Our Lost Continent Archives - The Libertarian Labyrinth

A Schematic Anarchism: Anarchy and the Governmental Series

January 21, 2026 Shawn P. Wilbur

OUR LOST CONTINENT Related links: A New Proudhon Library [project page] Voline, “On Synthesis” (1924) Anarchy as a Beacon and as a Focus for Synthesis (2018) EXPLORATIONS: PHASE ONE: RELATED: “Our Lost Continent” (April 4, 2015) “The ‘Benthamite’ anarchism and the origins of anarchist history” (April 5, 1015) “New Uncertainties and Opportunities” (April 6, 2015) “Looking Forward—Mapping Our Lost Continent” (April, 2018) “What Mutualism Was: Coming to Terms with Our Anarchist Past” (January 4, 2019) “Our Lost Continent” [tag stream] “Extrications” [tag stream] — notes on synthesis, anarchist development, etc. SUMMARIES & RATIONALES: MAPPINGS: Notes for an Introduction GREAT DIVIDES: […]

A Schematic Anarchism: Anarchism-in-General

June 10, 2022 Shawn P. Wilbur

For me, the last few years have involved a rather public renegotiation of my relationship with anarchism—and more specifically with the possibility of an anarchism-in-general that is not just a jumble of incommensurable theories with some superficial resemblances. I have most often presented that work as a matter of synthesis, with a very specific reference to Voline’s 1924 essay, “On Synthesis,” where he gives that notion—so often limited in anarchist discourse to debates about the organization of federations—a considerably more general significance.

[…]

A Schematic Anarchism: Rethinking Anarchism Without Adjectives and Synthesis

May 7, 2022 Shawn P. Wilbur

The schematic anarchism introduced over the last few months is at once a comparatively adjectiveless anarchism and a tool for synthesis. It is, however, not an example of anarchism without adjectives or anarchist synthesis in their most familiar senses. Exploring the ways in which those ideas are transformed in the context of this new conceptual toolkit should help clarify the character and uses of the new apparatus.

[…]

A Schematic Anarchism (Introduction)

April 27, 2022 Shawn P. Wilbur

One way to get at what is constant in the widest senses of anarchy and anarchism is to begin with what is least contestable about the elements of those terms. Etymology is certainly no definitive source of meaning — and few things are more tiresome than the attempt to resolve ideological debates with dictionaries — but if we are going to take inspiration from the interpretive freedom extended by Proudhon to his readers, we don’t really have much but the words themselves as references.

[…]

Anarchy: Action in the Face of Uncertainty

June 15, 2020 Shawn P. Wilbur

“A distinct, anarchy-centered anarchism is not just possible, but necessary, if we are to confront the systemic challenges facing us, and that anarchism seems likely, if seriously pursued, to be adequate to the task.” Related links: “Positive Anarchy, Profusion, Uncertainty and the Uses of History“ “Legal order“ P.-J. Proudhon, The Philosophy of Progress (1853) Defining Anarchy: These preliminary, exploratory writings are always half pleasure, half drudgery for me. You can have the right elements in hand and still require a lot of experimenting before they are anything like an elegant ensemble. With this series on “Defining Anarchy,” I’m conscious, not […]

Anarchy, Harmony and the Maelstrom of Desire

June 12, 2020 Shawn P. Wilbur

“A distinct, anarchy-centered anarchism is not just possible, but necessary, if we are to confront the systemic challenges facing us, and that anarchism seems likely, if seriously pursued, to be adequate to the task.” “The ideal republic is an organization that leaves all opinions and all activities free. In this republic, every citizen, by doing what he wishes and only what he wishes, participates directly in legislation and in government, as he participates in the production and the circulation of wealth. Here, every citizen is king; for he has plenitude of power, he reigns and governs. The ideal republic is […]

Anarchy: Lawless and Unprincipled

May 25, 2020 Shawn P. Wilbur

“A distinct, anarchy-centered anarchism is not just possible, but necessary, if we are to confront the systemic challenges facing us, and that anarchism seems likely, if seriously pursued, to be adequate to the task.” Related links: P.-J Proudhon, The Philosophy of Progress [pdf] “Anarchy: Historical, Abstract and Resultant“ “Authority, Liberty and the Federative Principle“ “Notes on Liberty and neo-Proudhonian Anarchism“ Defining Anarchy: The ideal republic is an organization that leaves all opinions and all activities free. In this republic, every citizen, by doing what he wishes and only what he wishes, participates directly in legislation and in government, as he […]

Positive Anarchy and Collective Force

May 11, 2020 Shawn P. Wilbur

Related links: Our Lost Continent and the Journey Back [main page] “Anarchism: Plain and Neo-Proudhonian“ “Legal Order“ “Archy vs. Anarchy“ “Authority and Authority-effects“ Theories of Anarchist Development Anarchy as a Beacon and as a Focus for Synthesis Defining Anarchy: A distinct, anarchy-centered anarchism is not just possible, but necessary, if we are to confront the systemic challenges facing us, and that anarchism seems likely, if seriously pursued, to be adequate to the task. We’re off to a good start, having defined anarchy in terms of a complete break with legal and governmental order. Any anarchism taking this concept of anarchy […]

Anarchy: Into the Maelstrom

May 9, 2020 Shawn P. Wilbur

Related links: Our Lost Continent and the Journey Back [main page] “1840: Proudhon’s Barbaric Yawp“ “Anarchism: Plain and neo-Proudhonian” (April 22, 2020) Defining Anarchy: First, we scuttle the ship of state, with all hands, if need be—ourselves included—if, for the moment, only in the realm of the imagination… After all the preliminaries, all the hesitations, it is time to take the plunge, to do our best to define anarchy in such a way that it can serve us as a guide and instrument in the exploration we have undertaken. And we have told ourselves that the anarchist conception of […]

Anarchism: Plain and neo-Proudhonian

April 22, 2020 Shawn P. Wilbur

Related Links: Our Lost Continent and the Journey Back [main page] “Theories of Anarchist Development” (December 30, 2017) Voline, “On Synthesis” (1924) “Toward a General Theory of Archy” (October 3, 2015) “Escheat and Anarchy” (October 8, 2018) “Archy vs. Anarchy” (January 28, 2020) “Neo-Proudhonian Anarchism (A Step toward Synthesis)” (April 19, 2018) GREAT DIVIDES: Lessons of the Outbound Journey In the revised outline for Our Lost Continent and the Journey Back, the work is now clearly split into two parts: Our Lost Continent: Reflections on the Anarchist Past The Journey Back: Reconsideration of Anarchist History And that first section includes […]