Those who like to deploy the word anarchy often tell me that it merely means “no ruler.” This is indeed what the ancient Greeks meant by the word. But…
- I’ve never had a conversation with an ancient Greek
- I’ve only conversed with modern Americans
- And to them the word anarchy means something very different
It means lawlessness, chaos, disorder, criminality, and an absence of institutions.
Words are defined by their current usage, not by their ancient origins. No person who adheres to the Zero Aggression Principle should ever describe him or herself as an anarchist. The current meaning contradicts the principle.
For those of us who want true governments, and therefore advocate a stateless society, labels like voluntaryist, anti-statist and post-statist should be preferred.
Copyright (c) 2013 by Perry Willis. Permission to distribute this article for educational purposes is granted, if done with attribution to the author and the Zero Aggression Project. Permission to use for commercial purposes is denied. You can find a full explanation of our copyright policy here.
By Bob Williams December 20, 2013 - 6:13 pm
Perry has astutely observed that contemporary terms and their definitions are under continuous social construction. Terms such as ‘libertarian’ and ‘anarchist’ have changed greatly in America during periods of less than twelve decades, dependent upon who was using them and when. It is only a matter of time before ‘anti-statist’ and ‘post-statist’ too become meaningless terms. The language of English, prior to 1066, was a German language without a single word ending in ‘tion’. Ten centuries later, English is more than a hybrid between German and French. The great vowel shift has made the language unrecongisable to English speakers of a thousand years ago. When we consider that Indo-Aryan is only 8,000 years old, from which all European, Central and South Asian languages today sprang, we can see the difficulty for words to retain meaning.
By Perry Willis January 27, 2014 - 2:51 pm
You’re quite right Bob. That’s why we think there is a continuous need for entrepreneurial activity in the area of language. We must constantly defend certain words, criticize others, and sometimes create new ones.
By D. L. McClung February 3, 2014 - 3:38 pm
What? Are you serious? I have been following you guys since the beginning. I pretty much agree with everything you say. But..We have a problem with this one. Words mean what they mean. Admittedly you have your job to do, and I have myne. Note, I spell mine with a “y”. Doesn’t change the meaning of the word. My job is to point out the misuse of words. My job is to expose the fraudulent [criminal] and intentional abuse of the English language. i.e. “Person”, for the purposes of the Income Tax means a corporation. There is nothing wrong with the government redefining a word in the laws that it passes. The problem is, the “intent” for changing the meaning of the word, and the application of that new meaning [as it applies to JUST THAT LAW]. The “effect” of changing the meaning of the word “person” for the “purposes of the Income Tax” is…REAL persons do not know or comprehend that the new meaning changes the law and changes the true application of the law. In other words, the government redefined the word JUST for that law. So, ONLY corporations are liable for the Income Tax. The law clearly says so. The trouble with that is, the government illegally applies the income tax on corporations to individuals, REAL people. The other problem is, REAL people are misled [fraud] into believing that the meaning of the word “person” means THEM, when it clearly does NOT apply to them. This, of course, is all tied up in another fraudulent [felony and act of treason] use, or rather misuse of the word “income”. Income, in the Tax Code, law, means corporate profits. This is clear to anyone with any knowledge of law and English!
I will not elaborate further in this regard. I am certain that you get the idea that I am expressing…truthfully and accurately.
The government and the Media have long been engaged in manipulating the English language and practicing deception with criminal and immoral intent. I call this the Socialist Collective Agenda. I call those, in government and the Media, who practice the bastardizing of the language: criminals and traitors. Another word I use is; Mindbenders. It is wrong and it MUST be stopped. That’s My job.
Words mean what they mean…or they are gibberish and babble. The government and the Media have been practicing, intentionally and criminally, gibberish and babble for many decades. This is not in dispute. They have even admitted to it.
In closing, changing the meanings of words is wrong, and most often done intentionally to create hysteria, to manipulate the people, to instill delusions in the minds of the innocent and gullible. This is simply NOT acceptable.
