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Encyclopedia > Anarchism

"Anarchist" redirects here. For the comic book character, see Anarchist (comics).
Part of the Philosophy series on

Anarchism The Anarchist (Tike Alicar), is a fictional character from Marvel Comics, that was a member of the superhero team X-Statix. ... For other uses, see Philosophy (disambiguation). ...

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Anarchism(anar-kisim)(from Greek ἀν (without) + ἄρχειν (to rule) + ισμός (from stem -ιζειν), "without archons," "without rulers")[1] is a political philosophy encompassing theories and attitudes which reject compulsory government[2] (the state) and support its elimination,[3][4] often due to a wider rejection of involuntary or permanent authority.[5] Anarchism is defined by The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Politics as "the view that society can and should be organized without a coercive state."[6] For other uses, see Archon (disambiguation). ... The Politics series Politics Portal This box:      Political philosophy is the study of fundamental questions about the state, government, politics, liberty, justice, property, rights, law and the enforcement of a legal code by authority: what they are, why (or even if) they are needed, what makes a government legitimate, what... For other uses, see State (disambiguation). ... This article is about authority as a concept. ...


There are many types and traditions of anarchism,[7][8] not all of which are mutually exclusive.[9] Anarchists hold different views as to the economic and legal organisation of society; some favour collectivist anarchism, anarcho-syndicalism or participatory economics while others support market systems like mutualism, agorism, or anarcho-capitalism.[10] Others, such as anarcho-communists and post left anarchists prefer no solid form of organization. According to The Oxford Companion to Philosophy, "there is no single defining position that all anarchists hold, beyond their rejection of compulsory government, and those considered anarchists at best share a certain family resemblance".[11] Anarchist schools of thought differ fundamentally, supporting anything from extreme individualism to complete collectivism.[6] Some anarchists have opposed coercion, while others have supported it, particularly in the form of violent revolution on the path to anarchy or utopia.[12] Anarchist economics entails theory and practice relating to economic activity within the philosophical outlines of anarchism. ... Anarchist law refers to a concept about the law to use in anarchies, although some people define anarchies as communities without any law. ... Left Anarchism is a term used almost exclusively by opponents of traditional anarchism to denominate philosophies that oppose private ownership of the means of production (or capitalism). ... Anarcho-syndicalism is a branch of anarchism which focuses on the labour movement. ... Participatory economics, often abbreviated parecon, is a proposed economic system that uses participatory decision making as an economic mechanism to guide the allocation of resources and consumption in a given society. ... Look up Market in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Theory and practice Issues History Culture By region Lists Related Anarchism Portal Politics Portal ·        Mutualism is a political and economic theory or system, largely associated with Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, based on a labor theory of value which holds that when labor or its product is sold, it ought to receive... Theory and practice Issues History Culture By region Lists Related Anarchism Portal Politics Portal ·        Agorism is an anarchist political philosophy founded by Samuel Edward Konkin III and characterized by proponents as left-libertarian. ... Anarcho-capitalism refers to an anti-statist philosophy that embraces capitalism as one of its foundational principles. ... Anarcho-Communism, or Libertarian Communism, is a political ideology related to Libertarian socialism. ... The Oxford Companion to Philosophy is a reference work in Philosophy ed. ... Ludwig Wittgenstein proposed that we should understand some terms as being family resemblance terms, that is terms that do not determine a class of referents by specifying some determinate property of class inclusion, but rather have a group of properties that are more or less indicative that an individual should... Theory and practice Issues History Culture By region Lists Related Anarchism Portal Politics Portal ·        Anarchism is a political philosophy with many heterogeneous and diverse schools of thought, united by a common opposition to compulsory rule. ... Individualism is a term used to describe a moral, political, or social outlook that stresses human independence and the importance of individual self-reliance and liberty. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... For other uses, see Anarchy (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Utopia (disambiguation). ...

