What is Anarchy?

For me, anarchy is the absence of any form of authority, thus state, armies, courts, cops etc. Anarchy is the liberated society where all problems (some of them you refer to) can be simply solved by social mutual understanding, co-operation etc. Afterwards: I have no recipe my friend.
Also for some comrades, anarchy is a real way of life and continuous anti-state action.
P.S.: Fuck the authoritarian dictionaries

This is a comprehensive site on anarchist theory.

http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/1931/

The short answer is: voluntary (i.e. non-coercive) federation. There may be some differences of opinion depending on whether you ask an individualist or a communist, but that's basically it. Anarchists believe that without the corrupting influence of the artificial rat race, people would be able to live harmoniously and cooperate to meet all their needs.

The long answer is: read the materials found in the aforementioned Anarchist FAQ. It answers this question along with many others (whose answers are perhaps more enlightening or inspiring).

Mutual Aid makes the world go 'round.

How would things like food, clothing etc be distributed in an anarchist society.

Not so differently from now. People don't work just because they're forced to. People do not refrain from murdering one another just because it's against the law.

Organisation is not the product of authority. Most sub cultures that exist in our current society that don't rely on rules backed up by authority backed up by the threat of violence. People cooperate - a natural thing to do. People create - another natural thing to do.

a lot of people critique anarchists becaues we are so anti- things. but another post makes a good point ... a lot of what we want is to be left alone without these horrible things... so we are anti-policeviolence, anti-corruption, anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-fascism, anti-classism... etc you get the idea. these artificial constructs have been forced upon society by a few people who make a huge profit off of it. let's get rid of those and get back to living like people in harmony with all other living creatures! the time is right, the season is right, you are right, we are right, we must go free NOW!

We have the capability of destroying the earth 50 times over, how does anarchy understand the ethical issues associated with post atomic reality? One concern I have is that an ideology that promotes liberation (elimination) of structure in society subvertly creates its own covert structures. Thought always organizes. In my opinion there are reasons why human society has been governed by authoritarian structures since we were able to articulate the idea of possesion, of property. I'm not saying that egalitarian societies or "anarchistic" societies have not existed, I am not saying that authoritarian structures are justfied in their means...I am not saying that property (and the greed that drives its accumulation) is the only thing that drives humanity... I believe the critical issue here is power and how power is brokered through ideology, any ideology. Any ideology at its base, creates power structures that can be diffused, interpreted, and or deconstructed. I believe this is the fundamental power of knowledge. Knowledge creates power and with it we draw our interpetations, our governments, our philosophy, our love, our hate, our futures and pasts...etc...etc... The bomb has been dropped (twice)...our fresh water supply will run out in about a century (by best estimates)...world population growth is rampant -we need to colonize other planets :)so we can spread our diseased shit all over the universe- well maybe not...power gentlmen and gentlewomen is the key barter in any society wether it be communist, socialist, egalitarian, democratic,anarchistic, etc. etc...Any ideology that does not accept this is hypocritical...

dirtyporchop