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Evolution & Revolution: An Introduction to the Life and Thought of Peter Kropotkin

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Paperback in very good condition. Boards are slightly marked, and page block is sunned. Content is clean and binding is sound. LW

Paperback

Published January 1, 1996

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About the author

Graham Purchase

13 books4 followers
Graham Purchase is a leading figure in the Australian anarchist movement, known for his prolific writings. In works like Anarchist Society & its Practical Realisation, he explores the future of anarchism and practical ways to apply its ideas today.

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Profile Image for Jitka Špičanová.
81 reviews11 followers
January 2, 2021
Četla jsem ve skvělém překladu od nakladatelství Neklid. Kniha napsaná s pokorou, bez adorace a s krtitikou některých názorů. Propojení s tím, jak jsou mnohé i nadále velmi aktuální. Jako většina knih od Neklidu to dá neklid do nohou a chuť vyrazit měnit svět. Svět pro nás ...
Profile Image for tomi green.
54 reviews32 followers
June 16, 2024
Evolution and Revolution is an introduction to Kropotkin -, his vast sweep in thought, as well as his life trajectory that begins in the Russian aristocratic class and continues with his escape from its tentacles. Although throughout his life Kropotkin developed a coherent idea of an egalitarian society in which aristocratic or other ruling classes and their obedient coercive apparatuses would not exist, he did not shy away from views that undermined this idea. This is evidenced by the inclination to side with the armies of the Allies in World War I or the ethnic hatred of Germans.

A larger part of the book is devoted to political-philosophical questions on the subject of (communal) r/evolution, social conflict, morality or the creation of individuality or community and culture. Kropotkin's reflections are intertwined with his research on "mutual aid" in non-humyn and humyn species, which, in the field of evolution, still successfully undermines the false notions of "survival of the fittest" or the "selfish gene" as the only factor determining humyn evolution.

A brief comparison of Kropotkin with his contemporary and friend Élisée Reclus is also worth mentioning, since both of them based their ideas about society on an anarchist perspective, but they did not forget about the relationship between humyns and nature. Both of them based their ideas about society on an anarchist perspective, and the relationship of people to nature was also important to them. The difference between them is that Kropotkin's focus is primarily on humans, whereas Reclus' approach can be likened to bio-/ecocentrism.

The book lucidly explores various aspects of Kropotkin's thought, comparing many of his views with knowledge from contemporary science, such as "chaos theory". This is a very enriching (but at times speculative) aspect of the book. Graham Purchase also does not shy away from criticizing Kropotkin's choice of methodology in his research on "mutual aid".

The book is a very good introduction to Kropotkin's anarchist-communist perspective. And it's very fine that it was published in a Czech translation by Neklid.

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Zoznámenie s Petrom Kropotkinom -, jeho rozsiahlym myšlienkovým záberom či životnou trajektóriou, ktorá začína v ruskej aristokratickej vrstve a pokračuje únikom z jej chápadiel. I keď Kropotkin po celý život rozvíjal ucelenú predstavu rovnostárskej spoločnosti, v ktorej by aristokratické či iné vládnuce vrstvy a ich poslušné donucovacie aparáty neexistovali, nevyhol sa názorom, ktoré túto predstavu narušovali. Svedčí o tom príklon na stranu armád Dohody či etnická nenávisť voči Nemcom.

Veľká časť knihy je venovaná politicko-filozofickým otázkam na tému (komunitnej) r/evolúcie, spoločenského konfliktu, morálky či vytváraniu individuality, prípadne komunity a kultúry. Kropotkinove úvahy sa prelínajú s jeho výskumom „vzájomnej pomoci“ u mimoľudských a ľudských živočíšnych druhov, ktoré v oblasti evolúcie dodnes úspešne narúšajú falošné predstavy o „prežití najsilnejšieho“ či „sebeckom géne“ ako jedinom faktore určujúceho vývoj človeka.

Za zmienku stojí aj stručné porovnanie Kropotkina s jeho súčasníkom a kamarátom Élisée Reclusom. Obaja pri svojich predstavách o spoločnosti vychádzali z anarchistickej perspektívy a dôležitým bol pre nich aj vzťah ľudí k prírode. Rozdiel medzi nimi spočíva v tom, že Kropotkin sa zameriava primárne na človeka, zatiaľčo Reclusov prístup môžeme prirovnať k bio-/ekocentrizmu.

Kniha prehľadne skúma jednotlivé aspekty Kropotkinovho myslenia, pričom mnoho z jeho názorov porovnáva so znalosťami zo súčasnej vedy, napríklad s „teóriou chaosu“. Toto je veľmi obohacujúci (ale miestami špekulatívny) aspekt knihy. Graham Purchase sa nevyhýba ani kritike metodológie, ktorú Kropotkin zvolil pri výskume „vzájomnej pomoci“.

Kniha je veľmi dobrým predstavením Kropotkinovej anarchisticko-komunistickej perspektívy. A je fajn, že vyšla v českom preklade od Neklidu.
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