Verbiage and ideology 

Among the recognizable ideologies, Anarchism might be the least understood.

The prefix “An” (from Greek usage) means No (or Against).

“Archon” means “Ruler.”

So “Anarchy” originally meant “no rulers” or “against the idea of rulers” ... against the idea of some people being ruled by other people.

I think Green ideology arguably derives more from the anarchist tradition than the liberal or socialist traditions. It’s been interesting to see that the anarchist movement has recently had a revival among young people - and that revival has given us some of the most insightful of the “new paradigm” ideas (see the journal: Fifth Estate).

Unfortunately, many decades ago, the words “anarchism” and “anarchy” got so identified with negative things - like violence, chaos, and mayhem - that it would be counterproductive to identify the Green movement with that verbiage.

Fortunately, there are positive words that convey much of the same sentiment: Decentralism. Bioregionalism. Egalitarian community. Devolution of power. Green society.

Steve Welzer

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