Introduction

The Anarchist Synthesis is neither pure capitalism nor pure socialism or communism. It is an attempt to combine both into a stable federation which:

1. Is able to defend itself from State encroachment
2. Can coexist peacefully with other stateless communities

Anarchist synthesis is really two things: a framework for an anarchist federation, and specific suggestions for voluntary associations and norms. In Part II we suggest some possibilites of how these associations might work in a stateless (or nearly stateless) society. In particular, Mack Jane proposes a volost model based on collective ownership of natural resources and the means of production. Anarcho-socialists may like this approach. Hogeye Bill suggests property panarchy, using enclaves as jurisdiction markers, while Willie McTier describes a similar idea based on communes.

What makes one a synth-anarchist is a set of beliefs based on consensus-based agreements, and a tolerance for people who hold different norms. One consensus based agreement is: One may not murder. This is a basic example, but to discuss general resource usage and production we need much more context. That is covered in this manifesto.

1. Synthanarchism is tolerant of diversity in values and norms.
   We cannot assume unanimity of norms, but instead expect pluralism and free experimentation.
2. Synthanarchism is based on consensus and non-aggression.
   We can resolve resource usage issues despite different definitions of aggression.

"Anarchism will happen when the people are ready to engage it. That is why I believe that finding unity as anarchists is a central goal. We can be so much more effective if we unite to undermine the state rather than bicker over minor things." - Mack Jane

Use Modes of Property

There are a number of ways people can use things. The simplest categorization is: for consumption or production. Classically, people have categorized resource usage with the following categories.

Organizational structure

Voluntary association is our primary organizational principle. Voluntary associations consist of people forming relationships based on vicinity, location, peer-to-peer, or face-to-face interaction. It is simply a group/union of people working together.

Some names for organizations concerned with resource usage norms and defense are: Volost, commune, PDA (Private Defense Association), DRO (Dispute Resolution Organization), protection agency, defense agency, surety group, and mutual defense association. We will refer to these generically as defense associations (DAs).

It should be noted that if a defense association forms with the specific intention to aggress against others, then it is a criminal organization if not a state.

A simple way to envision a society with many defense associations is to think of historic city states and their alliances. The Greek city-states, the Italian mini-states, and the Hanseat are examples of decentralized confederation. Each defense association is it’s own respective authority, however there is consideration for the common defense, maintaining statelessness. We need to avoid both internal civil war and falling to invading states.

Central Tenets

Locke's formulation sucks, so I updated it with more precise language based on aggression. The original text had vagueness issues, using e.g. "being pressured" or "blocked or obstructed." "Harm" is too subjective!
1. Non aggression principle (NAP) - In the words of John Locke:

   "Being all equal and independent, no one ought to harm another in his life, health, liberty, or possessions."

   This formulation is rather old. Since harm is quite subjective, modern thinkers have used more precise language to say the same thing. Let aggression mean the initiation or threat of non-consensual physical force against another's person or property. Then we have the non-aggression principle:

   "The non-aggression principle is a moral stance which asserts that aggression is illegitimate."

   Now, instead of trying to decide whether someone was harmed, and who's harm matters most, we have a very operational norm, whether you see it as a high moral principle or a generally useful heuristic. The key is to decide what actions qualify as aggression by using the local resource usage conventions, rather than arbitrary or externally enforced norms.

   This is where our defense associations come in. People join (or hire) defense associations to protect their property, including their property norms. Thus, an anarcho-communist will probably join a commune, a communist DA, which upholds his preferred resource usage norms. Similarly, an anarcho-capitalist would almost certainly hire a PDA which supported sticky property norms. In this market for defense, everyone gets more or less the kind of service and usage rules they want. This has been called property panarchy.

   In some locations, especially urban areas, property norms may be effective attached to the land, with norms changing to the new owner's preference upon transfer. There is likely, however, to be grouping of people by property affinity, with mutualists (or communists or capitalists) tending to congregate. Thus, clumps of ancoms, mutualists, geoists, and capitalists are like to work out contracts and covenants regarding local property norms. In this case, someone may sell their land, but not the norms which apply to that land. The norms would in this case be the property of a neighborhood association, or simply restricted by prior agreements.

2. Environmentalism - The NAP forbids dumping on the property of others, that is, damaging other people's resources. Most environmental problems are a result of inadequate resource usage norms or lack of management, resulting in the tragedy of the commons. Air and water pollution are examples of tragedy of the commons which can easily be avoided by defining rational property rights.
3. Freedom of association - Freedom of association can be defined as being able to associate or not with who you want, on a person to person basis as well as a political basis. One may choose to associate or not to associate, even if your reasons are irrational or wrong. Even bigots have freedom of speech and freedom of association. Rights must apply to all, or they are meaningless.

