Anarcho-Capitalism
Anarcho-capitalism is a political philosophy that advocates for a stateless society where all services, including law enforcement and national defense, are provided by the free market. It combines the principles of anarchism, which opposes government intervention, with the principles of capitalism, which supports private ownership and free markets. Proponents believe that individual freedom and voluntary interactions should be the guiding principles of society.
6 Key excerpts on "Anarcho-Capitalism"
eBook - ePubPros and Cons
A Debaters Handbook
- Debbie Newman, Trevor Sather, Ben Woolgar, Debbie Newman, Trevor Sather, Ben Woolgar(Authors)
- 2013(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...SECTION A Philosophy/political theory DOI: 10.4324/9781315886039-2 Anarchism Like many of the views in this chapter, anarchism does not represent a singular or comprehensive ideological position, but a family of competing ones. The common thread that unites anarchist theories is a belief in the unjustifiability of the state and its authority over us. For example, some anarchists argue against the state on the grounds that its authority is not consented to, or that it produces worse outcomes for its citizens, or it unacceptably imposes the values or interests of a certain group upon all citizens of the state. Notably, anarchism can co-exist with many other philosophical positions. For instance, there are ‘anarcho-capitalists’, who believe that the absence of a state ensures a purer operation of the capitalist system with a truly free market. On the other hand, ‘anarcho-socialists’ believe that mutual co-operation is a naturally arising result in a stateless world, and will in fact bring about greater equality than any state mechanism could provide. Pros [1] Many anarchists’ central claim is this: not everyone who must live under the state consents to it, and it is therefore an unacceptable curtailment of that individual’s natural autonomy. Natural autonomy matters, because individuals need to make their own moral decisions, or because they are entitled to pursue their own self-interest. The state is no more than a randomly selected group of people which purports to be entitled to make those decisions for us, when in fact, they are not. By imposing its values, the state violates our natural autonomy. [2] Anarchists recognise that even democracies are essentially repressive institutions in which an educated, privileged elite of politicians and civil servants imposes its will on ordinary citizens...
eBook - ePubPolitical Ideologies
Their Origins and Impact
- Leon P. Baradat, John A. Phillips(Authors)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...CHAPTER 7 Anarchism Preview Arising from a reaction to the growing power of government and the increasing influence of capitalism, anarchism developed among a small but highly motivated number of people. Poorly understood in our society, anarchism is the purest expression of individualism in political thought. Anarchists of all sorts see institutional government as an impediment to human progress and wish to eliminate it in part or even completely. Agreeing that government should be limited, anarchists tend to disagree on matters of substance and on tactics. Social anarchists—those on the left—wish to free individuals from governmental restraint so that individuals can do the greatest good possible for society as a whole. By contrast, individualist anarchists—those on the right of the political spectrum—seek to limit government so that individuals can accomplish the greatest good for themselves alone. Anarchists can be left-wingers or right-wingers, pacifistic or violent, devout or atheistic, socialist or capitalist. Indeed, except for the reduction or elimination of institutional government, there are few things on which anarchists agree. Currently, anarchism is becoming fashionable among certain elements in the American public and others. The militant right-wing groups threaten insurrection in defense of their individual liberties, some extreme Tea Party enthusiasts as well as some extremist libertarians want to severely curtail government in protection of individual liberties, and some leftists are also drawn to anarchism in an effort to combat what they regard as the emergence of a super-government controlled by international corporations. Development of Anarchism Even as the imperatives of the Industrial Revolution motivated some people to seek more popular participation in government, others agitated for social organization without institutional government...
eBook - ePubAnarchism and Ecological Economics
A Transformative Approach to a Sustainable Future
- Ove Daniel Jakobsen(Author)
- 2018(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...5 History of anarchist philosophy Introduction The anarchists present a political and economic framework that could be characterized as utopian because it represents a standpoint that is distanced from what we find today. This brief overview of the history of anarchist philosophy ranges from Goodwin to Chomsky. Anarchism distances itself from both liberalism and Marxism by arguing that liberalism is too focused on the individual and forgets the collective, while the Marxists are too focused on the collective and forget the individual. Anarchism gives priority to individual freedom in solidarity. In other words, the good life in solidarity with the collective. In 1909 Kropotkin formulated the question that anarchism asks in the following way: “What forms of social life assure to a given society, and then to mankind generally, the greatest amount of happiness, and hence also vitality?” (Kropotkin 1909, p. xx) One hundred years later, in 2008, Marshall stated that “If there is no joy, imagination, spontaneity, conviviality and fun, it isn’t my free society” (Marshall 2008, p. xx). Anarchy is far from being a new position in political philosophy. The word itself is of ancient origin. Anarchy is derived from Greek, “anarchos”. The pronoun “an” means, in this context, “without”, and the following word “archos” denotes ruler or authority. Hence, anarchy means “without ruler”, or more precisely, alternatives to and absence of such types of governance based on leaders and followers, i.e., the absence of hierarchy and authority. It is the condition of a people governing themselves without a constituted authority. Classical anarchism According to Marshall, it would be difficult to offer an exact definition of anarchism, since by its very nature it is a complex and subtle philosophy, embracing many different ideas and thoughts. At first sight it seems a hopeless task to incorporate anarchist theory into one general ideology...
