There were times when individuals did not work for someone higher than them on a pecking order, though that model is physically not possible in an industrial society, I think.

That being said, hierarchies can be made voluntary rather than enforced by threat of violence, and I'd argue that requiring all servitude to be uncoerced would lead to a better future.

[–] Cowbee@lemmy.ml 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

The words "hierarchy, coercion, and voluntary" are vague. What an Anarchist considers hierarchy, coercion, and voluntary may not be what a Marxist sees those as.

Ultimately, it is important to recognize that democratizing production and the state is a vast improvement on present Capitalism, and can better serve the interests of the workers.

[–] JayDee@lemmy.ml 2 points 4 months ago

Hierarchy, being a chain of command in which an individual above, privvy to more information, gives you instructions to follow. This includes military organizations, but is just as applicable to a doctor-patient relationship.

Coercion, meaning the threat of retaliation, through physical force, revoking of freedoms or privileges, or denial of resources.

Voluntary, meaning of one's own means, with no coercion or realization of coercion, with the clear option to opt out being present whenever possible.

This does not leave things in question, I believe. Currently, we all operate within hierarchies at work with explicit threats of destitution being held over our heads, through the denial of currency. Meanwhile, there is no coercion from your physician despite it still being hierarchical in nature, because the hierarchy is entirely based on trust and is voluntary.