Control (Part II): Effective Freedom and Collective Autonomy

Abstract

Chapter Five builds focuses on the tactical autonomy the different parts of an anarchist cybernetic organisation have and the strategic constraints on that autonomy. Drawing on how autonomy is understood in cybernetics and in anarchism and related radical political theories, the chapter defines two linked forms of autonomy: Functional Autonomy (central to cybernetics) and Collective Autonomy (vital to anarchist politics). The chapter argues that a balance between individualism and centralisation is crucial to explaining how organisation can both be effective and meet the political demands of anarchism. Linking this discussion to the Viable System Model and to the distinction between strategy and tactics, the chapter explores Consensus Decision Making as a key democratic practice that helps achieve the Functional Autonomy and the Collective Autonomy that anarchist cybernetics helps shed light on.