Colin Ward
Colin Ward: A Pioneer in Anarchist Thought and Social Criticism
Full Name and Common Aliases
Colin Ward was a British anarchist writer and critic who is best known for his work on the nature of freedom, order, and power. He is often referred to by his pen name, Colin Ward.
Birth and Death Dates
Colin Ward was born in 1924 in London, England. He passed away in 2010 at the age of 86.
Nationality and Profession(s)
Ward's nationality was British, and he worked as a writer, editor, and anarchist activist throughout his life. He held various positions, including editor of the _Anarchy_ magazine and author of numerous books on anarchism, urban planning, and social issues.
Early Life and Background
Colin Ward grew up in a working-class family in London's East End during the 1920s and 1930s. His early life was marked by poverty and hardship, which would later shape his views on inequality and social justice. Ward developed an interest in anarchism while attending Oxford University, where he studied philosophy and economics.
Major Accomplishments
Ward's most significant contributions to anarchist thought include:
The concept of "order without power": Ward argued that true order can be achieved through voluntary cooperation and mutual aid, rather than relying on centralized authority and coercion.
Critique of urban planning: He challenged the conventional wisdom of modernist urban planning, advocating for more participatory and community-driven approaches to city design.
Notable Works or Actions
Some notable works by Colin Ward include:
_Anarchy and Order_ (1966)
_Housing for Wealth-Creation: A Critique_ (1985)
Editor of the _Anarchy_ magazine
Ward was also a vocal critic of nuclear disarmament, participating in various protests and campaigns throughout his life.
Impact and Legacy
Colin Ward's ideas have had a lasting impact on anarchist thought and social criticism. His work continues to inspire activists, writers, and policymakers who seek more equitable and participatory approaches to governance and urban planning.
Why They Are Widely Quoted or Remembered
Colin Ward is widely quoted and remembered for his:
Innovative thinking: He challenged conventional wisdom on anarchism, urban planning, and social issues.
* Accessible writing style: Ward's writing was characterized by its clarity, wit, and ability to make complex ideas accessible to a broad audience.
Overall, Colin Ward's legacy serves as a testament to the power of anarchist thought and social criticism in shaping our understanding of freedom, order, and power.
Quotes by Colin Ward
American strategists have calculated the proportion of civilians killed in this century’s major wars. In the First World War, 5 percent of those killed were civilians, in the Second World War 48 percent, while in a Third World War 90-95 percent would be civilians.
The state is not something which can be destroyed by a revolution, but is a condition, a certain relationship between human beings, a mode of human behaviour; we destroy it by contracting other relationships, by behaving differently.
The fact there is no route-map to utopia does not mean that there are no routes to more accessible destinations.
The terrifying breakdown of social cohesion in the American city, in spite of intense institutionalized police surveillance equipped with every sophisticated aid to public control, illustrates that social behaviour depends upon mutual responsibility rather than upon the policeman.
Anarchy is a function, not of a society’s simplicity and lack of social organization, but of it’s complexity and multiplicity of social organizations.
Anarchism does not demand the changing of the labels on the layers, it doesn't want different people on top, it wants us to clamber out underneath.
The important question is, therefore, not whether anarchy is possible or not, but whether we can so enlarge the scope and influence of libertarian methods that they become the normal way in which human beings organise their society.
The anarchist conclusion is that every kind of human activity should begin from what from what is local and immediate, should link in a network with no centre and no directing agency, hiving off new cells as the original grows.