Wikipedia defines anarchoprimitivism as “an anarchist critique of civilization that advocates a return to non-civilized ways of life through deindustrialization, abolition of the division of labor or specialization, abandonment of large-scale organization and all technology other than prehistoric technology and the dissolution of agriculture.”
The Anarcho Primitivist flag.
While it is debatable whether adopting the holistic approach of anprim would reap more good than harm, there are certainly benefits to aspects of anprim in our daily routines and public policy.
Adam Smith proclaimed in “The Wealth of Nations” in 1776 that “consumption is the sole end and purpose of all production.” Because supply will continue to rise with demand, so long as we value materialism, we will continue to produce at a rate which is unnecessarily high.
Charlie Green is a sophomore at Covenant who studies anprim in his free time. Green says that the planet is simply not built to consume at the rate in which we are. He says, “walk down the street and look at how much waste we produce every week. Few people actually need to consume at this rate.”
It is remarkable how much our culture has changed since COVID. Social distancing and remote employment started out of necessity, but it has stuck around. “The home is, for a business, kind of like real estate. Before, your home was separate from all of the things that you had to do. Mainly your work but also picking things up and shopping,” Green said.
Before this shift, “you were a consumer at the store, and a worker at the office, and you are a person at home. Businesses are going to naturally take opportunities that COVID presents to utilize people’s homes to get them to work as much as possible.” Green says that it is not healthy for the individual’s roles in life to share the same physical space.
He continues: “the goal of the system is to maximize productivity and profit. There is a new technology and circumstance which allows people to work and consume at home, and they can do all of these things from bed the moment that they wake up. This is awesome for businesses.”
Green, however, says that it’s harmful for systems to maximize exponential growth because it is not necessary, and it is harmful for the environment. Green states that the policy which is put in place to combat pollution and waste is not sufficient to combat the growing risks of our consumption.
He goes on to discuss identity and culture. “In terms of our identity as a consumer, a person who wants to be a part of this group, whereas before that might have been found in a national order or an ethnic or religious identity, people want to be a part of a subculture, whereas nowadays you have to get a starter pack, which can be a certain aesthetic,” Green said. “That is the entry fee.”
These cultures or subcultures are entirely based around consumption. They no longer dwell on character or values, but they are entirely focused on external attributes. The consequences of this are drastic.
This should be especially important to us as Christians. Where do we obtain our identity? Are we supposed to identify with things beyond Christ? In Galatians 3:8 it is written that “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Are we called to participate in this consumerist culture, or are we called to something greater?
It is important for us as citizens in a society, as Christians and as stewards that we consider our planet, our societies, and our brothers and sisters in Christ. Consumerism is a product of industrialization, and although its holistic approach is debatable, there are aspects of it which could provide great benefit to us and our planet.
Another Covenant student, a biology major who is greatly concerned in environmentalism, encourages individuals to act in ways which are conscious of environmental concerns. “People should plant pollinator gardens, be conscious about what you eat, educate yourself on endangered species, and so on.” As stated before, it is important to incorporate some aspects of anprim in our daily lives, for the sake of ourselves and our environment.
The most relevant facet of anprim is the way in which job markets will be impacted by artificial intelligence. AI has made remarkable headway in America, with the invention of digital resources like Chat GPT. This leaves economists wondering how the job market will be impacted with this new development, and how it will shift over time. Dr. Wesher, a professor of economics at Covenant argues that “there is no way to tell what will happen to the job market with the introduction of artificial intelligence. It is a game of wait-and-see.”
While in a time of technological revolution, it is natural to wonder what things will look like after new technology has been introduced. Conversely, it is also normal to wonder what things would look like if we had not yet progressed from the industrial revolution.
Overall, there are definite benefits to anprim ideology. But, as Dr. Wesher puts it, “there are other forms of anarchy which I would be more in favor of.”