- Gary Chartier, Chad Van Schoelandt, Gary Chartier, Chad Van Schoelandt(Authors)
- 2020(Publication Date)
- Routledge(Publisher)
...Moreover, many political philosophers have been concerned with understanding problems that individuals within anarchic arrangements would face in order to understand the role, justification, and appropriate limits of the state. This book is designed to deepen understanding of anarchy—among both scholars and thoughtful non-academic readers—at a time when anarchist ideas have attracted considerable attention. Discussions of anarchy as an analytical model in economics, political science, and international relations theory and as a normative model in legal and political philosophy have been matched by growing interest in anarchist ideas in the political sphere. In the United States, for instance, the Ron Paul movement propelled many of those who originally embraced it beyond electoral politics and into support for anarchy. Opposition to corporate-led globalization during the Seattle protests against the World Trade Organization embraced anarchist symbols and values. The Occupy movement embraced a self-consciously anarchist flavor, drawing inspiration from anarchist anthropologist David Graeber and praise, indeed, from Ron Paul. And less dramatic anti-authoritarian attitudes find expression in increasingly vocal challenges to the drug war and to state policing. Globally, the policies embraced by many governments to the Sars-Cov-2 pandemic have prompted theoretical anarchist critiques and practical anarchist responses—involving the development of alternatives to state service provision and push-backs against restraints on civil and economic liberties. 4 In the United States, the renewed attention to police violence prompted by the murder of George Floyd has also led to on-the-ground activism and critiques of state provision of security services, both with anarchist undertones or explicit anarchist content. At the same time, libertarian ideas of various sorts are gaining increasing exposure in academe...
eBook - ePubAnarchism
Its Philosophy and Ideal
- Peter Kropotkin(Author)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- Passerino(Publisher)
...Under the name of Anarchy, a new interpretation of the past and present life of society arises, giving at the same time a forecast as regards its future, both conceived in the same spirit as the above-mentioned interpretation in natural sciences. Anarchy, therefore, appears as a constituent part of the new philosophy, and that is why Anarchists come in contact, on so many points, with the greatest thinkers and poets of the present day. In fact, it is certain that in proportion as the human mind frees itself from ideas inculcated by minorities of priests, military chiefs and judges, all striving to establish their domination, and of scientists paid to perpetuate it, a conception of society arises, in which conception there is no longer room for those dominating minorities. A society entering into possession of the social capital accumulated by the labor of preceding generations, organizing itself so as to make use of this capital in the interests of all, and constituting itself without reconstituting the power of the ruling minorities. It comprises in its midst an infinite variety of capacities, temperaments and individual energies: it excludes none. It even calls for struggles and contentions; because we know that periods of contests, so long as they were freely fought out, without the weight of constituted authority being thrown on the one side of the balance, were periods when human genius took its mightiest flight and achieved the greatest aims...
eBook - ePub- Benjamin Franks(Author)
- 2019(Publication Date)
- Rowman & Littlefield International(Publisher)
...This is a position shared with some activists and theorists like David Goodway (1989, 1), Rudolf Rocker (1988) and George Woodcock (1975, 40), who regard anarchism as a conjunction of liberal individualism with socialist egalitarianism. The argument here is threefold. First, that there are multiple similar, overlapping forms of social anarchisms. These include anarchist communism, anarcho-syndicalism, anti-state communism (including council communism), autonomism, class struggle anarchism, libertarian Marxisms, libertarian socialism, situationist-inspired movements and many (though not all) anarcha- feminisms and eco-anarchisms. They share sufficient similarities in their ideological structure to develop similar analyses, promote sympathetic practices and prioritise similar values. Second, that there is a marked distinction between these and, as identified earlier, most (but not all) individualist anarchisms, in particular egoism and propertarianism. It is important to stress this point and also highlights that there are some forms of individualist anarchism which, as they contest economic hierarchies and have a more social view of the self, become compatible with social anarchisms. iv Third, on occasions, peripheral differences can lead to significant cleavages and differences in analysis. This argument also raises and answers the question as to how postanarchisms fit with members of the anarchist ideological family. Social anarchisms regard property rights to be non-natural or universal but the product of various oppressive social forces such as militarism, colonialism and the state (see, for instance, Graeber 2015). Social self-development comes about through prefigurative social action that contests these hierarchical structures. For anarcho-syndicalists the main, but not sole, site for this is the workplace organisation and seeking to alter the rules and outcomes of various types of labour (Pelloutier 2005)...
