Krapotkin: The Politics of Community by Brian Morris

Synopsis

Widely known amongst anarchist circles, the contributions of geographer Peter Kropotkin (1842-1921) to political and moral philosophy have been largely neglected by other contemporary writers. Morris (emeritus, Goldsmiths College, U. of London) here offers an expository account of Kropotkin's social and political theory that aims to affirm the continuing relevancy of his social anarchism. Kropotkin's theories of anarchist communism, agrarian socialism, and education are described in chapters outlining his political theory. Morris then turns his attention to his underlying metaphysics of nature and social ethics, arguing that they had philosophical implications that undermined the prevailing mechanism of Kropotkin's time. Kropotkin's historical and anthropological studies and his theories of the modern state, nationalism, terrorism, and war are reserved for later chapters. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR