In defense of empathy

I am an anarcho-socialist, in theory at least. I say in theory, since I have never really done anything in support of this idea, but I do believe it is the best way to organize society. I also say in theory, since I realized that anarchy only work as an organizing principle, if everyone is on board with the idea. It also requires that everyone has a certain amount of affinity for their fellow humans, which I think we can agree, is not the case.

There are probably as many interpretations of what anarchy is, as there a people who are aware of the concept (both positive & negative). The word itself means Without Rulers, but I know many who feel it means Without Rules. I do not adhere to that idea, if there is no rules, there is no security, no society, so I stick to original interpretation. I also do not care what we call it. The important point is not to have hierarchical systems, because they will always be corrupted & coerced by sociopathic thinking.

This does not mean we cannot have authority, as in someone having the right to make decisions and organize on behalf of others. The issue is how they obtain and keep that authority.

I work in a factory, installing wires & electrical systems on big machines. I like it a lot, it keeps me active & engaged. I have a boss, that I like. His main job is to organize the work and to act as a conduit between the CEO and us workers on the floor. He does this quite well and I, for one, would not want to do this job under any circumstances. Our CEO also does a pretty good job and again, you could not pay me enough to do his job. This does not mean that I am “on their side”. If they breach our union contract, I will strike at the drop of a hat. This is how the Danish system works and it has been very good to the workers (I have many, many other qualms & critiques of the system, but that is for another day).

This job is my 30^th in my life. Yes, ADHD is a wild state of mind at times :). A few of my bosses & the companies I have worked for, have been atrocious, but most of them have been alright and I have never been tempted to join them. I did have one job, where I was sort of a manager and it lead me to the decision that I never want to be responsible for others. Again, I do not disparages leaders, I just know I am not good at it. But it have made me ponder the nature of authority and how it might work in a non-hierarchical society.

As I see it, authority can be divided into two: Earned & unearned. Unearned authority is authority that you have not consented to. It is top-down, based on laws & tradition. It is the authority of old age, of the police, the army, capitalism & religion. On the other hand, earned authority comes from the bottom-up. It is based on respect, knowledge & experience. It is never taken, but given. It is never based on violence, but stands in contrast to it. It is also necessary. Without it, we could not have community. Someone has to have responsibility, life is too complex to have everyone decide everything in life.

So, yes to earned authority, as long as it is given freely and, most importantly, as long as it can be revoked at anytime.

It is also a good way to counter sociopathic thinking. Sociopaths love non-consenting authority. It allows them to gain & hold power without having to seek approval of those they govern over. Be it through government, religion or private companies, as long as there is a hierarchy that they can subvert and where they can be protected from consequence, you will find them there.

If authority is based on consent, it makes it a lot harder for sociopathic thinking to take hold. Plus, if it can revoked, it makes it a lot easier to stomp it out, should it take hold.