I may be missing some context or nuance of wording, but why do you read "never fails in its effect" as meaning Proudhon thinks such a system *does* fail in practice?
If you want any help on this, I have done a lot of work on Proudhon. It’s also worth noting that as far as Cromwell was concerned, the Levellers were anarchists.
It would be lovely to learn more about the roots of this position/mechanism. If you want to write up a guest blog post or point me in the right way, much obliged.
The guardian of this order, which should mean liberty and equality for us, is the Government.
Therefore let us take the Government into our own hands. Let the Constitution and the laws become the expression of our own will; let the office holders and magistrates, who are our servants elected by us, and always subject to recall, never be permitted to do anything but what the good pleasure of the people has determined upon. Then we shall be sure, if our watchfulness never relaxes, that the Government will be devoted to our interests, that it will no longer be the tool of the rich, nor the prey of the ambitious politicians; that affairs will be conducted as we wish and to our advantage.
Thus reasons the multitude, at each epoch of oppression. Simple reasoning, logic that cannot be more straightforward, and which never fails in its effect. Even if the multitude went so far as to say, with Messrs. Considerant and Rittinghausen: Our deputies are our enemies; let us govern ourselves and we shall be free;—there would be no change in the argument.
PS ik dacht, bescherming tegen corruptie etc. via de staat
I may be missing some context or nuance of wording, but why do you read "never fails in its effect" as meaning Proudhon thinks such a system *does* fail in practice?
Hah. I may have misread it! Will do a fresh read later.
If you want any help on this, I have done a lot of work on Proudhon. It’s also worth noting that as far as Cromwell was concerned, the Levellers were anarchists.
Hi Alex,
It would be lovely to learn more about the roots of this position/mechanism. If you want to write up a guest blog post or point me in the right way, much obliged.
Eric
And there's this, which is a little more polemical, but has all the references you'd need:https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/anarcho-proudhon-marx-and-the-paris-commune
Try this, it's open access too:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23801883.2017.1350114?casa_token=qoTkGnGMLYsAAAAA%3ANzYRd0BDzDXrz7CtmnaJN8CwmG5i14MmfN-CC8fHzmkF3kim3n_hNurJ1F0YCHv8K6VfCPAS0fqb
Sorry, one more! :) Cromwell on the "anarchy" of the levellers' political theory can be found here (p.400, n): https://journals-sagepub-com.uoelibrary.idm.oclc.org/doi/epdf/10.1111/j.1467-9248.1976.tb00124.x
so Hobbes after all; this idea guided me throughout the essay. :)
I tend to think that hobbes denies democratic sovereignty. And only allows for an assembly or a smaller group single person.
exactly; the power of the many through one
Ive been reading Althusser - Machiavelli and us - so I have a source
His reading of the Prince is cool
What's the connection to Hobbes on your view?
dit is een stukje uit jouw quote:
The guardian of this order, which should mean liberty and equality for us, is the Government.
Therefore let us take the Government into our own hands. Let the Constitution and the laws become the expression of our own will; let the office holders and magistrates, who are our servants elected by us, and always subject to recall, never be permitted to do anything but what the good pleasure of the people has determined upon. Then we shall be sure, if our watchfulness never relaxes, that the Government will be devoted to our interests, that it will no longer be the tool of the rich, nor the prey of the ambitious politicians; that affairs will be conducted as we wish and to our advantage.
Thus reasons the multitude, at each epoch of oppression. Simple reasoning, logic that cannot be more straightforward, and which never fails in its effect. Even if the multitude went so far as to say, with Messrs. Considerant and Rittinghausen: Our deputies are our enemies; let us govern ourselves and we shall be free;—there would be no change in the argument.
PS ik dacht, bescherming tegen corruptie etc. via de staat
3 years ago there was a great MA- student who wrote about Hobbes and the importance of order for commerce and arts