Can Anarchy Work? Ideals, Flaws, and Reality
A 60-minute session on whether people can live together without anyone in charge. Not the political theory, but the places we already try it: empty signals at midnight, gully cricket with no umpire, shared flats with no chore chart, shops with no shopkeeper, floods where strangers step in before the police. When nobody is watching, do people get better or worse? Twelve independent cards; open three or four.
The opening question
If every law disappeared for just one day, what's the first thing you'd do?
Everyone in the room answers this in one line before any card is opened. Write the answers down; you will come back to them.
The cards
12 ways into the topic
Each card is independent. Your group votes on which to open, and four or five is plenty for an hour. Behind every card sit three prompts, one at a time, that only appear once it is opened on the board. Unopened cards keep for next time.
- 1
Stopping At Empty Red Lights
It's 1 a.m. The road is completely empty. The signal is red, and there's no camera, no police, no other car.
- 2
How Indian Traffic Works
At a busy crossing, the lights aren't working. Cars, autos, bikes and a cow all move at once. Somehow, nobody crashes.
- 3
Shops With No Shopkeeper
On a hill road, a little hut sells vegetables. Nobody is there. There's a price list and a box for the money. People pay anyway.
- 4
Gully Cricket Rules
No umpire. No rulebook. One tip one hand is out. The ball over the wall is out. And whoever owns the bat somehow never gets out.
- 5
Chores In A Shared Flat
Four of you share a flat. Nobody made a rule about the dishes. Now the sink is full and everyone thinks it's someone else's turn.
- 6
Housing Society Rules
Your building has a WhatsApp group. It starts with water timings and parking.
- 7
Working Without A Boss
Imagine a job with no manager. Nobody signs your leave. Nobody tells you what to do. You and your team just decide.
- 8
Helping Strangers In A Crisis
The city floods. Trains stop. Phones die. And strangers start opening their doors, handing out food and wading through water to rescue people.
- 9
Crowd Justice On The Street
A chain-snatcher is caught in the market. Before the police arrive, the crowd has already decided what he deserves.
- 10
Wanting A Strong Leader
The opposite of anarchy, and plenty of us quietly want it.
- 11
Letting Kids Make Rules
Your child wants to choose their own bedtime, screen time and homework time. You're tempted to say yes, just to see what happens.
- 12
No Rules After Moving Out
You move out of your parents' home. Nobody tells you when to sleep, what to eat or when to come back. For the first time, it's all up to you.
The line to leave with
Of the rules you kept this week, which ones are actually yours, and which would vanish the moment nobody was watching?
More boards,more ways in.
Every discussion we have run has a board behind it. Browse them by topic.