By Perry Willis February 3, 2014 - 4:13 pm
We agree that “words mean what they mean.” Meaning is determined by current usage, not ancient usage. This is the point of the article. Current usage has added layers of meaning to the word anarchy. The old “no ruler” meaning is probably the least important connotation at this point. To most people the word anarchy now means lawlessness, chaos, and disorder. There is only one institution in society that fits most of these definitions — The State. The State is ruled by no one, is lawless, and fosters disorder. We make this point more fully here. It’s okay with us if you disagree.
By Jeff Gochenour February 14, 2014 - 7:18 am
Although the meaning of anarchy has been changed, likely manipulated, it is not the word that I express, it is what the word represents, similarly as money. Although I agree that the word tends to incite certain emotions it is still beneficial to inform what the word meant. This shows the fluidity of words and the danger of living by them instead of what they represent, and that like money and statute or anything else political today they can and will be manipulated. To accept the idea that words are fluid implies that unlike mathematics, there is no truth to words or their meaning. Wait, I guess today the use of mathematics is fluid as well as it applies to debt, unemployment, etc. Should we ignore mathematics as well? Your point is taken but I hope you can see that consistency in application must be upheld for truth to be understood and ascertained.
By Perry Willis February 14, 2014 - 11:47 am
Hi Jeff. Thanks for the comment. I’m not sure the word anarchy really works for us even if we apply only the old “no ruler” definition. It seems to me that the only institution that truly has no ruler is The State. No one really controls The State. It is completely unregulated, ungoverned, and lawless. The idea that the voters control it is a fantasy. By contrast…
The kind of governmental institutions we favor have a great many rulers. They are directly and powerfully ruled by the consumers they serve. I think we’ve had things backwards. The State is anarchistic, while those of us who argue for non-state institutions of governance are really the advocates of true government. These ideas are dealt with in a more complete way on our homepage. Thanks again for the comment.
Perry Willis
By Ronin Seeder August 26, 2016 - 2:12 pm
Actually words are defined by their etymological roots my brotha, current use in contrast of the origin or purpose is ignorant and obviously defies the very inception of. Lexiconographers can accept whatever definition they like but the Moon still isn’t made of cheese (metaphorically speaking of course). Truthfully, in FULL disclosure, etymology even overlooks the fact that words are a combination of individual symbols which hold a dualistic meaning beyond the recognized phonetics; one being overtly practical (phonetics) while the other remains esoteric. Our written languages are subsets of ritualistic intended Sumerian cuneiform. That fact respectfully squashes any rebuttal within the context of the original argument.
By Cliff February 12, 2014 - 4:51 pm
What do you suppose anarcho-capitalist (libertarian) means when used by Jeff Berwick of “The Dollar Vigilante” Galt’s Gulch, Chile?
By Perry Willis February 14, 2014 - 11:51 am
I’m not sure Cliff. If you could link me directly to a place where he uses the term I might be able to give you an opinion.
By Elaine Hermann February 18, 2018 - 4:49 am
…..checking &re-checking words/ meanings, etc, I must be legally correct. Came upon,…’manipulating…immoral intent” Holy cow someone else knows. Thank You its good knowing there:s another, who comprehends. God Speed E.K.H. 95501 both printed newspapers are bad/wrong, oh so full-o-it courts, D.A., any&all whose sworn duty is….will not. 95501 …be it Redwood Trees or Fine Lace, a Curtain has but one purpose, to conceal
By PeeJay December 22, 2013 - 2:55 pm
My dear friends, I love this site already. Much to dwell on. Great thinking.
(In the page “Anarchy: Should we care what the ancient Greeks meant by it?” do you really meant “ant-statist”? My first assumption is it is a typo for anti-statist, but I’m new to the narrative………)
“For those of us who want true governments, and therefore advocate a stateless society, labels like
ant-statist and post-statist should be preferred.
By Perry Willis January 27, 2014 - 2:47 pm
Thanks for the kind words and catching the typo. It is now fixed.
