Hierarchy Doesn't Work

Hello friends!

We invite you to discuss the concept of hierarchy - a fundamental concept in the anarchist worldview and political analysis.

Quite often defenders of hierarchy are conflating very different concepts that go under that term. It is useful to try to distinguish these concepts and analyse them separately, and ask ourselves if they belong under one umbrella.

As a starting point for the discussion, we'll take a look at an essay called Hierarchies Don't Work by Shawn Vulliez (co-host of the Srsly Wrong podcast). Here is a quote:

In order to explain why hierarchy is bad, I have to first explain why hierarchy is bad and incoherent as an idea. It’s not just unethical, hierarchy is an idea doesn’t actually work. <...> The defenders of the concept of hierarchy bunch up a number of dissimilar concepts under a single label, and falsely imagine them all, despite their many differences, as part of one continuity. This compound definition creates fertile ground for theoretical misconceptions. Hierarchy’s definitional net is so wide that it tends to catch everything. This proves, to advocates, that hierarchy is natural and perhaps even good.

Here are some questions to consider:

1. within the listed definitions of hierarchies, do you agree that they are genuinely distinct concepts, or is there something that unites them?
2. How would an "ideal" society deal with emergent power hierarchies (2), status hierarchies (3) and competence hierarchies (4)?
3. can you imagine a positive example of command-and-control or political hierarchies (1), (10)?

As always, we welcome all different voices and critical thoughts, and invite you to discuss this topic in an open-minded and respectful way.