Contents

[edit] Origins

Main article: History of anarchism
James Northcote, William Godwin, oil on canvas, 1802, the National Portrait Gallery. William Godwin is credited as one of the founders of modern anarchism.
James Northcote, William Godwin, oil on canvas, 1802, the National Portrait Gallery. William Godwin is credited as one of the founders of modern anarchism.

Some claim anarchist themes can be found in the works of Taoist sage Lao Tzu.[13] [14] Diogenes of Sinope and the Cynics and their contemporary, Zeno of Citium, the founder of Stoicism, also introduced similar topics.[13] Anarcho-primitivists assert that, for the longest period before recorded history, human society was organized on anarchist principles. ... William Godwin. ... William Godwin. ... James Northcote (October 22, 1746 - July 13, 1831), was an English painter. ... William Godwin William Godwin (3 March 1756 – 7 April 1836) was an English political and miscellaneous writer, considered one of the important precursors of both utilitarian and liberal anarchist thought. ... At least three art galleries are named National Portrait Gallery: National Portrait Gallery, Australia National Portrait Gallery, London National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Taoism (or Daoism) is the English name referring to a variety of related Chinese philosophical traditions and concepts. ... Laozi (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Lao Tzu; also Lao Tse, Laotze, Lao Zi, and in other ways) was an ancient Chinese philosopher. ... Diogenes (Greek: Diogenes o Sinopeus) the Cynic, Greek philosopher, was born in Sinope (modern day Sinop, Turkey) about 412 BC (according to other sources 399 BC), and died in 323 BC at Corinth. ... This article is about the ancient Greek school of philosophy. ... Zeno of Citium Zeno of Citium (The Stoic) (sometime called Zeno Apathea) (333 BC-264 BC) was a Hellenistic philosopher from Citium, Cyprus. ... Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy, founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early third century BC. It proved to be a popular and durable philosophy, with a following throughout Greece and the Roman Empire from its founding until all the schools of philosophy were ordered closed...


Modern anarchism, however, sprung from the secular thought of the Enlightenment, particularly Jean-Jacques Rousseau's arguments for the moral centrality of freedom.[15] Although by the turn of the 19th century the term "anarchist" had an entirely positive connotation,[16] it first entered the English language in 1642 during the English Civil War as a term of abuse used by Royalists to damn those who were fomenting disorder.[16] By the time of the French Revolution some, such as the Enragés, began to use the term positively,[17][unreliable source?] in opposition to Jacobin centralisation of power, seeing "revolutionary government" as oxymoronic.[16] From this climate William Godwin developed what many consider the first expression of modern anarchist thought.[18] Godwin was, according to Peter Kropotkin, "the first to formulate the political and economical conceptions of anarchism, even though he did not give that name to the ideas developed in his work."[13][19] Godwin, a philosophical anarchist, opposed revolutionary action and saw a minimal state as a present "necessary evil"[20] that would become increasingly irrelevant and powerless by the gradual spread of knowledge.[18] Godwin advocated extreme individualism, proposing that all cooperation in labor be eliminated.[21] Godwin felt discrimination on any grounds besides ability was intolerable. The Age of Enlightenment (French: ; Italian: ; German: ; Spanish: ; Swedish: ) was an eighteenth-century movement in Western philosophy. ... Rousseau redirects here. ... For other uses, see English Civil War (disambiguation). ... Abuser redirects here. ... °°°°°°°°°°°→→→→→→→→→→→→§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§§ Prince Rupert, an archetypical cavalier For other uses, see Cavalier (disambiguation). ... The French Revolution (1789–1815) was a period of political and social upheaval in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on... Les Enragés (literally The Angry Ones) were a radical group active during the French Revolution (1789) opposed to the Jacobins. ... In the context of the French Revolution, a Jacobin originally meant a member of the Jacobin Club (1789-1794), but even at that time, the term Jacobins had been popularly applied to all promulgators of extreme revolutionary opinions: for example, Jacobin democracy is synonymous with totalitarian democracy. ... Look up oxymoron in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... William Godwin William Godwin (3 March 1756 – 7 April 1836) was an English political and miscellaneous writer, considered one of the important precursors of both utilitarian and liberal anarchist thought. ... Theory and practice Issues History Culture By region Lists Related Anarchism Portal Politics Portal ·        Anarchism is a political philosophy with many heterogeneous and diverse schools of thought, united by a common opposition to compulsory rule. ... Prince Peter (Pyotr) Alexeyevich Kropotkin (Russian: ) (December 9, 1842–February 8, 1921) was one of Russias foremost anarchists and one of the first advocates of anarchist communism: the model of society he advocated for most of his life was that of a communalist society free from central government. ... Philosophical anarchism is a type of anarchism that sees the state as lacking moral legitimacy but does not recommend any immediate revolutionary action for its elimination. ... Limited government is a government structure where any more than minimal governmental intervention in personal liberties and the economy is prohibited by law, usually in a written constitution. ... Individualism is a term used to describe a moral, political, or social outlook that stresses human independence and the importance of individual self-reliance and liberty. ...


