Mutual aid (organization theory)

Mutual aid is an ethical behavior principle on which a particular attitude of solidarity among people oriented. This principle played in the early socialist movement in France and is also a role in the animal world effective as a behavior that has proven itself in the evolution after the Russian naturalist and anarchist Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin. Currently the principle of Mutual aid is metered value in the discussions about a solidarity economy.

Mutualism

The mutualism as the principle of reciprocity plays a role in biology ( biological mutualism ) and in economics ( economic mutualism ).

In France in the early 19th century were in the Lyon weavers solidarity organizations of mutual aid, which called themselves mutualists and formed the basis for early socialist uprisings. Building on the Lyon tradition, Pierre Joseph Proudhon in 1843 personally met - mutuelle and probably inspired by his own experiences at the School, a private school where the children of each other, ie, the older the younger, taught - took Proudhon, the principle of mutualism as the theoretical basis of his conception socialism.

Mutual Help by Kropotkin

→ Main article: Mutual assistance in the animal and human world

The Russian naturalist and anarchist Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin saw both in the animal and in the human world, the principle of Mutual Help than being basic. To this end, he published in 1902 the corresponding book Mutual Aid in the animal and human world.

In the animal world pointed common hunting strategies, rearing of young animals, mutual protection in collections, flocks and herds, caring for sick conspecifics and the ritual conflict avoidance within a species on the socializing and not on the struggle for existence as a drive for evolution. The main aspect is the natural law of mutual aid as a result of sociability and individualism, and not the secondary aspect of the struggle for existence under the pressure of short-term emergency times. Likewise, the history of mankind had always been based on the principle of Mutual Help. It admits that in his opinion, be best achieved in small social units that are decentralized and equal networked. Their ability to function 'm powered by free, terminable at any time without contractual relationships higher authorities, because the voluntary strengthen the social initiative and desire to free scooping.

Mutual Help than practical critique of wage labor

This is (via the colloquial meaning beyond ) a concept to develop ideas from the activity of people in everyday life, an effective project community.

The reciprocity of economic activity for each other, without settled directly (equivalence ), sets itself apart from charitable help: Everyone can contribute something for the other in a work-sharing project community. Mutual Help consciously accepts as a basis, which is hardly to be found in a value-based society: there assets to help each other. Anywhere in the Company pursuant to this approach still remains or germs which exist: in families, clubs, friends and acquaintance circles. The concept of trying to make it and to create a systematic framework. There are occasional mutual assistance will be further intensified. The parties ask yourself, "Who would like to volunteer, but binding do something for the other assets in the relevant community"

Mutual aid is seen as " practical critique of wage labor " and " practical goods and money -criticism." She tries highly abstract social relations that operate on goods and money to put into concrete interpersonal appointments. One goal of mutual help is to develop on solidary behavior between individuals addition, through the cooperation of individual projects, a common, dating division of labor. Through lively part of groups that consciously contribute a portion of their force something for the whole group, the quality of mutual aid should be increased in the direction of community work. Another goal of mutual help is a long-term, voluntary activation in a community project that simultaneously liberates creative powers of the individual and the skills fulfilling and effective to move there.

Mutual aid as a critique of individualism

In other discussions of Kropotkin's principle based Mutual aid is discussed as an alternative to the historical concept of the autonomous individual. The individualism of the model of the small group is compared. Mutual aid is explained as an open model " voluntary " cooperation between small groups as opposed to " dependent personal " cooperation.