By Mr.Mike February 3, 2014 - 1:19 pm
Voluntaryist, I feel sounds much more palatable to the common ear of the citizenry. Also, it provides a natural step in conversations towards the principal it’s self. The voluntary nature of association needs to be recognized as essential to the principal’s of Anarchy and Zero Aggression. Still it holds the truth of Anarchy with out turning off the average ear with buzz words that have yet another negative connotation such as statist or anti. Some love their keepers and anti-state style phrases will be rejected as extremest before you get another word in their ear. Voluntarism is the proper administration of authority from one man to another.
By Perry Willis February 3, 2014 - 2:09 pm
Voluntaryist is an excellent term, and you will probably see us make use of it. By contrast, anarchy is a terrible term. We think it’s inaccurate, as described in the article. We also think the term applies more appropriately to The State itself, as we describe in our heuristic “Against Anarchy — Why The State is Anarchistic.” We hope to persuade libertarians and voluntaryists to start changing how they use this word, anarchy. We should never apply this word to ourselves. We should apply it to the statists instead. In addition, we think we should embrace the word government, as described in the heuristic “Pro-government and Anti-state.” Finally, we intend to promote the term “Post-statist.”
Perry Willis
By Elias Alias February 5, 2014 - 4:13 am
I’ve been reading Carl Watner and Wendy McElroy for about a dozen years online, and have some of their books. I consider myself, and try each day to live up to being, a good anarchist who places the ZAP above all activity. I truly resent the deliberate distortion of words by government which come to us through organic life as humans. Why should I accept government’s re-definition of the word “anarchist”? The currently-held, popular interpretation of the word “anarchy” is alien to the original denotation of the word, and my spite for everything “government” requires that I renounce the government’s debauchery of a noble word.
Same goes for the word “Militia”. One could offer the same argument about that word, because the government has distorted its meaning in the perception of the group mind.
Being an old guy, I prefer to use original definitions and usages of words. It would be a victory for mankind if just those two words were set free to be themselves once again in our language. I’m only one little guy, but I’m one who will proudly use those words and let the masses find out later that they’ve been bamboozled by “change agents” of the statist one-world-government idiocy of a politically-correct fascist-socialist police-state.
Salute!
Elias Alias
By Perry Willis February 5, 2014 - 11:20 am
Thank you for comment Elias. You are certainly free to continue calling yourself an anarchist if you choose. And other people are likewise free to interpret that word as they prefer. This is the problem. Words are defined by current usage, NOT by their original or historic definitions.
The current definition of the word anarchy was NOT dictated by “government.” The “government” had nothing to do with it. The marketplace of ideas redefined the word anarchy out from under you.
Now, you can certainly try to change the definition back to the old meaning if that’s how you want to spend your limited time. BUT…
Even that old meaning doesn’t match your beliefs very well. Anti-statists still believe in rulers. We simply think that consumers should rule the institutions of governance (police, courts) rather than the other way around.
Seen in this way, it is actually The State that has no ruler, because it sits at the top of a hierarchy, with nothing above it to control it. No one rules it. No one controls it. The State is lawless. The State foments disorder. The State is anarchistic in every sense of the word, both old and new. Thus…
It is really we anti-statists who are the advocates of true government, because we want to banish initiated force, and have institutions of consumer controlled government.
I think this way of looking at things is both linguistically correct, and more fruitful for persuasion.
You are, of course, free to continue doing as you prefer, and we will do likewise.
Perry Willis
By Paul Davis February 5, 2014 - 12:08 pm
A really interesting (and sometimes useful) free service is called Word of the Day, offered by Merriam-Webster (m-w.com). You get a word delivered each morning to your inbox with definitions, usage examples and, quite often, etymology. A recent one, a decent example of shifting definitions, is “stymie” which started out as a Scottish technical term for the situation in golf where one player’s ball blocks the other one from reaching the hole. Now its meaning is almost entirely metaphorical.
One from my own life experience is “sensuous”. I remember being told in high school that “sensuous” was a recent construct to denote “having to do with the senses” because “sensual” had been hijacked into meaning “erotically experienced”. Now I see “sensuous” being commonly used as a synonym for “sensual”.
