A bold statement, there? Yes, I suppose so, to some.
But one that needs to be made nevertheless. Neither anarchists nor satanists have ever shied away from confronting harsh truths, or challenging the status quo, the general consensus.
There are ample critiques to be found of anarcho-capitalism, and the case has been made time and time again for why it isn’t actual anarchism - with anarchism seeking to abolish all unjustified hierarchies, to dethrone the rulers and cast down the ruling class to an even level with everyone else. To destroy the very concept of ‘‘rulers’‘.
Capitalism, in our eyes, does the opposite thereof. Inherent to it, is the accumulation of wealth into the hands of the few: The more money one has, the easier it becomes to obtain more money still. The wealthy have an easier time becoming wealthier, and, thus, the rift between rich and poor will forever grow in an anarcho-capitalist society. And of course, with wealth comes power: So, the rift between the powerful and the powerless, too, will grow forevermore. Is it a meritocracy? Perhaps, to a certain extend. At first, that is. Through inheritance, luck and a plurality of other factors, it would be reduced to little more than a plutocracy in the long run - when wealth and merit inevitably split and go their own paths.
There are also ample critiques of LaVeyan Satanism out there. In many ways, LaVeyan Satanism is firmly rooted in the same source of things that anarcho-capitalism is rooted in: To quote LaVey himself, his brand of the Satanic is ‘’just Ayn Rand’s philosophy with ceremony and ritual added’’ - now, of course, much can be said of Ayn Rand, and her right-wing libertarian philosophy, but at core, I believe we can all agree that it surmounts to Anarcho-Capitalism Lite if we oversimplify it.
Further, beyond this, we can also point towards the aspects of social darwinism that are found in LaVeyan Satanism. Upon doing some research into it, I found that it, at core, surmounts to a deep belief in the inevitability of the concept that ‘’might makes right’’, and the belief that this is not so much a moral statement, as it is a practical one: This is simply how the world functions. Then, they proceed to argue in favour of an as meritocratic system as possible.
I find this to be morally objectionable on several levels, and objectionable in regards to the validity of it’s claims too. Yes, indeed, the current world functions on a basis of might makes right. Large corporations get away with abuse of various kinds, because they have the power to do so. The rich elites live in splendor, because they have the power to do so. Power, might - in all it’s forms - gives certain peoples an edge over others, which they proceed to exploit to the best of their ability. Perhaps, to an extend, this does indeed drive us towards progress of a certain kind too - I am willing to concede that much. A meritocratic system would lead to more of that still.
But the cost, in those who are left behind, is too high. I, for one, value empathy and compassion a great deal, unlike, to my surprise, many other satanists I have met. To me, the archetype of Lucifer is one directly linked to that of Prometheus: To the concept of liberation of all, not just oneself. Too often do we forget that when Lucifer fell, he did not fall alone. That when Lucifer broke his chains, there were others too whose chains he broke on the way. This was no happy coincidence: This was his intent.
And it needn’t be this way, this world of strive and power-hungry despots. Is not the very purpose of anarchism to cast down those who are up high? To break the hold of the powerful over the powerless? To create a system in which no one holds power over another, through use of direct, decentralized consensus democracy or other systems with the same intended goal?
Altruism does not make one weak. We are, to refer to Kropotkin, by nature a cooperative species. Competition is what weakens us, what encourages the worst in us: Cooperation is what brings out our best qualities. Or, to put it in more fluffy terms: Through mutual aid, can we as humans achieve divinity.
It was through mutual aid that the Tower of Babel was supposedly built, and it was through the instigating of competition and conflict that our efforts were supposedly thwarted by the Demiurge. It was through mutual aid that we humans achieve greatness, and rival the gods. Mutual aid… And knowledge.
Compassion, and wisdom. The Promethean flame.
LaVeyan Satanism does not properly represent the nature of the Satanic, Luciferian, Promethean archetype. Anarcho-Capitalism does not properly represent the ideals and goals of anarchism, and would lead not to a stateless, classless society, but to a plutocracy.
There are alternatives to both out there. I encourage you to find them, if you haven’t already.
To me, the archetype of Lucifer is one directly linked to that of Prometheus: To the concept of liberation of all, not just oneself. Too often do we forget that when Lucifer fell, he did not fall alone. That when Lucifer broke his chains, there were others too whose chains he broke on the way. This was no happy coincidence: This was his intent.
Funny enough, this is actually the argument 19th century Romantic then political Satanists were making in agreeing with the powers of society that God was on the side of kings and generals and bankers and landlords.
The sort of “Huck Finn” idea that, if this is what the so-called godly are saying is the proper social order, “All right then, I’ll go to hell” is the better choice.
During the nineteenth century, socialists all over the Western world employed Satan as a symbol of the workers’ emancipation from capitalist tyranny and the toppling of the Christian Church, which they perceived as a protector of this oppressive system. Starting with the English Romantics at the end of the eighteenth century, European radicals developed a discourse of symbolic Satanism, which was put to use by major names in socialism like Godwin, Proudhon, and Bakunin. This shock tactic became especially widespread in turn-of-the-century Sweden, and accordingly the article focuses on the many examples of explicit socialist Satanism in that country. They are contextualized by showing the parallels to, among other things, use of Lucifer as a positive symbol in the realm of alternative spirituality, specifically the Theosophical Society. A number of reasons for why Satan gained such popularity among socialists are suggested, and the sometimes blurry line separating the rhetoric of symbolic Satanism from actual religious writing is scrutinized.
An early, proto-anarchist Felix Pignal wrote “The Philosophy of Defiance”, and the fragments that remain are one of the earliest and still best examples of this political Satanism.
Satan, in his revolt, is my father, and, in his courage, Cain is my brother!
Which is just an absolutely banger quote, especially for 1854.
It’s also a great answer to the idea, usually from LaVeyan Satanists, that Satanism is “apolitical” (as they define it), and people using the image of Satan to attack the idea of power hierarchies rather than reinforce and justify those hierarchies are “doing Satanism wrong” or whatever.
Now, in order to enjoy that liberty, it is necessary to prevent tyranny, and as we have already said: The king is certainly not the only tyrant in a kingdom.
A king is only the summit of a governmental pyramid, the base of which is calculated to maintain it.
As long as that base is not broken up, it would be useless to sacrifice ourselves to knock down its peak in order to acquire liberty…
… To cut off the head of a king, but allow the principle which requires him to remain, a principle which demands that so many other kinglets fatten themselves at the expense of the proletariat, is just like trying to stop the current in a rapidly flowing river with a saber blow!… Laugh in the faces of the idiots and schemers who, on the basis of similar stupidities, will cry out to you: To arms!… I have said, or have meant, that to obtain true liberty we must wait for the governmental pyramid to be broken apart, by itself even!… I stand by it…
If you think Satanism is about worshipping power and wearing black, then Satan fought God for nothing, and Satan truly was defeated.
Lucifer was cast out of heaven for trying to start a union, prove me wrong