The first to describe himself as anarchist was Pierre-Joseph Proudhon,[16] which led some to call him the founder of modern anarchist theory.[22] Proudhon proposed spontaneous order, whereby organization emerges without central authority, a "positive anarchy" where order arises when everybody does “what he wishes and only what he wishes"[23] and where "business transactions alone produce the social order."[24] Like Godwin, Proudhon opposed violent revolutionary action. He saw anarchy as "a form of government or constitution in which public and private consciousness, formed through the development of science and law, is alone sufficient to maintain order and guarantee all liberties. In it, as a consequence, the institutions of the police, preventive and repressive methods, officialdom, taxation, etc., are reduced to a minimum. In it, more especially, the forms of monarchy and intensive centralization disappear, to be replaced by federal institutions and a pattern of life based on the commune"[25] By "commune", Proudhon meant local self-government or according to literal translation, "municipality", rather than a communist arrangement.[26] Theory and practice Issues History Culture By region Lists Related Anarchism Portal Politics Portal ·        Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (pronounced [ˈpruːd É’n] in British English, [pʁu dɔ̃] in French) (January 15, 1809 – January 19, 1865) was a French mutualist political philosopher of the socialist tradition. ... Spontaneous order is a term that describes the spontaneous emergence of order out of seeming chaos. ... Self-governance is an abstract concept that refers to several scales of organization. ...


[edit] Schools of thought

Main article: Anarchist schools of thought

Theory and practice Issues History Culture By region Lists Related Anarchism Portal Politics Portal ·        Anarchism is a political philosophy with many heterogeneous and diverse schools of thought, united by a common opposition to compulsory rule. ...

[edit] Mutualism

Mutualist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon was the first self-described anarchist.
Mutualist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon was the first self-described anarchist.
Main article: Mutualism (economic theory)

Mutualism began in 18th century English and French labor movements before taking an anarchist form associated with Pierre-Joseph Proudhon in France and others in the United States.[27] Proudhon's ideas were introduced by Charles A. Dana,[28] to individualist anarchists in the United States including Benjamin Tucker and William Batchelder Greene.[29] Pierre-Joseph Proudhon from http://www. ... Pierre-Joseph Proudhon from http://www. ... Theory and practice Issues History Culture By region Lists Related Anarchism Portal Politics Portal ·        Mutualism is a political and economic theory or system, largely associated with Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, based on a labor theory of value which holds that when labor or its product is sold, it ought to receive... Theory and practice Issues History Culture By region Lists Related Anarchism Portal Politics Portal ·        Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (pronounced [ˈpruːd É’n] in British English, [pʁu dɔ̃] in French) (January 15, 1809 – January 19, 1865) was a French mutualist political philosopher of the socialist tradition. ... Theory and practice Issues History Culture By region Lists Related Anarchism Portal Politics Portal ·        Mutualism is a political and economic theory or system, largely associated with Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, based on a labor theory of value which holds that when labor or its product is sold, it ought to receive... Theory and practice Issues History Culture By region Lists Related Anarchism Portal Politics Portal ·        Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (pronounced [ˈpruːd É’n] in British English, [pʁu dɔ̃] in French) (January 15, 1809 – January 19, 1865) was a French mutualist political philosopher of the socialist tradition. ... Charles Anderson Dana (August 8, 1819 – October 17, 1897) was an American journalist, author, and government official, best known for his association with Ulysses S. Grant during the American Civil War and his aggressive political advocacy after the war. ... In politics, individualist anarchism is a variety of anarchism that emphasises the importance of the individual. ... Benjamin Ricketson Tucker Benjamin Ricketson Tucker (April 17, 1854 – June 22, 1939) was the leading proponent of American individualist anarchism in the 19th century. ... William B. Greene William Batchelder Greene (1819-1878) was a 19th century individualist anarchist, Unitarian minister, soldier and currency reformer in the United States. ...


