I lived next door to Murray Bookchin on the third floor of the Vermont House in downtown Burlington in 1997.

Odum writes up a very good synopsis of Bookchin’s influence…

Love him, hate him, or (sadly) don’t know him, it is impossible to dispute that Bookchin was one of the few truly original thinkers of the last century. Having grown to political maturity in the trenches of class conflict in the early 20th Century, Bookchin became rightfully disenchanted with the authoritarian Statism of the radical left and came to embrace the left-libertarianism associated with Social Anarchism (although he became concerned in his later years with the viabiity of the term “anarchism,” co-opted as it had become by seeming ethic-less, slash-and-burn activism). Bookchin’s utopian vision was far more appealing than the frighteningly authoritarian vision of the Marxists, but as communism and socialism occupied places on the active political spectrum, alternative communitarian visions that were based on true individual freedom and diversity (and were rightfully as leery of unchecked governmental power as they were of corporate power) fell by the academic and cultural wayside, much to the diminishment of political theory and discussion. There is no question that, in my opinion, Bookchin should be a far more recognizable name than the likes of the largely discredited Marx and Engels.

While I was aware of how influential Bookchin’s philosophy was, sadly, I never got to have any conversation with him, though I’m sure it would have been fascinating.

But, the vibe he generated in the halls of the Vermont House was that of a deeply disappointed misanthrope, so conversation was not really an option.

Then again, the Vermont House was by far the most unfriendly place I’ve ever lived.

So, I suppose I don’t hold it against Bookchin…

Or Peter Welch who had an apartment there at the same time (oops, did I say that out loud?) and was not the most gregarious person, either…

I just wish the beautiful views of Lake Champlain at sunset, that seemed to occur almost every night there, would have provided the other tenants with the same delirious intoxication it did for me.