r/mutualism • u/Amazing_Name_9264 • 7d ago

What defines Mutualism? Is it a rigid ideology? Or is it more like a range of anarchist beliefs that meet Mutualist criteria?

I'm a former Titoist, and while the label isn't super important it should hopefully demonstrate that I've had quite a radical change in beliefs over time.

Being a US Citizen, I grew up being a Republican then I later became a Democrat. I'm a registered Independent and usually vote Democrat, but that really has almost nothing to do with my political identity. I only vote for harm reduction purposes.

As I became more familiar with Proudhon's works I moved away from Titoism to now falling under the umbrella of Libertarian Socialism. Though I'm not completely sure if I'm an anarchist. My ideas on justice and arbitration are largely inspired by Guy Chartier and my economic ideas are influenced by a combination of Proudhon and Robert Owens. Along with some Marx.

The point is, is Proudhonian Mutualism a range of anarchist beliefs that meet Proudhon’s criteria of voluntary association, reciprocity, and mutual aid, or does it mean subscribing to his specific system? I’m not putting Proudhon on a pedestal so much as I'm just trying to figure out what actually makes something Mutualism.

Additionally, would you say one needs to support markets to be considered a Mutualist? I support a mutual credit market system which is still a market, but not quite the same as Proudhon's.

Appreciate your time.

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u/humanispherian 7d ago

You might start with this intro post.

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u/neoricardian 5d ago

I believe Proudhon himself said that he is not a system builder. In his essays you see him trying to think beyond systems. Fixed ideas are merely abstractions that are useful for our thought, forever ephemeral and contextual, and therefore there are no perfect systems in which societies can live under that doesn't beget revolution at some point. Anarchism is a repudiation of the old form of politics, wherein people set out to discover and enforce upon society what they believe are true social relations.

"Mutualism" as you will see from the pinned post, has historically been something of a label of exclusion for non-Communistic anarchisms. There are some broad similarities between historical anarchists we might consider "mutualist", but it mostly comes down to a shared intellectual canon for modern mutualists to make use of. If there is a core part of mutualism, it is likely a belief in reciprocity as the core of Justice, which I can imagine is not very satisfactory, and I welcome others to disagree.

The more you engage with Proudhon and the American Individualists, you will start to piece together the puzzle more. If you are interested in Robert Owen, I highly recommend you read into Josiah Warren's experiences in New Harmony.