Book dossier

Post-scarcity anarchism

by Murray Bookchin

"In this series of related essays, Murray Bookchin balances his ecological and anarchist vision with the promising opportunities of a 'post-scarcity' era. Surpassing the constraints of Marxist political economy--which was rooted in an era of material scarcity and could not forsee the sweeping changes ahead--Bookchin argues that the tools necessary for the self-administration of a complex, industrial societyhave already been developed and have greatly altered our revolutionary landscape. Technological advances were made during the 20th century which expanded production greatly, but in the pursuit of corporate profit and at the expense of human need, workers' control and ecological sustainability. Through direct control on industry, and by incorporating an ecological and utopian vision for society, the working class can now dispell the myth that the state, hierarchical social relations and political parties (vanguards) are necessary to their struggle for freedom. Bookchin's analysis, rooted in the realities of contemporary society, remains refreshingly pragmatic."--Jacket.