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Definition:
This term anarchism comes from the Greek an, which means "without," and
arche, which means "government" and thus denotes a social theory which
rejects the validity of coercive forms of authority used to maintain social order
- with the usual target being governments. Indeed, governments are often regarded
as the source of social problems.
As a substitute, anarchists advocate the spontaneous and free cooperation of individuals, organized into purely voluntary associations. It is believed that human nature is essentially good - a necessary precondition for their social system to function well.
Anarchistic ideas were first expressed by some of the early Greek philosophers, like Aristippus and Zeno. However, the modern anarchistic philosophy were developed by William Godwin in his book Enquiry Concerning Political Justice in 1793. Anarchism is not monolithic, but there are a number of basic premises which all forms tend to agree upon, summarized in the International Encyclopedia of Social Sciences:
(1) Man is essentially a benign creature. He was born good, or with the potentiality for goodness, but has been corrupted by the habits and institutions of authority. Religion, education, politics, and economic life have all served to warp the natural goodness that inheres in mankind
(2) Man is a social animal, and men reach their fulfillment when voluntarily and spontaneously cooperating with one another. Society is natural, the state is not; and the quest for the communal life is instinctive to all men.
(3) Prevailing institutions of society - particularly private property and the state - are artificial agencies through which men exploit and corrupt each other. Authority in any form, even democratic government or socialist economy, stultifies the individual.
(4) Social change must be spontaneous, direct and mass-based. Political parties, trade unions - indeed, all organized movements - are themselves creatures of authority. While pursuing reform or even revolution, they are so constituted as ultimately to replace one evil with another of a similar sort. Significant change, then, must express the natural sentiments of a mass of autonomous individuals acting without outside direction.
(5) Industrial civilization, no matter what the form of ownership of the means of production, warps the human spirit. Machines master men, narrowing their personalities and blocking creativity. Any society built on an industrial structure is bound to debase the motives and impulses of those who live it.
There are a number of similarities here with other ideologies and belief systems. One is the obvious similarity with Christian doctrine that humans were originally created good and have since "fallen" due to some "sin" which has "corrupted" him. This can, however, be corrected so long as the proper attitudes and beliefs are adopted.
Another similarity exists with the European tradition of Romanticism, in which it is argued that modern society with its science and industry inhibit humanity's natural creativity and emotional expression. There is a premium placed upon spontaneity and autonomy, both of which are restricted by mechanistic, rationalistic thinking characteristic of modernity.
Despite the diversity which can be found among anarchists, it is possible to break it down into four general categories.
Individualistic Anarchism:
The first is Individualistic Anarchism, advocated by Pierre Joseph Proudhon, which
argues that private property should exist but should also be totally free from any
state interference or restraints. In Proudhon's famous book What is Property?
(1840) he offered the idea that "property is theft."
Communistic Anarchism:
The second is Communistic Anarchism, which rejects the principle of private property
and seeks instead the common ownership of all means of production. The forced
collectivization which occurs under Marxism is also rejected in favor of voluntary
cooperation. Socialistic or Communistic Anarchists believe that the government serves
not the people, but instead the interests of capitalist corporations. Thus, both
corporations and governments are regarded as unacceptable forms of coercive authority.
Christian Anarchism:
A third category is Christian Anarchism, which is very similar to Communistic Anarchism
except that it derives its ideas and doctrines from the Christian Gospel rather than
from worldly philosophers.
Terroristic Anarchism:
The fourth and final form is Terroristic Anarchism, following the lead of Max Stirner
in seeking the assassination of political leaders and other violent acts designed to
destablized structures of power and authority. This form has also been called
militant anarchism.
Also Known As: none
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
What are Political and Legal Philosophy
The Philosophy of Politics and the Philosophy of Law are often studied separately, but they are presented here jointly because they both come back to the same thing: the study of force. Politics is the study of political force in the general community, while jurisprudence is the study of how laws can and should be used to achieve political and social goals.What is Philosophy?
What is philosophy? Is there any point in studying philosophy, or is it a useless subject? What are the different branches of philosophy - what's the difference between aestheitcs and ethics? What's the difference between metaphysics and epistemology?