Sigh. You can’t stop ’em!
So, yeah, the words proposed here are great ways to deal with what’s happened to “anarchy”. For now, anyway.
By Perry Willis February 5, 2014 - 12:27 pm
Great observations Paul. I would add that dictionary definitions often lag significantly behind changes in common usage. This must necessarily be so, because the usage must change before the dictionary can change. This can lead to strange debates about what words really mean. One person asserts that a word means x, and another says it means y, and then uses the dictionary as an authority. I think the word anarchy is one where the dictionary has lagged way behind changes in usage.
By Richard Arambula March 13, 2014 - 12:03 pm
“distortion” of words by government (OR others)=control…Richard
By Perry Willis March 13, 2014 - 1:50 pm
Distortion of words can certainly be a form of manipulation. But words also evolve without any intention to manipulate. The word anarchy evolved away from its original Greek meaning because self-proclaimed anarchists started throwing bombs at people. The original meaning was doomed from that point, and no manipulation by government or anyone else was required to cause that change.
By Trent Larson February 3, 2014 - 4:34 pm
Good points! The “conversation with an ancient Greek” is dang convincing.
Now, I believe there are compelling reasons for others to use the term “anarchy”:
– It has a long, rich history of writing and thought and even people (eg. Henry David Thoreau), and there are many like-minded communities who are still using it.
– When communicating with people who trust us, the use of the word may actually provoke more thought and inspection due to it’s shock value, prompting thoughtful people to investigate further.
Your points are good, and I may now be convinced to use anti- or post-statism. (Congrats on getting a great Google ranking for the latter!) Please at least consider avoiding derogatory use of the term “anarchy” (and “anarchistic” is weird, anyway) in favor of “chaos” or “disorder” or “turmoil” so that you don’t add to the negative view of others who really are in your camp… we can use all the allies we can get! Thanks in advance. 🙂
By Perry Willis February 3, 2014 - 4:47 pm
Thanks for your kind words and thoughtful comments Trent. We hope to persuade others to adopt our analysis of this word. This does not mean that we want to create enemies among those who still want to carry the label. But why should any such disagreement result in any such division? We must all work according to our own sense of the right.
Perry Willis
By Paul Davis February 3, 2014 - 7:37 pm
Speaking of evolving language, I find the use of “heuristic” here to be surprising, if not confusing. The apparent definition you’re applying doesn’t square with any I’ve ever encountered before, nor does it square with any dictionaries I’ve consulted. As I’ve always understood the word, and as the dictionaries also put it, the word refers to the method of learning by trial and error and has nothing to do with acting from fundamental principles, which is, I gather, how you mean it.
There must be a word for what you’re describing, but I can’t think of one other than “actng from first principles” itself, although that clearly lacks the conciseness you’re striving for.
I hope others aren’t confused by it as well.
By Perry Willis February 3, 2014 - 7:49 pm
The definition we’ve used was drawn from Wikipedia. It comports with my own personal experience of how the word is used. I don’t think it’s necessarily inconsistent with “principles derived from trial and error.” Only a few of our “heuristics” would actually qualify as first principles. Most of the rest are bits of logical analysis — tools for thinking about things in a clear and consistent way. I’ve most often heard the word heuristics used in relation to chess. Chess heuristics are logical rules. Many were discovered through practice, but they all have logical explanations (Knights on the rim are grim, etc). Most importantly, the good chess player has to think heuristically, and that’s the type of thinking we want to foster with regard to The State. I think a heuristic from Thomas Sowell applies here — “There are no solutions, only trade-offs.” If heuristic isn’t the perfect word for what we’re trying to do, it’s very, very close.
By Trent Larson March 22, 2014 - 10:59 pm
Count me as another vote against “heuristic”. In computer science we use it much like your chess example, meaning one of many possible good approaches to a particular problem, or tactics to use that aren’t inviolate but are guided by experience… so it’s use here seemed odd. Just another data point.
