Notes on an Anarchist Theory of Language, or, A Sympathetic Critique of Zerzan's Primitivist Refusal of Symbolic Language

Abstract

The anarcho-primitivist refusal of symbolic language is typically presented in writing or in speech. This obvious paradox can be alleviated by adopting a notion of language that is both more naturalistic and more phenomenological than the one included in the primitivist critique. From the primitivist point of view, a positive consequence is the possibility of a non-hierarchical theory of experience and language, one in which the cut between the two is erased. At the same time, this asubjective theory of experience and language means that the critique of technology and civilisation can not be based on the notions of subjectivity and individuality; a consequence that does not sit well with all of the tenets of anarcho-primitivist thought.