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anarchism

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Etymology

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From anarchy +‎ -ism.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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anarchism (usually uncountable, plural anarchisms)

  1. 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.
    • 2013 [1989], David Goodway, “Introduction”, in For Anarchism, Routledge:
      I consider it helpful to view anarchism as combining a socialist critique of capitalism with a liberal critique of socialism, a (laissez-faire) liberal rejection of the state, both as status quo and as a vehicle for social change, with a socialist insistence upon human solidarity and communitarianism. In total, then, anarchism can be understood as the most extreme form of libertarian socialism, the term so frequently employed as its synonym.
  2. (by extension) 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.
    • 2005, Ruth Kinna, “What is anarchism?”, in Anarchism: a beginner's guide‎[1], OneWorld Publications, page 3:
      Anarchism is a doctrine that aims at the liberation of peoples from political domination and economic exploitation by the encouragement of direct or non-governmental action.

Derived terms

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(Names of anarchist schools containing the word "anarchism"):
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Translations

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Further reading

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  • "anarchism" in Raymond Williams, Keywords (revised), 1983, Fontana Press, page 37.

Anagrams

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