I suggest guidelines or principles or foundational concepts or definitions (for good government thinking).
By Perry Willis March 23, 2014 - 1:06 pm
A new version of the home page is in the works. We’re dropping the term heuristic.
By Trent Larson March 23, 2014 - 8:06 pm
Ah, good to hear of the work! I was worried since the last blog entry was last October. I used a link to one of your items in an email just yesterday, so I’m glad you’re still active with it.
By Paul Davis March 23, 2014 - 8:52 pm
Dropping the word “heuristic” is a good example of heuristic methodology, I would note with more than a tinge of irony.
By Rand February 9, 2014 - 10:08 pm
Interesting thread. Part of our problem, as I see it, is that we let certain people control the definition of a word without providing a vigorous and possessive defense of that word. Without adhering to the original definition of words, our language becomes difficult to understand, and subject to confusion when a word means one thing to one person and another thing to another person. This is particularly true of the English language, which is one of the most volatile and ever-changing languages on the planet. This has led to misunderstandings of such great historical documents as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. Who amongst you knows that the phrase “pursuit of happiness” in the 18th century didn’t mean the pursuit of whatever makes you happy? In the 18th century the phrase “pursuit of happiness” meant the freedom to pursue whatever peaceful means were available to improve your lot in life. The ability of the federal govt to regulate commerce in 18th century didn’t mean the ability to control the production of commerce. It originally meant the ability to prevent protectionist measures of one state against another. Statist thinking has also allowed the State to reinterpret the entire Constitution, creating all sorts of exceptions to the law by reinterpreting what the law meant in a manner convenient to the present government.
The word “liberal” also took a huge hit when we allowed Progressives to redefine the word. “Liberal” used to mean what we would call a “Libertarian” today and in fact has become almost the exact opposite of its original. We try to maintain the original term by redefining early liberalism as Classical Liberalism, but it has been tainted by allowing the word “liberal” to be corrupted from its original usage. The word “anarchy” is another such word that we have allowed the Statist to corrupt. It simply means “without a govt”, nothing more and nothing less, and can cover an entire range of states from lawless chaos to a true libertarian-like society. But we have allowed the State to redefine the word to mean only one facet of anarchism. Once a word describing a movement or philosophy has been ruined by State redefinition, we typically try to rename the movement or philosophy, hence the term anarcho-capitalist, voluntaryist, or agorist to replace our definition of anarchy, which all convey the same meaning. Since we always seem to let the Statist define our usage of certain political words, we will be constantly redefining ourselves as the Statist takes over a word to nullify its original significance.
I would posit that rather than abandoning the use of a perfectly good word when the State or statists attempt to change its meaning, we should be vigorously defending it and constantly reminding people of its true meaning. We have lost much of our freedoms today because of our refusal to defend freedom and its concepts and have allowed the State to so redefine the meaning of words that a significant proportion of our population actually thinks they are still the most free people in the world, when in fact we have far less true freedom than at least 12 first world nations.
By Perry Willis February 10, 2014 - 12:06 pm
I generally agree with you Rand. I think we must fight for clear language. Sometimes this will mean working to preserve old definitions, but sometimes it will also mean abandoning words entirely. I think we must do this in the case of the word anarchy, because even the original meaning of the word does not suit our purposes.
We do not advocate a world with no governmental institutions. We advocate a world of consumer-controlled governments that do not initiate force. We do not advocate a world without law or regulations. We advocate a world with laws and regulations based on the Zero Aggression Principle. Most importantly, we do not advocate a world with no rulers. Instead, we advocate a world where institutions of governance are themselves ruled by the consumers they serve. Finally, it is really The State that has no ruler. The State is anarchistic in every sense of the word, both old and modern. Thus…
We must reject the word anarchy NOT only because it has been redefined, but because it most accurately defines our enemies, and NOT ourselves.
Perry Willis
By michael hartman March 7, 2014 - 1:22 am
Your point is, Perry, Fools speak because they have to say something, Wise-men speak because they have something to say.
