This was notable for me for being one of the first books of its time to deal with the effects of a computer virus on networked computers. Otherwise, tThis was notable for me for being one of the first books of its time to deal with the effects of a computer virus on networked computers. Otherwise, there is far too much going on in the book. It's a bundle of interesting ideas that O'Donnell partly failed to successfully turn into a story....more
I have no doubt that Springer is a good human being: his dedication and acknowledgements demonstrate that. But this work has many, many flaws. I'd be I have no doubt that Springer is a good human being: his dedication and acknowledgements demonstrate that. But this work has many, many flaws. I'd be pleased to learn that he has developed further in his thinking since this book.
1) Springer spends far too much time critiquing Marxist geographers and not nearly enough time considering the arguments of "neoliberals" and "right-wing libertarian anarchists." Just because you disagree on endpoints (or, possibly, even the existence of "endpoints," although stating that Marxists view socialism as an "endpoint" is a gross oversimplification, if not outright fabrication) doesn't mean that making a temporary coalition with them against capitalism should should be avoided out of hand.
2) "Pre-figurative" and "predetermined" may be different words, but a) prefiguring _is_ predetermining something (come away from poststructuralism a little bit into the material world, please)... what do "figures" do (or what are they?)?; and b) "Pre-" _does_ imply process, but it is just as tautological as any other progression. Saying you are "prefiguring" anarchism means you blieve that eventually anarchism will exist at some larger scale than the merely personal. That's equivalent to having an "endpoint."
3) What happened to Occupy or all the anarchist actions at the WTO meetings anyway? What lasting change came from them? From where I am, the world sure looks a lot different from 2012 or 1999: it's a lot more grim. I'm not sure that a series of random people doing the equivalent of spraypainting fraffiti on walls or destroying the occasional surveillance camera will somehow magically overthrow the state or capitalism. That utopian thinking reminds me of a _Far Side_ cartoon where the scientist inserts "A miracle occurs here" in the middle of his equation.
4) The last point indicates part of the problem with this kind of call to "action" _without_ scale. In order to combat a large-scale system like capitalism or the state, people _need_ to organize at scale for the simple reason that people collectively are a lot stronger than single individuals alone, particularly if they are operating against those systems single and without an overall plan.
5) Finally, why is Springer an academic if he is an anarchist? Academia is one of the worst hierarchies in the world, with the (possible) exception of governments.
This kind of call to action is harmless simply because it can never amount to meaningful change if applied; in fact, it's tempting to view it as a cover for complicity with capitalism and libertarian neoliberalism....more
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