Mutualist anarchism is concerned with reciprocity, free association, voluntary contract, federation, and credit and currency reform. Many mutualists[attribution needed] believe a market without government intervention drives prices to labor-costs, eliminating profit, rent, and interest according to the labor theory of value. Firms would be forced to compete over workers just as workers compete over firms, raising wages.[30] Mutualism has been retrospectively characterized as being ideologically situated between individualist and collectivist forms of anarchism.[31] Proudhon first characterized his goal as a "third form of society, the synthesis of communism and property."[32] This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... The labor theories of value (LTV) are theories in economics according to which the true values of commodities are related to the labor needed to produce them. ...


[edit] Individualist anarchism

Main article: Individualist anarchism

Individualist anarchism comprises several traditions[33] which hold that "individual conscience and the pursuit of self-interest should not be constrained by any collective body or public authority."[34] Individualist anarchism is supportive of property being held privately, unlike the social/socialist/collectivist/communitarian wing which advocates common ownership.[35] Individualist anarchism has been espoused by individuals such as William Godwin,[36] Henry David Thoreau,[37] Josiah Warren, and Murray Rothbard. Theory and practice Issues History Culture By region Lists Related Anarchism Portal Politics Portal ·        Individualist anarchism (also anarchist individualism, anarcho-individualism, individualistic anarchism) refers to any of several traditions that hold that individual conscience and the pursuit of self-interest should not be constrained by any collective body or public... William Godwin William Godwin (3 March 1756 – 7 April 1836) was an English political and miscellaneous writer, considered one of the important precursors of both utilitarian and liberal anarchist thought. ... Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862; born David Henry Thoreau[1]) was an American author, naturalist, transcendentalist, tax resister, development critic, and philosopher who is best known for Walden, a reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay, Civil Disobedience, an argument for individual resistance... Josiah Warren was the first American individualist market anarchist Josiah Warren (1798-1874) was an individualist anarchist, inventor, musician, and author in the United States. ... Murray Newton Rothbard (March 2, 1926 – January 7, 1995) was an influential American economist, historian and natural law theorist belonging to the Austrian School of Economics who helped define modern libertarianism. ...

19th century philosopher Max Stirner, a prominent early individualist anarchist (sketch by Friedrich Engels).
19th century philosopher Max Stirner, a prominent early individualist anarchist (sketch by Friedrich Engels).

