Primitivism

See also Primitivism (art movement)

Primitivism is a philosophy advocating a return to a pre-industrial and usually pre-agricultural society. It is usually considered to be an anarchist philosophy.

Primitivism can also refer to any philosophy which seeks to return to the roots of a larger movement, such as Muslims and Christians who seek to return to the first few centuries of Islam or Christianity.

Primitivism believes that industrial society inevitably produces oppressive structures through specialization of tasks or division of labor, and that technology has similar negative implications. Some forms of primitivism question civilization itself.

The primitivist movement has connections to radical environmentalism.

Primitivism has been notably advocated by John Zerzan, and to some extent by Theodore Kaczynski (the Unabomber) and Derrick Jensen.

During the 1990s the UK magazine Green Anarchist aligned itself with the primitivist movement, although there are many who would describe themselves as 'green anarchists' who would not see themselves as subscribing to this philosophy.

The magazine Green Anarchy was started by one of the founders of Green Anarchist. Green Anarchy is published in Eugene, Oregon. One of the editors is John Zerzan.

See also

• Radical Anthropology
• Amish
• Antimodernism
• Eco-Anarchism

Suggested reading

• Ishmael by Daniel Quinn

• Against Civilization: Readings and Reflections

by John Zerzan (Editor)

External links

• A Primitivist Primer: what is anarcho-primitivism? (http://www.eco-action.org/dt/primer.html)

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