Re:TheAshLad - Sandbooks

Unpleasant. in appearance untrust worthy in its results science has
ceased to. be an ally of the anarchist and has become a problem. Should
he. abandon it Should he use it What should he do with it That is. the
question. Epistemological anarchism gives an answer to this. question.
It is in line with the remaining tenets of anarchism and it. removes the
last hardened elements.. Epistemological anarchism differs both from
scepticism and from. political (religious) anarchism. While the sceptic
either regards. every view as equally good or as equally bad or desists
from making. such judgements altogether the epistemological anarchist
has no. compunction to defend the most trite or the most outrageous.
statement. While the political or the religious anarchist wants to.
remove a certain form of life the epistemological anarchist may want.
defend it for he has no everlasting loyalty to and no. everlasting
aversion against any institution or any ideology. Like. the Dadaist
whom he resembles much more than he resembles the. political
anarchist he 'not only has no programme he is against. all programmes'
though he will on occasions be the most vociferous. defender of the
status quo or of his opponents 'to be a true. Dadaist one must also be an
antiDadaist'. His aims remain stable. or change as a result of argument
or of boredom or of a conversion. experience or to impress a mistress
and so on. Given some aim he. may try to approach it with the help of
organized groups or alone. he may use reason emotion ridicule an
'attitude of serious. concern and whatever other means have been
invented by humans to get. the better of their fellow men. His favourite
pastime is to confuse. rationalists by inventing compelling reasons for
unreasonable. doctrines. There is no view however 'absurd' or
'immoral' he. refuses to consider or to act upon and no method is
regarded as. indispensable. The one thing he opposes positively and
absolutely are. universal standards universal laws universal ideas such.
as 'Truth 'Reason 'Justice' 'Love' and the behaviour they bring. along
though he does not deny that it is often good policy to act as. if such
laws (such standards such ideas) existed and as if he. believed in them.
He may approach the religious anarchist in his. opposition to science
and the material world he may outdo any Nobel. Prize winner in his
vigorous defence of scientific purity. He has no. objection to regarding
the fabric of the world as described by. science and revealed by his
senses as a chimera that either conceals. a deeper and perhaps spiritual
reality or as a mere web of dreams. that reveals and conceals nothing.
He takes great interest in. procedures phenomena and experiences such
as those reported by. Carlos Castaneda which indicate that perceptions
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