One of the earliest and best-known proponents of individualist anarchism was Max Stirner,[38] who wrote The Ego and Its Own (1844), a founding text of the philosophy.[38] Stirner's philosophy was an "egoist" form of individualist anarchism according to which the only limitation on the rights of the individual is his power to obtain what he desires[39], taking no notice of God, state, or moral rules.[40] To Stirner, rights were spooks in the mind, and he held that society does not exist but "the individuals are its reality" — he supported property by force of might rather than moral right.[41] Stirner preached self-assertion and foresaw "associations of egoists" where respect for ruthlessness drew people together.[36] Portrait of Max Stirner by Friedrich Engels taken from a 1900 essay on Stirner. ... Portrait of Max Stirner by Friedrich Engels taken from a 1900 essay on Stirner. ... In the 18th Century the philosophies of The Enlightenment would begin to have dramatic effect, and the landmark works of philosophers such as Immanuel Kant and Jean-Jacques Rousseau would have an electrifying effect on a new generation of thinkers. ... Johann Kaspar Schmidt (October 25, 1806 – June 26, 1856), better known as Max Stirner (the nom de plume he adopted from a schoolyard nickname he had acquired as a child because of his high brow Stirn), was a German philosopher, who ranks as one of the literary grandfathers of nihilism... In politics, individualist anarchism is a variety of anarchism that emphasises the importance of the individual. ... Engels redirects here. ... Johann Kaspar Schmidt (October 25, 1806 – June 26, 1856), better known as Max Stirner (the nom de plume he adopted from a schoolyard nickname he had acquired as a child because of his high brow Stirn), was a German philosopher, who ranks as one of the literary grandfathers of nihilism... The Ego and Its Own (German: Der Einzige und sein Eigentum; also translated as The Individual and His Property; a literal translation would read The Sole One and His Property) is the main work by German philosopher Max Stirner, published in 1844. ... The philosophy of Max Stirner is credited as an influence on the development of nihilism, existentialism, post-modernism and anarchism, especially of individualist anarchism and postanarchism. ... Egoism may refer to any of the following: psychological egoism - the doctrine that holds that individuals are always motivated by self-interest ethical egoism - the ethical doctrine that holds that individuals ought to do what is in their self-interest rational egoism - the belief that it is rational to act... Reification, also called hypostatization, is treating a concept, an abstraction, as if it were a real, concrete thing. ...


A less radical form of individualist anarchism was advocated by the "Boston anarchists,"[42] American individualists who supported private property and a free market.[43] They advocated the protection of liberty and property by private contractors,[44] and endorsed exchange of labor for wages,[45]. They did not have a problem that "one man employ another" or that "he direct him," in his labor but demanded that "all natural opportunities requisite to the production of wealth be accessible to all on equal terms and that monopolies arising from special privileges created by law be abolished."[46] They believed state monopoly capitalism (defined as a state-sponsored monopoly[47]) prevented labor from being fully rewarded. Even among the nineteenth century American individualists, there was not a monolithic doctrine, as they disagreed amongst each other on various issues including intellectual property rights and possession versus property in land.[48][49][50] A major cleft occurred later in the 19th century when Tucker and some others abandoned natural rights and converted to an "egoism" modeled upon Stirner's philosophy.[51] Some "Boston anarchists", like Tucker, identified themselves as "socialist" – a term which at the time denoted a broad concept – by which he meant a commitment to solving "the labor problem" by radical economic reform.[52]) By the turn of the 20th century, the heyday of individualist anarchism had passed,[53] although it was later revived with modifications by Murray Rothbard and the anarcho-capitalists in the mid-twentieth century, as a current of the broader libertarian movement.[42][54] A free market is an idealized market, where all economic decisions and actions by individuals regarding transfer of money, goods, and services are voluntary, and are therefore devoid of coercion and theft (some definitions of coercion are inclusive of theft). Colloquially and loosely, a free market economy is an economy... The theory of State monopoly capitalism (Stamocap or Stamokap theory) was initially a Marxist-Leninist doctrine popularised after world war 2. ... For the 2006 film, see Intellectual Property (film). ... Look up Possession in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Universalism (disambiguation). ... The philosophy of Max Stirner is credited as an influence on the development of nihilism, existentialism, post-modernism and anarchism, especially of individualist anarchism and postanarchism. ... Murray Newton Rothbard (March 2, 1926 – January 7, 1995) was an influential American economist, historian and natural law theorist belonging to the Austrian School of Economics who helped define modern libertarianism. ... Anarcho-capitalism is a view that regards all forms of the state as unnecessary and harmful, particularly in matters of justice and self-defense, while being highly supportive of private property. ... This article is about the political philosophy based on private property rights. ...


[edit] Social anarchism