Category: The Anarchist’s Tool Chest

What is anarchism?
There are as many flavors of anarchism as there are anarchists. So the only broad definition I will offer is that it is “against the state.” Unlike modern European anarchism, American anarchism is a pretty peaceful affair (with some notable exceptions) and has its roots in religious freedom and justice movements in the early days of the nation.

Since the early part of the 19th century, American anarchism has been best described as a “tendency” toward individual action. It is a reluctance to engage with large governments, corporations, churches or organizations.

Most modern anarchists are not living life in the woods (those are survivalists). Instead, for me it it is about disconnecting myself as much as possible from large organizations that seek to homogenize us, control us or – at the very least – trick us into buying a bunch of things.

Is it about revolution?
Though many would disagree with me, I don’t think it is. A revolution would have to be organized and offer a replacement regime. Anarchism is not a viable way to run a railroad. Instead, it exists in parallel to whatever system is in place – capitalism, socialism, etc.

So why does it exist?
To be a part of the bell curve of thought that makes us diverse, weird and something to think about.

Is it socialism in disguise?
Hardly. American anarchism (particularly the aesthetic wing of it) is about private property. It advocates that individuals can own their tools and the fruits of their labors. The founder of American anarchism, Josiah Warren, dabbled in socialistic communities such as New Harmony, Ind., and rejected that as a way of living.

You can read all you like about Warren here at Wikipedia. Or you can skip that and read his book “Equitable Commerce” free on Google Books. Warren was an inventor, publisher, entrepreneur and band geek. But not a socialist or a revolutionary.

Is it Godless?
Nope. The first seeds of anarchism were in the Massachusetts colony and were reactions to Puritan law. Early proto-anarchists such as Anne Hutchinson believed that God’s law superseded earthly law. And she fought for equal representation of women in society. And this was in the 17th century.

Anarchists don’t have any problems with spirituality. Just don’t get us started on mega-churches or the relationship between church and state.

How does this relate to “The Anarchist’s Cookbook?”
Unfortunately, most Americans’ first encounter with anarchism is through this odd book, which has been disavowed by its author. The book has little to do with anarchism and is mostly a misguided manual on social mischief. It’s for people who want to make bombs, smoke banana peels and play with guns.

That book was my first encounter with the word “anarchism,” as well. In high school, one of my friends read the book, made some pipe bombs and threw them on the top of the local McDonald’s at 4 a.m. Luckily, he was an idiot and they didn’t go off. Was he an anarchist? Absolutely not. He was a screwed-up teenager who liked to play with fire and guns.

But when his day in court came, it was all about “anarchism.”

You say you are an anarchist. But what does that mean day-to-day?
I don’t vote. I don’t go to church. I buy everything I can from small independent businesses or individuals. I pay a lot of taxes.

But that doesn’t mean I’m not involved in my community, I’m not spiritual or I am anti-capitalist.

Why inject politics into woodworking with “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” and “The Anarchist’s Design Book?”
You might think that building quality furniture for yourself and others is a perfectly normal thing to do. I assure you it is not. Taking up tools and making something that lasts is one of the most subversive things you can do in this disposable society that encourages – nay, requires – rampant consumer spending.

I’m just trying to point out that you are not your Gap(TM) khakis.

When “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” was released in 2011, I caught flack from people saying I didn’t know squat about anarchism. (It’s interesting to note that none of the assailants were anarchists.)

I know that the word “anarchist” stirs a lot of emotions, and I hesitated for years to use it. But it’s the correct word to describe who I am. Plus I’m old enough that I just don’t give a rat’s $#& what people say about me.

With the release of “The Anarchist’s Design Book,” I know this topic is going to come up again. So before you worry that reading my book is going to make you build bombs, you can do a little bit of reading and find out what North American Anarchism is really about.

In short: Anarchism is a tendency to avoid large organizations – governments, corporations and churches. It is not about violence. It is not about revolution. It is not a form of society that can ever be the majority. But it is, like I said, a tendency to favor the small over the huge. It favors individual over collective action. Self-reliance over consumerism.

Or, as I like to say: “To build rather than buy.”

It’s definitely not God-less. American anarchism has its roots in the foundation of Rhode Island over the principles of religious freedom. Read the entry on Anne Hutchinson at Wikipedia for a look at the pillars of anarchism on this continent.

It’s not anti-capitalist. The founder of American anarchism was Josiah Warren, an early 18th-century businessman and social experimenter. He dabbled in communism and socialism at New Harmony, Ind., before moving back to Cincinnati to found the Cincinnati Time Store. Personal property and the ability to own the fruits of your labor are at the core of aesthetic American anarchism. Read more about Warren here.

Or read his book “Equitable Commerce” at Google Books.

And if you really want to dig in, pick up a copy of “Native American Anarchism” (Loompanics Unlimited, 1983) by Eunice Minette Schuster – preferably at a used or independent bookstore.

Once you get through that reading list, then we’ll be ready to joust.

— Christopher Schwarz

When I finish writing a book, I send the manuscript to about a dozen people for comment, criticism and a typo hunt (and yet mistakes are like weeds).

With “The Anarchist’s Design Book,” about half the reviewers made a similar comment: Why don’t you expand the book’s seven brief sections on design philosophy and workshop ethics?

My answer is difficult to put into words, but here goes: My eyes glaze over when I read books, articles or blog posts that are entirely about the philosophy of the craft. I’ve read a good number of books on craft philosophy during the last 30 years. My dad had a bunch of them on our family’s bookshelves in the 1970s, and this type of literature is now experiencing a renaissance.

Here’s what goes through my head when I read this stuff: Hmmm. Good idea, but you already said this in a slightly different way 20 pages ago. Why do you have to use PhD-level language to describe this simple thing? OK, I think you’re writing in circles. Wait, maybe I’m just dumb.

Perhaps it’s my newspaper training, but I attempt to write for an 8th-grade audience and to be as laconic brief as possible.

Plus, I don’t think ideas about craft are particularly suited for words. My feelings about the craft are evident when I’m at the bench, not sitting on the couch with a book or a laptop. So I try to make my books work like a road sign that tells you what’s ahead. The road sign isn’t the thing – a construction zone, grooves in the pavement or a mountain switchback. It’s only a brief idea, a symbol, representing the experience ahead.

Reading the road sign or the book isn’t enough to know what’s really ahead. You have to pick up the tools or put your foot down on the accelerator to really get it.

Alfred Korzybski put it best: “The map is not the territory.”

The best I can do is this: Give you a peek at the rich tapestry of illiterate ideas and convince you that you can build seemingly complex things that you thought were out of your reach. If you read it and then do it, then you’ll get it.

The first line of 2011’s “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest” was “disobey me,” a Russian paradox that challenges the ideas of authority and submission. How can you follow the advice without disobeying the text or obeying the speaker?

“The Anarchist’s Design Book” begins with a quote that no publisher should use in a book. It’s a segment of a sermon by a 13th-century Parisian preacher that I encountered years ago in an essay about early European printing.

“What knowledge is this which thieves may steal, mice or moths eat up, fire or water destroy?”

Your fingers don’t speak English, French or Dutch for that matter.

— Christopher Schwarz

P.S. While editing and photography of “The Anarchist’s Design Book” is complete, we still have a few plates to make. So we are aiming for a late February release.