An important new book on anarchist thought is now available
from Winter Oak Press.
Here, he turns his back on contemporary trends of anarchism
in a bid to reconnect with the primal force of its root ideology.
Cudenec notes the significance of its refusal of the state
and its judicial system, of land ownership and of the need to work for wages in
order to live.
But he goes further in suggesting that anarchism represents
a whole way of thinking that stands in direct opposition to the blinkered
materialism of contemporary society and its soul-stifling positivist dogma.
He writes: “The anarchist does not merely stray outside the
framework of acceptable thinking as carefully assembled by the prevalent system
– she smashes it to pieces and dances on the wreckage.”
Cudenec explores the fluidity and depth of thinking found in anarchism,
in stark contrast to Marxism, and identifies, in particular, a love of apparent
paradox that seems to appeal to the anarchist psyche.
He also sees a connection between and anarchism and esoteric
forms of religion – such as Sufism, Taoism and hermeticism - whose inner light
defies the crushing patriarchal conservatism and hierarchy of the exoteric
institutions.
Cudenec provides evidence that anarchism’s roots lie partly
in this life-embracing source of inspiration, the bringer of art and poetry as
well as of resistance and revolt.
While, he argues, anarchism is incompatible with existing
religions, it has the potential to harness its powerful ideology to this
universal esoteric current and thus become the religion of the future, the
spiritual and political revelation that will save humankind from a grim future
of slavery, corruption and destruction.
In making his case, Cudenec draws on the work of anarchists
such as Gustav Landauer, Michael Bakunin and Herbert Read. But he also widens
the field of enquiry to include the philosophy of René Guénon, Herbert Marcuse
and Jean Baudrillard; the existentialism of Karl Jaspers and Colin Wilson; the
vision of Carl Jung, Oswald Spengler and Idries Shah, and the environmental
insight of Derrick Jensen and Paul Shepard.
With a fusion of scholarly research and inspiring polemic,
Cudenec succeeds in forging a coherent and profound 21st
century
world-view with an appeal that will reach out far beyond those who currently
term themselves anarchists.
Contact Winter Oak Press via winteroak(at)greenmail.net
Contact Paul Cudenec via cudenec(at)riseup.net
Paul Cudenec has a blog at paulcudenec.blogspot.co.uk
The book will in due course be available in independent radical bookshops but currently the best way to get a copy is here.
