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Quote by David Graeber

“All societies are based on a sort of minimum level of communism. Otherwise, you couldn't have any social relations at all.”

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David Graeber

David Graeber is an American anthropologist known for his research on economic anthropology, anarchism, and critical theory. His work explores the issues of economic relationships and power structures in modern society. more

“Within a capitalist corporation, someone says, "Lend me a wrench," and someone asks, "Yeah, what do I get?" You assume that the idea of each according to his or her abilities, each according to his or her needs - in solving a problem - is actually the only thing that works. And in situations of disaster, there are often communistic notions of improvisation, where you basically exchange hierarchies and all of a sudden all those things that are luxuries that you can't afford, you have them in an emergency.”

Needs Ideas Problem Asks Ability Situation Yeah Assuming Notion Disaster Luxury Corporations Capitalist Emergencies Hierarchy Improvisation Wrenches

Author:David Graeber

“I think we need to think of capitalism as a very bad way of organizing communism. Much of what we do is already communism, so just expand it.”

Thinking Way Needs Capitalism Communism

Author:David Graeber

“Anarchism is surprisingly effective in solving actual problems largely because anarchists have thought a lot about solving actual problems on a micro level in ways that other political ideologies don't really feel they have to until after they seize state power.”

Way Feels States Problem Political Levels Ideology Anarchism Anarchist Political Ideology

Author:David Graeber

“The best way to think about anarchism is as a combination of three levels. On the one hand, the sort of instinctual revulsion against forms of inequality in power; on the other hand, a reappraisal of what one is already doing in egalitarian relations; and then the projection of these principles on all sorts of relations.”

Thinking Way Hands Form Three Levels Principles Relation Best Way Inequality Combination Projection Anarchism Revulsion

Author:David Graeber

“What we're already doing is communism. The first step we have to make is to realize that we're already closer to it than we think.”

Thinking Firsts Realizing Steps Communism First Steps

Author:David Graeber

“We don't live in a capitalist totality. Capitalism couldn't survive as a totality anyway. We live in this complex system and we already live communism and anarchism in a million forms everyday.”

Form Millions Capitalism Complexes Everyday Communism Capitalist Anarchism Totality Complex Systems

Author:David Graeber

“Neoliberalism isn't an economic program - it's a political program designed to produce hopelessness and kill any future alternatives.”

Political Economic Produce Program Alternatives Hopelessness Neoliberalism

Author:David Graeber

“Look at labor policy. What's the point of making everybody work too much? It's not very useful. It is destroying the planet, actually. But it's great at keeping people off the streets.”

People Looks Too Much Streets Policy Planets Labor Destroying

Author:David Graeber

“What about precarious labor? It's actually not the most efficient form of labor at all. They were much more efficient when they had loyalty to their workers and people were allowed to be creative and contribute - you know that what precarious labor does is that it's the best weapon ever made to depoliticize labor. They're always putting the political in front of the economic.”

People Knows Doe Made Form Political Creative Economic Fronts Weapons Labor Workers Loyalty Efficient Be Creative Precarious

Author:David Graeber

Quote by David Graeber

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