Follow up Benn Jordan’s primer on anarchism with David Graeber’s Revolutions in Reverse: Essays on Politics, Violence, Art & the Imagination, which has more thought-provoking ideas in each essay than many full books muster. You can read many of the essays for free on Graeber’s website. A favorite is “Army of Altruists,” which refutes the so-called Effective Altruists en passant and includes this incredible observation about missionaries:
Almost invariably, they end up trying to convince people to be more selfish, and more altruistic, at the same time. On the one hand, they set out to teach the “natives” proper work discipline, and try to get them involved with buying and selling products on the market, so as to better their material lot. At the same time, they explain to them that ultimately, material things are unimportant, and lecture on the value of the higher things, such as selfless devotion to others.
I just finished it a few weeks back, and I’ve got more books of his essays waiting in the wings. Graeber’s work feels deeply relevant and illuminating to the experience of being alive here in 2026.
