C4SS Supporter Update & Call to Action – help us meet our goal!

Recently, I touched base with Gary Chartier (C4SS Advisory Panel member and Associate Dean and Associate Professor of Law and Business Ethics, School of Business, La Sierra University) on how the Introduction to Anarchism class is going, curious about student participation, the text being used and coursework. Since contributors to C4SS help to fund the course of study for which Intro to Anarchism is the budding branch, I wondered also about the significance of the course itself, since nothing of the kind is being offered in the greater academic universe.

Gary Chartier

Admittedly, I’m more ignorant of the text, The Market for Liberty by Morris and Linda Tannehill, than I would prefer, having read only excerpts of it, but had noticed interesting objections arising from its use in the class in various blog and forum comments. What was the bugaboo about the Tannehills’ book?

“The Tannehills were Objectivists. I’m not one, and neither are many of our students, and this means we’ve found a lot to argue with at some points. [The Tannehills] tend to treat ethics as a matter of rational self-interest, and, indeed, to criticize as immoral anyone who isn’t willing to use force to defend herself. Also, the Tannehills tend often to view market society as coextensive with commercial society, whereas I think many of us prefer to think of “the market” as a label for the sphere of peaceful cooperation, voluntary interaction, whether or not related to the cash nexus.”

“My vision of anarchy is a vision of peace, of non-aggression, and I think people can interact peacefully in all sorts of non-commercial ways. For instance, while the Tannehills tend to think of security services as provided by for-profit companies, I like to point out that we’re likely instead, in a stateless society, to see such services as provided by a combination of for-profit companies, not-for-profit companies, cooperatives, volunteers, and self-help.”

“…I think the Tannehills’ vision is unduly limited. The book has some advantages: first, it’s got a long history in the freedom movement; second, it’s pretty accessibly written; third, when we used it, we understood that it was available on-line for free. I’d also point out that the Tannehills can be humane and decent in very welcome ways. They often exude a hippie sensibility that I quite like, and that certainly isn’t Randroid; and their comments on criminal justice are often very good–the explicitly reject retribution as irrational and argue instead for restitution. So I think their work is a mixed bag.”

“We’re still working on what’s next. The certificate, [as currently imagined] is to feature [at least] four classes.”  One possible list, offered by Brad Spangler, is as follows:

ATP 101

ATP 102

ATP 110

ATP 111

Market Anarchist Praxis II  (practicum: a mentored self-planned activist project, “start something”)

ATP 115

Survey of Anarchist Thought (a guided tour of the Anarchist FAQ — because advocates of Market Anarchism ought to be able to intelligently discuss anarchism generally)

[1 elective]

ATP 200

Gary says that he’ll be working on lining up instructors for the other courses. Also, possibly in addition to the course on Agorism, Kevin Carson will likely be teaching something related to the left-libertarian tradition. Lastly, Gary confirmed my suspicion: these offerings are both rare and groundbreaking:

“C4SS’s “Stateless U” project offers an outstanding opportunity for people to complete college level coursework at an extremely affordable price. The Center’s courses in anarchist studies offer opportunities to study anarchist theory and practice unavailable anywhere else.”

As Stateless U evolves, perhaps it will stimulate a more global revival of anarchist study; with the excellence of the personnel involved, one does wonder how other schools, both virtual and “actual” will evolve to compete for the attention of the burgeoning ranks of students pursuing studies in human freedom. It can only be positive.

Please give generously to help us reach our goals and help us further the incredible work of C4SS!