ENGL 298 B: Intermediate Writing Social Sciences   Autumn 2011, University of Washington

A thick self is not an individual and is defined by its commitments. Goldman expresses clearly in her essay that individuals who live freely chosen lives are essential for anarchism. An individual that lives a freely chosen life cannot be apart of a thick selfhood by definition. Goldman would have a negative reaction to the idea of promoting a thick selfhood. On the other hand a thin self is an individual who chooses its commitments. This sounds a lot more like Goldman’s philosophy. She tells us how governments oppress people from becoming an individual and being able to freely choose their commitments. “Anarchism stands for a social order based on the free grouping of individuals…” She argues that all governments restrict and oppress the idea of the grouping of free individuals and that this is a great crime. Anarchists believe that governments are holding back the ability for humans to live freely and through living freely people will find true happiness, peace and harmony. Goldman claims that the only way we can reach that free living state is if we remove government. She states government, “At best it has but imposed one single mode of life upon all, without regard to individual and social variations and needs.” This is why Goldman could not have a positive reaction to thick selfhood and she demands that we become a thin self where individuals have the opportunity to live freely chosen lives. Even though Goldman scrutinizes thick selfhood, she presents a form of thick selfhood that she deems expectable. “…free grouping of individuals for the purpose of producing real social wealth.” If a group of free individuals group together and form a thick selfhood than that is expectable, but this form cannot be accomplished under government, because governments have restricted the ability for a person to become a free individual.