Editing John Zerzan (section)

== Criticism ==

In his essay "Social Anarchism or Lifestyle Anarchism: An Unbridgeable Chasm", [[Murray Bookchin]] directed criticism from an anarchist point of view at Zerzan's anti-civilizational and anti-technological perspective. He argued that Zerzan's representation of hunter-gatherers was flawed, selective and often patronisingly racist, that his analysis was superficial, and that his practical proposals were nonsensical.

Aside from Bookchin, several other anarchist critiques of Zerzan's primitivist philosophies exist. The pamphlet "Anarchism vs. Primitivism" by Brian Oliver Sheppard criticizes many aspects of the primitivist philosophy.<ref name="Libcom.org">{{cite web |url=http://libcom.org/library/anarchism-vs-primitivism |title=Anarchism vs. Primitivism by Brian Oliver Sheppard |publisher=Libcom.org |access-date=November 13, 2011 |archive-date=November 26, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111126095839/http://libcom.org/library/anarchism-vs-primitivism |url-status=live }}</ref> It specifically rejects the claim that primitivism is a form of anarchism.

Some authors such as Andrew Flood have argued that destroying civilization would lead to the [[Mass killing|death of a significant majority of the population]], mainly in poor countries.<ref name="Anarkismo.net">{{cite web |url=http://www.anarkismo.net/newswire.php?story_id=1451 |title=Civilization, Primitivism, Anarchism by Andrew Flood |publisher=Anarkismo.net |access-date=November 13, 2011 |archive-date=November 4, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111104032614/http://www.anarkismo.net/newswire.php?story_id=1451 |url-status=live }}</ref> John Zerzan responded to such claims by suggesting a gradual decrease in population size, with the possibility of people having the need to seek means of sustainability more close to nature.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.insurgentdesire.org.uk/fp.htm|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100910091422/http://www.insurgentdesire.org.uk/fp.htm|url-status=dead|title=On the Transition Postscript to Future {{sic|nolink=y|reason=error in source|Primitve}}|archivedate=September 10, 2010|website=www.insurgentdesire.org.uk | first=John | last=Zerzan}}</ref>

Flood suggests this contradicts Zerzan's claims elsewhere, and adds that, since it is certain that most people will strongly reject Zerzan's supposed [[utopia]], it can only be implemented by authoritarian means, against the will of billions.<ref name="Anarkismo.net"/>

In his essay "Listen Anarchist!", [[Chaz Bufe]] criticized the primitivist position from an anarchist perspective, pointing out that primitivists are extremely vague about exactly which technologies they advocate keeping and which they seek to abolish, noting that smallpox had been eradicated thanks to medical technology.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.seesharppress.com/listen.html| author=Chaz Bufe| title=Listen Anarchist!| publisher=See Sharp Press| year=1987| access-date=April 1, 2013| archive-date=November 23, 2012| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121123073642/http://www.seesharppress.com/listen.html| url-status=live}}</ref>

In an essay called "Anarchism = Zerzan?", socialist economist [[Michael Albert]] critiques Zerzan's perspectives on concepts such as language, division of labour, and technology, instead saying that Zerzan's argument rests on these concepts being inherently wrong, instead of, as Albert argues, being neutral concepts that can be utilised morally or immorally.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Anarchism=Zerzan? |url=https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/anarchism-zerzan-by-michael-albert/ |access-date=2023-04-01 |website=ZNetwork |date=May 17, 2001 |language=en-US}}</ref>

[[Noam Chomsky]] criticized the anarcho-primitivist viewpoint, saying that to end civilization essentially means killing billions of people.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.versobooks.com/blogs/news/stone-age-daydreams|title=Stone Age Daydreams|website=Verso}}</ref>