I refuse to cajole to the lowest denominator as they are not whom I speak to. If your point is to merely incite the masses then I can understand but I refuse to dumb down my understanding of language and definition to appease ignorance. I am an aspiring Anarchist. I have NO faith in my elected officials to govern as I would. THAT is the definition of an Anarchist. One who would do better should they not be governed. If we were an Agrarian society things would be much simpler but we are a consumerist society which is wholly determined upon pop-culture and modern production, which both I despise.
By Perry Willis March 10, 2014 - 2:59 pm
We do definitely disagree Michael. You oppose consumerist society and I embrace it. Consumers are rulers. The customer is always right. This is a form of rule of which I highly approve. Do you also disapprove of juries, adjudication services, security firms, homeowners associations, and voluntary regulatory institutions like Underwriters Laboratory. These institutions likewise provide rules and governance. Do you really reject these institutions, even though they are voluntary and initiate no force? If you accept any of these institutions then you are not an anarchist, however much romantic appeal that term may hold for you.
By Richard Arambula March 13, 2014 - 10:54 am
Are we then to believe Perry’s definition that the Constitution, a document constructed of “old” concepts and words has little or no value simply because it is read and understood by today’s word definitions? I say no, it is indeed the people which need education to understand what history teaches and what words mean..if not, we may never be able to understand anything it has to share…or standards to abide by.
Richard
By Perry Willis March 13, 2014 - 12:43 pm
Hi Richard. Thanks for your comment. No Constitutional words have been redefined by public usage to my knowledge. Many of the words have been ignored by many people, and some have been reinterpreted by the Courts, but this is NOT the same thing as a general change in usage. It’s one thing to fight for the meaning of words against a few judges. It’s quite another thing to fight for the meaning of the word “anarchy” against the common usage of the whole world.
By Jamie Jackson March 8, 2014 - 8:47 am
OK, you may have lost me (only on one point) here. Maybe I’m just late to the post-statist skool bus, but I don’t advocate “consumer-controlled governments” because I don’t advocate any organizations that I would call “governments” at all. All proper governance should, and will post-state, come from within each institution, for that institution — and then, as a fall-back, from other institutions if the internal mechanisms within one of them should fail. But it won’t come from “a government”; rather, from the natural workings of each institution.
Another way of putting my point is that any organization having some functionality which we currently identify as part of “government” will also have other functionality. It won’t exist purely to govern. No organization will be devoted solely to ruling people.
What sort of organization is it that would call itself a government, but not be a state? Please describe this. Do you mean, for example, a security company which specializes in restraining and subduing problematic individuals? But such a company has no general presumption of legitimacy for its actions; it can only continue to operate to the extent that its behavior meets with general approval. The same is true for any other company offering services now associated with the state. So I don’t see how the label of “a government” would apply to any of them. They are each just service providers.
I will mull over your view of the term “anarchy”; you present a strong case. However, I think you may be pushing things too far trying to get the phrase “a government” to apply within a post-state environment. It would be neat as a secondary support of your reversal of the word “anarchy”, but it will take more than convenience to persuade me of its fitness.
By Perry Willis March 10, 2014 - 3:12 pm
Hi Jamie. You ask a good question. If governance means rule then government is indeed a bad term for institutions like juries, homeowners associations, and Underwriter’s Laboratory. If, on the other hand, governance merely has to do with systems of defense and order, then government is a great word for the governance provided by juries, associations, etc.
I submit that the ease with which we use the term governance implies the need for the word government to describe the non-state institutions of governance that we favor.
In addition, there is the problem that RULING PEOPLE implies the initiation of force, which is crime, which is the opposite of defense and order. Thus, The State is (mostly) NOT providing governance and cannot therefore be a government.
Our movement has had the problem of appearing to be anti-law, anti-order, anti-governance, when in fact we are the supreme advocates of law, order, and governance, properly understood. I suggest that we can correct this problem by distinguishing between government and The State. This approach is explored in more depth in the mini-articles on our home page. Thanks for your comments Jamie.
