Mutualism is an anarchist social philosophy that takes into account important elements of what it means to be free and balances everything so that freedom can exist. In the book What Is Mutualism? by Clarence Lee Swartz (1927), mutualism is defined as "a social system based on equal freedom, reciprocity, and the sovereignty of the individual over himself, his affairs, and his products; realized through individual initiative, free contract, cooperation, competition, and voluntary association for defense against the invasive and for the protection of life, liberty, and property of the non-invasive."
To truly understand what mutualism is, one must learn sociology, economics, and political science while simultaneously unlearning exposure to misinformation. Who is to say which is which when it comes to misinformation? Truth speaks for itself, and logic will prevail upon your own reflection. Unfortunately, this is a battle that never ends, especially when it comes to finding freedom. It may be easier to just ignore reality and find distractions, but never underestimate the thrill of living life versus imagining someone else living it. And the only way to truly live is to be free to do as you please. Ultimately, the choice is ours.
Mutualism is, above all else, a form of voluntary association, meaning no one is forced to be a mutualist or join a mutualist group. The value of being a mutualist and of being in mutualist groups is self-evident and requires no force. Again, freedom. A mutualist understands that each person is their own master and should have control of themselves. Mutualists recognize that the result of a person's actions (their labor) is theirs and cannot be owned by someone else. Because land (everything outside of us, such as natural resources, etc.) is not an extension of any of us, it cannot be owned. Our actions (labor) bring about goods and services that we can exchange with others so that we can specialize and not have to do everything by ourselves. This is how humans have built societies. A core tenant of Mutualism is the Cost Principle or "cost the limit of price", it states that the cost of goods or services (the product of only labor, or land mixed with labor, a.k.a. capital) is purely the amount of labor needed to create it. And In the case of land mixing with labor (capital), the cost includes the labor needed to acquire the resources, move them, etc. Monopolies arise out of going against these basic claims and are, thus, unjust. When you apply the cost principle, monopolies cannot exist. Mutualists view money as an exchange medium and, thus, a useful tool. They also see credit (loans) as being another useful tool; however, they do not believe in charging interest because the cost of all things is labor. Therefore, the cost of a loan is simply the labor.
Mutualists see that when we specialize and exchange, all of our lives are improved; therefore, we recognize the importance of utilizing tools like money and loans. We also see the importance of creating insurance to pay for the unforeseen losses from disasters—in fact, past mutualists are where the concept of insurance comes from.
Balancing the freedom of everyone and organizing the use of land (which cannot be owned but must be shared) requires responsibility, well-thought-out systems, and great care. This is why anarchism/mutualism requires more order. The hardest part is understanding and learning, followed by getting over the fear. Our biggest enemy is ourselves. We have been stifled and controlled our whole lives. We don't know what it is like to be free. We are scared of ourselves and of messing up. Unlearning bad habits and dealing with trauma is a huge undertaking. Once this is done, the fog clears and it seems ridiculously easy, and the difficulty becomes fun. All the joys of playing a video game can be found in just getting up and living. The world becomes a huge place to explore and learn. The love we experience is like a warm embrace because it comes from within and extends to those around us. We respect ourselves and then are able to see each other for what they really are. I cannot imagine freedom without mutualism.
In depth reading:
What is Mutualism by Clarence Lee Swartz
https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/clarence-lee-swartz-in-collaboration-with-the-mutualist-associates-what-is-mutualism
Voluntary Socialism by Francis Tandy
https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/francis-dashwood-tandy-voluntary-socialism
Liberty, License, and the State by William Schnack
https://ambiarchyblog.evolutionofconsent.com/articles/libertylicenseandthestate.html
Positive, Negative, and Equal Liberties and Rights by William Schnack
https://ambiarchyblog.evolutionofconsent.com/articles/positivenegativeandequallibertiesandrights.html
Comments
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Cysper04
This is very well written and I actually learned a lot from this.
You did a really good job on this.
My favourite part is the final part.
"Our biggest enemy is ourselves. We have been stifled and controlled our whole lives. We don't know what it is like to be free. We are scared of ourselves and of messing up. Unlearning bad habits and dealing with trauma is a huge undertaking. Once this is done, the fog clears and it seems ridiculously easy, and the difficulty becomes fun. All the joys of playing a video game can be found in just getting up and living. The world becomes a huge place to explore and learn. The love we experience is like a warm embrace because it comes from within and extends to those around us. We respect ourselves and then are able to see each other for what they really are.".
The thing is there should be boundaries.... You gotta learn something before you have all that freedom.
You just can't have all that instantly, because this world had lots and lots of pitfalls unfortunately.
You have to learn a lot from when you were younger what's right and what's wrong and not only that.... You had to learn what were the pitfalls are that you have to avoid.
You have to learn a lot before you have that freedom.
Because if you had that early on you might end up in a pretty bad spot unfortunately.
I agree with the stuff you wrote out here to be honest.
And this is very well written.
I agree, freedom is not a given but something that is achieved, the process is the boundary. Those who are not ready just can not... It is impossible.
I will say that the way our society treats children is horrible. Children like adults are capable of more responsibility then what they currently have. This idea you have to force people to learn makes them associate learning with negative connations. Instead children should learn by doing things. Their passions lead the way for learning how to do.
You are a very supportive person, I am glad you took the time to read. Thank you!
by AnarchRizzy; ; Report
theduelistdaisy
I am not reading all that
I would honestly. LOL XD
by Cysper04; ; Report
by AnarchRizzy; ; Report