4. Homesteading - People have the right to homestead unowned land and government-claimed land. All government land was taken by conquest, and all government moneys are plundered from productive people. The State has no legitimate property. It is open for homesteading. Also, decreed estates not legitimately homesteaded are open to homesteading.

   Examples:
   • The Kowloon (Hong Kong) city wall which remained ungoverned except for water and mail is an example of (near) modern homesteading in action.
   • Squatter occupations in Peru are common, sometimes appearing overnight. Hernando de Soto, the economist, has studied this phenomena and has become an activist in legalizing these properties for people without access to normal legal channels.
   • In some high unemployment, mismanaged US cities such as Detroit, the residents and even government officials are trying to attract squatters.
   • Urban squats are common in many under-developed countries.
The original "neutral resources" section failed the diversity requirement A. There's no way ancaps (or geoanarchists or mutualists) would agree to naive collectivist norms for land and natural resources.
5. Natural Resources - This refers to the use of land, minerals, and other natural resources. The use of these things will be determined by the local norms by default, though communities, enclaves, and/or defense associations are free to make other voluntary arrangements. This seems generally unlikely, due to ideological disagreements between various schools of anarchism.

Voluntary Associations

There are certain social structures that facilitate relationships. Basically, these are different types of voluntary associations.

It is from personal association that we get most of the evidence we have for our ideas about people, and in particular the idea of the voluntary association. In such a configuration, you are a member only if you want to be a member, and only if it wants to have you. You may want to be a member of an existing association but find yourself rejected by it. You then have the option of trying to start your own, or finding another one to the same end, and so on. - Jan Narveson, The State.

Affinity Group

These are groups of people who associate on the basis of a common interest, the satisfaction of a desire. If the association is productive, however, it qualifies as a ...

Production Group

Workgroups at their most basic levels are associations of working men in a production process. The 21st century information "edge" is now workgroups are aided by automation.

Enclaves/Communes

Since affinity (and dislike) tend to cause territorial grouping of people, there will likely be enclaves (neighborhoods, communities) of people with compatible norms. E.g. Anarcho-communists may tend to stick together, and also primitivists, anarcho-syndicalists, mutualists, and anarcho-capitalists. As they say, birds of a feather flock together. By precedent or vote or some other means, the boundaries of these enclaves will be known and recorded, probably on a trusted blockchain. Thus, which property norms apply where will be predetermined for virtually all disputes. Conflict is reduced to a minimum.

Defense associations

Defense associations may seek only certain members - serve one type of customer - or they may offer a menu of defense services, catering to both communists and capitalists for example. The simplest example of a defense association is one that serves a residential neighborhood. Sometimes an enclave (which defines property norms) and a defense association's customers will largely coincide, but DAs are free to serve different enclaves.

Peer to Peer Network

Peer to peer networking refers to the fact that voluntary associations rely on direct person to person communication. There is no middleman or gatekeeper, or elected "representative." What this means is: people who join or subscribe to a voluntary association are not random people. The people who join are peers of the people already there, they are likely invited by a peer, and at the very least they share some understanding about basic rules of conduct. A successful voluntary organization needs to be built upon the foundation of trust.

Freedom of movement

Freedom of movement refers to the ability to move between defense associations, productive associations, and affinity groups. The ability to travel between them should not be prohibited. In accordance with freedom of association, members should be able to join any group that accepts them, and opt out of any group they choose to leave.

Automation

Automation is one the key points of the anarchist synthesis, both as a survival mechanism, and for pushing towards a fully stateless society. Automation refers to production capacities being fulfilled through machines rather than through labor. This does not mean an end to labor, but a redirecting of labor to higher purposes.

Community Self Determination

Community self determination refers to the norms of a community or enclave being decided by the community itself at the most local level possible. These means that communities can and must decide their own internal functions and only in the case of major crises such as invasion and plague will they be called upon for federation aid.

The right to opt out of any federation follows from anarchist principles, as is the right to start new associations and federations, or join existing ones that better satisfy the community's needs.

The Independent

The independent is a person who voluntarily has decided not to join a defense association. By doing so, the independent loses any say in decisions of the local defense associations, but he will nevertheless likely be forced by a DA to comply with local norms if he aggresses against its members. Independants have the opportunity of setting up their own defense associations with other independents. If people leave a defense association because it has become corrupt, and possibly tell others, then the rogue DA would quickly go "out of business." A defense association that became fascist or racist, for example, would be shunned.

Federations

A federation, rather than being a top-down institution, is a method by which defense associations can cooperate and work together to provide internal and external security. The federation works on the militia model - a non-standing army ready to face an existential crises such as an invading army, plague, or natural disaster.

In any federation of defense associations, there must be a horizontal power structure.

Proposed Models for Anarchist Synthesis

• Mack Jane's Volost Model - Inspired by Anarchist History.
• Hogeye Bill's Enclave Model - Property Panarchy.
• Willie McTier's Commune Model - Resource Horizontalism.