Perry Willis
By Leneous Maxey April 2, 2017 - 12:27 pm
Recentally that Anarchy in it’s original meaning ment no masters and dis agreed with the no leaders definition. What do you think of that !
By Perry Willis April 2, 2017 - 1:04 pm
Yes, no master, or no ruler. That’s no longer the main meaning today, except perhaps in a future sub-cultures. The main meaning today is lawlessness and disorder. Chaos. No version of a libertarian society would be lawless, and order is a main aim of libertarian thinking. But all of this is addressed in the article. You might want to read it. It’s very short.
By Penni B February 10, 2014 - 12:22 pm
This is not too different from unborn child. I personally think the term pre-born is more accurate, and certainly less contradictory. I realize, however, that pre-born child is not likely to catch on anytime soon, even among fellow pro-lifers. Essentially stymied by the culture, I am left with the choice of using my term and hoping folks understand anyway, using unborn child, or (even more distasteful to me) using the dehumanizing term fetus. For now I use unborn child, unless speaking or posting to groups that already see my reasoning for using pre-born child.
By Garry Reed March 11, 2014 - 11:28 am
Actually I don’t even like the term “true governments” that you seem to prefer. In today’s parlance a “true government” to most people is exactly what we have now. I prefer to make the distinction between “Involuntary Governments” and “Voluntary Governance.” When I advocate a free market in all things (not just commerce but all human interactions) people object that an unregulated market is too dangerous. I point out that a free market is in fact regulated by every person who interacts in it and the result is “voluntary governance.” If words are defined by their current usage I do all that I can to help redefine “government” to reflect its true nature by calling it what it is: “criminal gang.”
By Perry Willis March 11, 2014 - 1:31 pm
I like your term voluntary government. But I’m not fond of the term involuntary government. People want government because they want order, including the protection of their rights. If something is involuntary then rights are being violated, and disorder reigns. This is NOT government in my book. Nor does it reflect what people fundamentally want from government. I prefer my formulation — an institution that violates rights is not fulfilling a governmental function. It is a criminal institution. I think the proper name for such an institution is The State. I am pro-government, but anti-state.
By Garry Reed March 11, 2014 - 4:12 pm
You may have missed that I used two very similar but distinctly different words, which may ultimately doom their usage. I reject the word “governments” entirely but accept the word “governance.” We all inescapably live under the rules of some form of “governance” — personal governance, religious governance, social, governance, moral governance, etc. for far more of our days on earth than we live under the rules of “governments.” I live most of my life based on the “governance” of my own moral principles, not because “governments” say something is right or wrong. To me the term “involuntary government” is a needless repetition since governments are involuntary by their very nature — based on coerced taxation or some other form of tribute to The State. In my book anti-government and anti-State are the same thing! But I love this website and always link to your ZAP heuristic whenever I talk about the Zero Aggression Principle in my articles.
By Steve Bachman March 28, 2014 - 2:39 pm
I understand completely everything you’re saying here. In fact, it’s basically the same arguments I’ve been making in online forums & blog threads for years. That said, I’ve never shied away from the label of “anarchist,” indeed I often use the well-known circled-A “anarchy” symbol as my avatar image on many such sites (I’ve even been considering getting it tattooed on my forearm or bicep as of late). And it’s not that I’m unaware of the popular misconceptions regarding the term & the emotionalist reactions it often evokes – I suppose I embrace the term & it’s symbolism not just in spite of that, but to some extent even because of it.. It often elicits curious questioning by people who are taken aback that someone who claims to favor peace, individual rights & rule of law could at the same time honestly advocate “anarchy,” & thus provides the opportunity to explain fundamental concepts & open a mind, the necessary first steps to freeing it.
By Perry Willis April 7, 2014 - 1:44 pm
Hi Steve. The reason you cite for using the term anarchy — to spark educational conversations — is the only good one I can think of it. I use the phrase “I’m pro-government but anti-state” for exactly the same purpose. So I appreciate what you’re doing. But I think it’s even more beneficial to turn the word anarchy against the statists. Consider….
