Wikipedia:Today's featured article/May 1, 2022

The May Pamphlet is a collection of six anarchist essays written and published by Paul Goodman in 1945. He discusses the problems of living in a society that represses individual instinct through coercion. Goodman suggests for individuals to resist such conditions by reclaiming their natural instincts and initiative, and by "drawing the line", an ideological delineation beyond which an individual should refuse to conform or cooperate with social convention. Themes from The May Pamphlet—decentralization, peace, social psychology, and youth liberation—would recur throughout Goodman's works. Originally published piecemeal in small, New York anarchist journals (examples pictured) during and after World War II, the essays were not well known before Goodman's 1960 book Growing Up Absurd led a resurgence of interest in his oeuvre. The May Pamphlet was Goodman's main contribution to anarchist theory and a primary influence on Colin Ward, who later dedicated Anarchy in Action to Goodman's memory.