this post was submitted on 17 Mar 2025
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[–] Olgratin_Magmatoe@slrpnk.net 8 points 21 hours ago (2 children)

How would society handle critical functions such as water sanitation for millions of people without a state to enforce equitable share of the cost?

[–] lugal@lemmy.dbzer0.com -3 points 20 hours ago (5 children)

With a world wide net of councils, all connected but not centralized

[–] BrainInABox@lemmy.ml 2 points 2 hours ago

“These gentlemen think that when they have changed the names of things they have changed the things themselves.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 2 points 5 hours ago

This retains class, though. If your councils only have ownership of their own jurisdictions, then the members of each council are Petite Bourgeoisie. Marx specifically advocated for full centralization because chiefly it becomes a necessity anyways with increasingly complex production, but also because it gives more democratic control over the whole of the economy, not just individual bits.

[–] stickly@lemmy.world 6 points 16 hours ago

I see this in various flavors of anarchism and I don't get how it would work in practice. Hierarchies form to simplify the logistics and social cohesion of a disorganized network of subunits.

As a basic example, how the hell do collectives even communicate with those on other continents? It took millenia for humans to develop reliable seafaring technology, only made possible through the direction of state actors. Sea cables cost millions to maintain; satellite communication is even harder to achieve.

Assuming that any of these could even be accomplished strictly via collectives ("Why the hell should I give you my Chilean copper so you can throw it in the ocean to talk to Europe?"), operating these essential services gives access to power and coercion.

Somebody has to launch the ships or run the heart of the telegraph network. Will you centralize the authority of multiple collectives to regulate and monitor it?...

And if you don't do anything to bridge the ocean, what's to prevent ideological drift for that continent; getting a little too centralized for more efficient resource use? Even if your accessible web remains strong and ideologically pure, you have to pray that completely separate webs will be just as strong.

Anarcho-primitivism is the only critique that seems to own the inherent anti-civilization logic, but even then there's nothing stopping a collective-of-collectives from making a bigger pile of sharp rocks to subjugate you.

[–] Olgratin_Magmatoe@slrpnk.net 2 points 18 hours ago

How is that different from a state, aside from the decentralization of power?

What would prevent centralization of power?

[–] yucandu@lemmy.world 1 points 16 hours ago

Would these councils be elected by the people they represent?

Would they sit in a parliament and form a legislature?

That just sounds like Canada.

[–] yucandu@lemmy.world -1 points 20 hours ago (1 children)

Easy, we connect all humans together in a telepathic Borg-like mindlink.

[–] Olgratin_Magmatoe@slrpnk.net 1 points 18 hours ago (1 children)

Unfortunately I quite prefer my mind being the only one I can hear.

[–] stickly@lemmy.world 4 points 16 hours ago (1 children)

Don't knock schizophrenia till you try it. 9/10 voices in my head recommend it.

[–] Olgratin_Magmatoe@slrpnk.net 1 points 16 hours ago

Shit that's all you had to say