Who rules The State, really? What laws must The State obey, really? In the end, I think the term applies more to The State, than it does to what you and I believe, and there is much to be gained by making this point. For further insights on this I recommend our “No Anarchy” mini-article.
By Paul Davis April 7, 2014 - 2:07 pm
The clue for 38-across in today’s New York Times crossword is “Complete lawlessness”, and the answer is “anarchy”. I’ve been thinking about this and wondering if it’s accurate. On the one hand it plays into the misconceptions discussed here … the visions of burning buildings and riots in the streets … but on the other hand it might, in fact, be accurate if one takes “laws” to be the product of The State.
The challenge in the latter case is to get people to realize that an orderly, smoothly-functioning society can be achieved without the intervention of the coercive State and its “laws”.
Just what I thought was an interesting sidebar for this discussion.
By Penni B May 12, 2015 - 10:32 am
No, I believe the word for that would relate to another Greek word, nomos, rather than ‘archy’. In Christian theology, an antinomian is one who regards no law, not even common moral law: don’t steal, murder, etc. Anarchy simply means no top-down system, just as monarchy means rule by one person, usually a king, theocracy means rule by God, or more often by His ‘representatives’, and democracy means rule by ‘the people’.
By Cliff Case May 12, 2015 - 11:06 am
See “TheDollarvigilante.com for anarchist expat areas. Also Anarchast for videos by Jeff Berwick. Cliff
By Alexander Peak July 20, 2015 - 6:21 pm
I shall continue calling myself an anarchist. It’s not hard to provide a basic definition of what I mean by the term, or why anarchy and anomie are mutually exclusive. It seems that whatever term we use, the hard part is convincing the statists that society does not need statism, and would flourish much better without it.
But, if others want to call the state “anarchist” in order to shock them into listening, that’s totally fine by me (so long as they also take the time to note that there are those of us who, despite calling ourselves anarchists, do support law and order).
Cheers,
Alex Peak
By Dean Striker September 5, 2015 - 2:46 pm
I totally disagree that the original definition is irrelevant. It is instead TOTALLY relevant. Surely you know that the original definition, from the Greeks was (and remains)t No Ruler, from which No Government logically follows.
The correct definition does NOT include “lawlessness, chaos, disorder, criminality, and an absence of institutions”. They are merely theoretical Effects, not the definition, of the word Anarchy. Since few if any human beings have experienced only being Ruled, the Effects of anarchy are unknown, not proven,
Despite that truth, yes we see those assumed Effects are now part of the supposed definition at most any dictionary we search. So we corrupt the language to meaningless, as in “what is a liberal, or ‘progressive’ and even right/left, conservative/liberal, and today they’re trying to get rid of male/female.
So I am an anarchist, choosing to call that Voluntary, at my website http://no-ruler.net/ where I’m just about to publish a Page (not a post) called Anarchy as the lead Page up-top. Deal with that!
By Perry Willis September 5, 2015 - 2:59 pm
Hi Dean. Thanks for your comment. You are certainly free to call yourself whatever you choose. But words are defined by usage, NOT by their origin. As such, meanings evolve. So I hope you won’t be surprised if people continue to mean something else by the word than what you mean by it.
By Dean Striker September 5, 2015 - 4:08 pm
Fine. So go ahead and actually coin a word and it’s definition, and be content to have others believe the definition is wrong. Poppycock!
By FreedomFughter September 16, 2016 - 8:12 pm
How strangely will the Tools of Tyrants pervert the plain meaning of words :/
By Peter Maddison February 23, 2017 - 8:30 am
So, how would YOU, Perry, describe in today,s terms what the old meaning of ‘anarchy’ means.
By Perry Willis February 24, 2017 - 11:07 am
I think there are two good terms to use…
Voluntarist or voluntaryist — they are good concrete words indicating that all human interactions should be voluntary.
Post-statist — a person who favors non-state institutions of governance. We have a Mental Lever mini-article about this term.
By Leneous Maxey April 2, 2017 - 12:31 pm
Recently read that the orignal Greek meaning of Amarchy was no masters.