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Readings in Popular and Practical Philosophy

November 23, 2023 Shawn P. Wilbur

With the translation of Proudhon’s Of Justice in the Revolution and in the Church now halfway through its first major revision, the time appears ripe for a more active sort of sharing of the text, in the form of a group reading. That is, however, no small task, given the length and complexity of the work — and the fact that I’m still wrestling the other half into shape, along with a variety of other related texts. So I’m going to try to take my cues from what work during the Constructing Anarchisms project, set myself a task that ought to facilitate the readings of others, establish some forums in which discussion is encouraged and then extend a general invitation to others to play along to whatever extend suits them.

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Notes on Anarchy and Hegemony in the Realm of Definitions

November 16, 2023 Shawn P. Wilbur

The notes that follow are preliminary, as I try to bring together a number of considerations regarding vocabulary, definition, theoretical clarity and such. They begin with some questions raised about the translation of Proudhon’s work, pass through a discussion of Proudhon’s own approach to the definition of key terms — which I hope will be useful as we begin reading and discussion of Justice in the Revolution and in the Church — and end with some general thoughts about anarchists’ engagement with the question of definition in the present.

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Justice in the Revolution and in the Church, Volume Two: Translator’s Notes

November 1, 2023 Shawn P. Wilbur

I have now uploaded the second volume of my working translation of Proudhon’s Of Justice in the Revolution and in the Church, which includes the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Studies, the second part of the essay “Bourgeoisie and Plebs” and two passages from the 1858 edition not included in the revised edition. These are revised drafts, with most of the problem passages resolved, but, as with the first volume, some notes will probably help to orient readers.

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Dictionary of Phalansterian Sociology — X-Z

October 24, 2023 Shawn P. Wilbur

X Emploi de la lettre x dans la théorie de la distribution sériaire. — La lettre X a été adoptée par Fourier pour désigner dans la distribution sériaire les groupes de pivot et de contre-pivot. X couché, le groupe de pivot de série. [><] X droit, indique le groupe de contre-pivot. N. 63 — Voir : signe, néologie. Use of the letter x in the theory of serial distribution. — The letter X has been adopted by Fourier to designate the pivotal and counter-pivotal groups in the serial distribution. X on its side, the pivotal group of the series. [><] […]

Practical explorations of mutual currency and credit

October 24, 2023 Shawn P. Wilbur

It’s always been a bit of a struggle striking a balance between elaborating general theory — which in the case of anarchist mutualism has often meant tracking down and/or translating the relevant works before commentary could even begin — and exploring the historical applications — which are more widely known, but often rather historical. As I’ve been working again a bit on the Contr’un collections, I’ve been reliving periods where there was a great deal more interest in the details of the various mutual banking schemes or the various applications of equitable commerce. At the same time, I have found […]

Sacher-Masoch, “Bakunin” (1888)

September 28, 2023 Shawn P. Wilbur

The only one who impressed me, among the agitators and leaders of the Slavs, at the pan-Slavist congress in Prague, was Mikhail Bakunin. Like all notable Russians of that time, he was from a good family, a gentleman, an officer, very educated, rich, and therefore absolutely independent, as were Pushkin, Lermontoff, Tourguéneff. He was not bothered by any material question and was not obliged to reckon with anyone. He could be the enthusiastic idealist he remained until the end of his days.

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P.-J. Proudhon, Correspondence related to the Studies in Popular Philosophy

September 6, 2023 Shawn P. Wilbur

Under the general title of Popular Philosophy, I begin an indefinite series of publications on all sorts of subjects, history, literature, political economy, morals, biography, etc., men and things. All this judged, appreciated, explained, interpreted with the aid of the new philosophical principle, the highest and most fruitful, at once objective and subjective, idea and sentiment, law of man and law of nature, justice. Give me five years of this popularization, and I dare say that the public, today tired, disgusted, skeptical, will again take courage and conceive what a philosophical system is, a kind of encyclopedia, whose principle, law, method, end, means, is right.

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Justice in the Revolution and in the Church, Volume One: Translator’s Notes

September 3, 2023 Shawn P. Wilbur

Revised drafts (pdf): Volume One: Program, Preliminary Address, First, Second and Third Studies Volume Two: Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Studies I have just uploaded the first volume of my working translation of Proudhon’s Of Justice in the Revolution and in the Church, which includes the Program, the Preliminary Address and first three Studies. These are revised drafts, with most of the problem passages resolved, but the following notes should give an idea of the present state and possible future revisions of the text. I’ll begin working on the revision of the next three Studies tomorrow, but will also try to […]

P.-J. Proudhon, “The Creation of Order in Humanity” — Chapter III

August 23, 2023 Shawn P. Wilbur

I must admit it at this solemn moment: what worries me is less the uncertainty of my route than the deep feeling of my weakness; the distractions of my life, and the misfortune of an entirely philosophical and religious education have hardly allowed me to learn anything. It’s not the design, it’s the materials that I lack for the reconstruction. All I know I owe to despair; fortune depriving me of the means of acquiring, I want one day, from shreds picked up during my short studies, to create a science by myself alone.

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E. Armand, The Anarchist Individualist Initiation — V

August 21, 2023 Shawn P. Wilbur

The Anarchist Individualist Initiation E. ARMAND [ENGLISH TEXT ONLY] ☜ 4. The individualists and the reformers of the milieu social. The law of continuous progress. 6. Authority, Domination, Exploitation: Origin, Evolution, Aspects and Definitions. ☞ DEUXIÈME PARTIE LES THÈSES PRATIQUES DE L’INDIVIDUALISM ANARCHISTE 5. Le Christianisme et les Individualists. La tournure d’esprit païenne. 47) Le christianisme primitif. Y a-t-il un lien de parenté quelconque entre le christianisme et l’anarchism ? Peut-on les concilier ? Peut-on soutenir que les anarchists — individualists ou communists — sont ce que seraient devenus les chrétiens si le christianisme avait suivi son évolution normale au […]