Institute for Sociological Research, Faculty of Philosophy, Belgrade
Received: April 2, 2022
Accepted: May 4, 2022
UDK: 316.645
Pages: 89-103
The main goal of this paper is a critical consideration of the extremely ecocentric current of anarchism, which is called anarcho-primitivism. We believe that anarcho-primitivism, as an ideology that advocates the complete abolition of civilizational achievements and return to the stages of hunter-gatherers, is one of the failed responses to the crisis of the Western left, which arose during the 1970s. In order to better critically analyze anarcho-primitivism, it is necessary, above all, to determine its basic postulates as well as the causes of its emergence. This will be followed by a detailed critique of his philosophical roots and the political and ideological solutions he provides. Anarcho-primitivist ahistoricism, which implies that all of humanity can easily return to pre-civilization levels, its irrational romanticism, extreme anti-technologal stances and simplification of basic leftist postulates are just ways for the frustrated left to escape from tackling the concrete problems of modernity. Therefore, anarcho-primitivism can also be defined as a fading form of postmodern thought, created through inconsistent eclecticism. Primitivists, therefore, do not represent a serious movement that could disrupt the current status quo, but only a handful of self-sufficient intellectuals and activists. In this paper, through a critical analysis of anarcho-primitivism, it will be shown how its weak political-practical action potential arises from its intellectual inconsistency, which is why anarcho-primitivism can be characterized as an extreme margin in the spectrum of anti-systemic thought.
KEY WORDS: Anarcho-primitivism, postmodernism, postmodern left, critique of anarcho-primitivism, critique of postmodern left
