- Victor Yarros
Infobox Person
image_size=150px
name=Victor Yarros
caption=
birth_date=1865
birth_place=
death_date=1956
death_place=Victor Yarros (1865-1956) was an American anarchist and author. He was a prolific contributor to the
individualist anarchist periodical in theUnited States called "Liberty".Yarros was early on associated with the anarcho-communists but soon converted to
individualist anarchism , and was very critical of everything collectivist. Yarros did not see anarchism as autopia n system, but like the other individualists in his league, he envisioned a society in whichcoercion was used only in defense: "The anarchists, as anarchists, work directly, not for a perfect social state, but for a perfect political system. A perfect social state is a state totally free fromsin or crime of folly; a perfect political system in which justice is observed, in which nothing is punished but crime and nobody coerced but invaders." This was to be accomplished by private forces, rather than by a tax-funded state.Like other individualist anarchists, he opposed anarchist revolution through violent conflict. He did not believe an anarchist society could be achieved until individuals learned to value
liberty :The abolition of the external State must be preceded by the decay of the notions which breathe life and vigour into that clumsy monster: in other words, it is only when the people learn to value liberty, and to understand the truths of the anarchistic philosophy, that the question of practically abolishing the State looms up and acquires significance.
Yarros initially based his individualist anarchism onegoism , penning an essay called "Why I Am An Egoist", however, he later repudiated egoism, calling it "monstrously absurd and miserably nonsensical" ("Liberty", VII, May 6 1891).ee also
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Anarchism in the United States External links
* [http://www.againstpolitics.com/market_anarchism/yarros_reasons_why.html "The Reason Why"] by Victor Yarros (1887) - egoism
* [http://www.againstpolitics.com/market_anarchism/yarros_princely.html "A Princely Paradox"] by Victor Yarros (1887) - criticism of communist anarchism
* [http://praxeology.net/VY-WQ.htm "The Woman Question"] by Victor Yarros (1888)
* [http://hnn.us/blogs/entries/23277.html How Victor Yarros Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the State] byRoderick T. Long
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