anarchism

Noun

anarchism (usually uncountable, plural anarchisms)

1. (usually) A political and philosophical belief that all forms of government are undesirable, unnecessary, or unethical, and as such that society would function without a state.
   • Der Anarchismus ist die rechtsphilosophische Verneinung des Staates, das heisst diejenige Art der rechtsphilotopbischen Staatslehren, welche den Staat verneint.1900, Paul Eltzbacher, Der Anarchismus, page 267; English translation from Steven T. Byington, transl., Anarchism, translation of original in German, 1908, page 298
2. (broadly, usually) A political and philosophical belief that proposes the establishment of a stateless society as well as the abolition of authority and hierarchy in most or all forms.
   • Opposed as it is to authority and hierarchy, anarchism is typically associated with chaos and disorder, and thus often connected with violence and terror. The means by which to achieve a nonhierarchical society animate debates within anarchism.2014, Morgan Rodgers Gibson, “Anarchism, Violence and Social Transformation”, in The Australian Political Studies Association Annual Conference, University of Sydney Paper, Abstract
   • Anarchism is skepticism toward authority. Its unifying position is that not all forms of authority are justified, and we should refrain from any acceptance of them prior to their satisfactory justification. One form of authority that anarchists consider unjustified is the political authority of the...2021, Magda Egoumenides, “14. Anarchism and Political Obligation; An Introduction”, in Gary Chartier & Chad Van Schoelandt, editors, The Routledge Handbook of Anarchy and Anarchist Thought, page 207
3. (rare, usually) The state of a society being without authorities or an authoritative governing body.
   • By now the evils of the governments born of twentieth-century revolutions have been documented. And so anarchism – the absence of government, the direct administration by people of their own lives – is still intact as an ideal, for it has never been tried.1980 [1971], Édith Thomas, “Introduction”, in Penelope Williams, transl., Louise Michel, translation of Louise Michel, ou la Velléda de l'anarchie (in French), page 13

   Synonyms:

   anarchy