John Zerzan

American anarchist and primitivist philosopher and author · United States · On the map · Academics · Born 1943 · age 83

John Edward Zerzan is an American anarcho-primitivist author and radio host. His works criticize agricultural civilization as inherently oppressive, and advocate drawing upon the ways of life of hunter-gatherers as an inspiration for what a free society should look like.

John Zerzan is read about 203 times a day, in 25 languages.

A typical day, 30 days to 9 November 2026

The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 111 days, one point a day.

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A life in dates

2018“In Genesis, the Bible's first book, woman is born from the body of man.”In their wordsp. 42Read the whole statement

“Cities and factories are never at base freely chosen by the people inside them; domination keeps them there.”In their wordsp. 50Read the whole statement

“Victor Frankenstein and his creation perish, of course; his “Adam” is as doomed as he is.”In their wordsp. 192Read the whole statement

2007“If we once - and for so long - lived in balance with nature and each other, we should be able to do so again.”In their words"Whose Future?", from the book Take My Advice : Letters to the Next Generation from People Who Know a Thing or Two (2007) by James L. HarmonRead the whole statement

2002“Anarchism is the attempt to eradicate domination.”In their wordsRunning on Emptiness: The Pathology of Civilization (2002)Read the whole statement

“Considering that our culture invented napalm and nuclear weapons, I'm not sure we're in a position to judge the smaller scale violence of other cultures.”In their wordsRunning on Emptiness: The Pathology of Civilization (2002)Read the whole statement

1943Born10 August 1943

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Ivan Illich Influenced John

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John Zerzan

4 statements, newest first

Urban reality is primarily about trade and commerce, with a nearly total dependence on support from external areas for continued existence.
2018 · p. 49, Own words
Democratic forms have always cloaked the rule of elites.
2018 · p. 89, Own words
Culture has led us to betray our own aboriginal spirit and wholeness, into an ever-worsening realm of synthetic, isolating, impoverishing estrangement.
2002 · Running on Emptiness: The Pathology of Civilization (2002), Own words