this post was submitted on 18 Aug 2025
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When democratic governance withers what fills the power vacuum is feudalism.
Technofeudalism is feudalism with computers.
Ironically, to create a space that selects for and protects distributed decisionmaking (the desire of most sane anarchists), you need a strong government!
It's not feudalism, it's the usual fascism in making. Maybe with some capitalist mechanisms.
Anarchism is a project. It's not just a matter of eliminating the state. That would just result in Mad Max.
You need people to work together to help each others needs. I help you because I might need help someday, too. That builds a real community. And then maybe, just maybe, we solve each others problems enough that the state is unnecessary.
Is it a pipe dream? Maybe. But the steps towards that are worth doing, anyway.
Of course the power dynamics cannot ever be eliminated (either by breeding or enculturation) from the interpersonal relationships.
Instead, power can be regulated and managed, to maximize distributed decisionmaking, and to protect those decisionmakers who could not or would not protect themselves.
In a free for all, feudalism will always result. The strong and the willing will rule over the weak and the unwilling.
There have to be limits to the power dynamics. Those limits will have to be enforced to protect the vulnerable, the gullible, and the unwilling (those who have the capability to exercise power, but refuse by choice), etc. This requires advanced democratic governance with a very strong government.
Doing away with the government is just a speedrun toward technofeudalism.
Working to create a protected space that selects for distributed decisionmaking is the actual project. That's an actually sane, worthwhile and achievable goal.
I think we're fairly close to agreement.
The things I do to encourage anarchism are things like makerspaces, community gardens, and bike fixup workshops. Anything that helps people rely less on capitalism and more on each other.