Mark Twain: The Mysterious Stranger

Chapter 1 It was in 1590—winter. Austria was far away from the world, and asleep; it was still the Middle Ages in Austria, and promised to remain so forever. Some even set it away back centuries upon centuries and said that by the mental and spiritual clock it was still the Age of Belief in [...]

Peter Gelderloos: Anarchy Works

No more talk about the old days, it’s time for something great. I want you to get out and make it work… Thom Yorke Dedicated to the wonderful people of RuinAmalia, La Revoltosa, and the Kyiv infoshop, for making anarchy work. Although this book started out as an individual project, in the end a great [...]

No God, No Caesar, No Tribune!… Cornelius Castoriadis Interviewed by Daniel Mermet

In this interview, Cornelius Castoriadis explains and develops many of the central themes in his later writings on politics and social criticism. In particular, he poignantly articulates his critique of contemporary pseudo-democracy, while advocating a form of democracy founded on collective education and self-government. He also explores how the “insignificance” in the current political arena relates to insignificance in other areas, such as the arts and philosophy, to form the core feature of our Zeitgeist….

Cornelius Castoriadis – Reflections on Racism

This is the second chapter from the first part of the book World in Fragments, written by the Greek-French philosopher, Cornelius Castoriadis. The author investigates the role of individual psyche in racist thinking and acting and on the retreat from autonomy to generalised conformity.

“Cunt” by Inga Muscio (excerpt)

.Under the influence of this dilemma, I’ve asked myself if there might be a word as old, as universal and as deeply rooted as women’s actual realities in patriarchal society. Hidden somewhere in the English language, could there be a word with power steeped in our history, a word which truly conveyed the rage and hope of all women?
And lo and behold, I return to the one formal cuss word in Pop’s roster:

…….cunt.

…….This book is about my reconciliation with
…….the word
…….and
…….the anatomical jewel.

Wilhelm Reich, The Mass Psychology of Fascism

Wilhelm Reich (March 24, 1897 – November 3, 1957) was an Austrian-American psychiatrist and psychoanalyst, known as one of the most radical figures in the history of psychiatry. He was the author of several notable books, including The Mass Psychology of Fascism and Character Analysis, both published in 1933.

Paulo Freire, Pedagogy of Freedom

Paulo Freire was a Brazilian educator and influential theorist of critical pedagogy.In terms of actual pedagogy, Freire is best known for his attack on what he called the “banking” concept of education, in which the student was viewed as an empty account to be filled by the teacher. He notes that “it transforms students into receiving objects. It attempts to control thinking and action, leads men and women to adjust to the world, and inhibits their creative power”.

Anarchism, An Introduction by Donald Rooum

We are often asked to explain what anarchism is all about, and hope to publish a revised and expanded version of Nicolas Walter’s popular
About Anarchism when it is ready. Meanwhile we suggested to Donald Rooum, creator of the anarchist Wildcat cartoons, that he should produce a pamphlet on Anarchism.

Hannah Arendt, The Human Condition

The Human Conditions is a very theoretical and influential book of the philosopher Hannah Arendt and, perhaps, one of the most important works for the understanding of direct democracy, along with these of Cornelius Castoriadis and Pierre Clastres. Arendt, here, identifies three fundamental conditions according to which life has been given to men, by introducing the term vita activita (activities of life). These conditions are: labor, work, and action. She, also, in the second chapter, describes four realms: the political, the social, the public, and the private.

Theodor Adorno & Max Horkheimer – Towards a New Manifesto?

Stanford Encyclopaedia of Philosophy – Theodor W. Adorno: was one of the most important philosophers and social critics in Germany after World War II. Although less well known among anglophone philosophers than his contemporary Hans-Georg Gadamer, Adorno had even greater influence on scholars and intellectuals in postwar Germany. In the 1960s he was the most [...]