, researchers and etc know what is a no go zone).

  All of these examples go for other developed capitalist nations too, not just the US (e.g. Britain, France, Germany have many prominent examples as well).

  Again, the purpose of this is to point out that it is inconsistent to use the same things that capitalism does (on an even larger scale), but only use them as applicable to the failures of socialism.

  George Vidal uses the phrase (not in this context), “the United States of amnesia”, which is very relevant when discussing this subject (though I would change that to “the united amnesia of capitalism”).

  The Operating System: An Anarchist Theory of the Modern State - Eric Laursen
• 
  FreePalestine
  February 16th, 2023
  

  Do you think Troll963 has crashed? or is he only rebooting….

  The Operating System: An Anarchist Theory of the Modern State - Eric Laursen

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