I probably don’t fit in with very many anarchist groups, and I don’t fit in with very many hierarchical groups either. I don’t believe a total abandonment of hierarchy is a worthwhile goal; in fact it seems pointless to me as an end in itself. if one’s end goal is the empowerment of individuals to influence their own lives and their communities, removal of hierarchy is a tool to do so. focusing on the total eradication of hierarchy is a distraction because it’s not the actual desired outcome.

I am sure some would argue that it’s necessary to totally eliminate even specific hierarchies in order to achieve personal empowerment, but I don’t think so. personal empowerment isn’t about being able to take any specific action you want, just like we all agree murder is almost never an acceptible exercise of freedom. similarly, I don’t think personal empowerment means letting random people access and interfere with important research projects, but rather the ability for them to study and to become a researcher.