Individualist Anarchism

Two forms of Individualist Anarchism

There are two well-known forms of individualist anarchist thought: Egoism and Anarcho-Capitalism.

Egoism

Egoism was first theorised by anarchist thinker Max Stirner, in his 1844 book The Ego and Its Own. Stirner argued that humans are fundamentally ego-centric, lacking in morality and sought individual autonomy above all else. For Stirner, all forms of social organisation, including organised religion, social and moral norms and -of course - the state is all unacceptable and unjustifiable restrictions on the individual.

Fig. 2 Cartoon of Max Stirner drawn by Friedrich Engels

Egoism differs from other forms of individualist anarchism in how it views property. Stirner argued that there should be no constraints - moral or otherwise - on how humans use any kind of property, including their own bodies or those of other individuals. Therefore, in egoist thought, there are no 'property rights' as such, since even this would represent a constraint on human autonomy, and therefore there can be no legitimate enforcement of these rights.

Egoism seeks to avoid participation in 'society' as such but allows for the totally free and voluntary creation of 'unions' between egoists, who would cooperate only as much as necessary in order to achieve their own self-interested goals. In egoist thought, individualists participated in a totally unregulated and unrestrained market on their own terms and in a way which is entirely voluntary.

Anarcho-Capitalism

Anarcho-capitalism emerged from the thought of American economic Murray Rothbard in the mid 20th century, who first popularised the term. Interest in anarcho-capitalism grew significantly in the US and Europe during the 1970s and 1980s, which was a period of disillusionment with state power and mass public spending in the West. Murray's ideas were influenced by liberal economic thought, including the so-called "Austrian school" of economic theory.

Like egoists, anarcho-capitalists view human nature as fundamentally self-interested and see this as an evolutionary response in human beings to avoid scarcity and guarantee survival. However, the anarcho-capitalist view of human nature is somewhat more optimistic than in egoism, with the human being seen as essentially autonomous, self-governing and endowed with an innate sense of morality.

Another key concept in anarcho-capitalism is the self-ownership principle. This means that individuals have the right to 'own' their own bodies, their own lives and its contents, including the right to private property. This right to property can be enforced by privately-hired insurers, who would fulfil the role of the police and court system in a stateless society.

Anarcho-capitalism also proposes a completely unregulated free market as the optimal way to achieve the efficient distribution of goods and commodities in society. The competitive nature of the free market would inevitably lead to lower prices for consumers, as well as the pursuit of technological innovation by capitalist enterprises. For anarcho-capitalists, no market can ever be truly free while it is subject to state control and individuals can participate in the market on the basis of contracts drawn up between the parties involved. Breach of contract can also be countered through the use of private enforcement bodies.

Both anarcho-capitalism and egoism are sometimes viewed as outgrowths of liberal or libertarian thought, especially by other anarchists, many of whom object to the individualist anarchist acceptance of capitalist free market economics.

Individualist Anarchism flag

Like many schools of anarchist thought, individualist anarchists often identify themselves with a flag and other symbols. The flag of individualist anarchism is, diagonally divided with the black lower-right half symbolising anarchism and the cyan, or light blue, upper-left half representing liberalism and individualism.

Fig. 3 Individualist Anarchism flag

Individualist anarchists may also use some variation of the anarchist 'A' symbol which incorporates a letter 'I' for individualism, a letter 'I' by itself or some combination of these symbols and colours.

Difference between Individualist Anarchism and Collectivist Anarchism

Apart from the fundamental rejection of the state, individualist and collectivist forms of anarchism share little common ground. Collectivist anarchism views human nature as fundamentally cooperative and altruistic, and argues that human beings would be most fulfilled by organising themselves into collective communities in a stateless society. Collectivist anarchism also opposes capitalism, viewing the accumulation of private property as a re-creation of the coercive hierarchies of the state.

Individualist anarchism, on the other hand, views human beings as fundamentally self-interested and argues against all constraints on individual liberty. Individualist anarchism argues that individuals would be most fulfilled by participating in an unregulated free market on a voluntary basis rather than being coerced into cooperative or collective groups, which suppress individuality. Individualist anarchism embraces free-market capitalism as the most efficient way to meet demand, keep prices low and encourage innovation through economic competition. Individualist anarchists view any kind of collectivisation or permanent social structure as replicating the coercive hierarchies of the state.

Ethics in Individualist Anarchism

We often think of anarchist thought as setting out a manifesto for political, social, and economic change, but anarchist thought takes as its starting point human beings and how they interact with each other. In other words, anarchism is fundamentally concerned with ethical issues, or 'right' and 'wrong' ways of being and doing.

The human person

Individualist anarchists hold various views of what this true human nature is. Anarcho-capitalists believe human nature is autonomous but fundamentally moral. In other words, humans don't naturally go out of their way to harm each other, and although they're motivated by self-interest, humans are capable of cooperation. Egoists hold a more pessimistic view of human nature and argue that this self-serving, selfish aspect of the human character should be given free rein as much as those aspects we generally find more acceptable.

Liberty

If humankind's autonomous character is to be fully developed, human beings must be free. All anarchists, including individualist anarchists, regard the state as a constraint on this exercise of human freedom. They also tend to see other forms of non-state authority - such as religious or social norms - as coercive and suppressing individuality. Much of individualist anarchist thought is concerned with identifying these coercive structures and arguing for their abolition. Individual anarchists argue that no choice or decision is fully legitimate unless it is made in total and perfect freedom.

Fig. 4 Illustration of Lady Liberty

Where does freedom begin and end?

As can be expected, perhaps, from an ideology that is concerned with individual liberty, one of the first stumbling blocks arises when these individuals encounter each other and their claims for freedom come into conflict. Anarcho-capitalists, drawing on the self-ownership principle, believe that individual freedom begins and ends with oneself - with one's own property and ones own body, which is itself seen as a form of property.

Anarcho-capitalists believe an individual is justified in seeking the restoration of stolen property by applying coercive means (a private security company, perhaps) from person A. Egoism is somewhat less clear on what should happen in this case, since it rejects the concept of 'property rights' as such a constraint on individual liberty.

It is because of such ambiguity that Egoism in particular, and individualist anarchism in general, is often criticised by Anarchists and Liberals alike for being a reductio ad absurdum of liberal and libertarian ideas. Arguably, individualist anarchism would, in practice, lead to precisely the sort of chaotic, violent and coercive phenomena that it sought to reject in the first place.

Individualist Anarchism books

Here are a few key texts which have been instrumental in the development of Individualist Anarchist Thought:

Max Stirner The Ego and Its Own (1844)

In this 1844 work, Stirner presents a range of ideas that would later become the basis of an individualist school of thought called Egoism. Stirner believes that the individual should not be subjected to any external constraints and therefore views all forms of government, morality, and even family as despotic. Stirner also likens an individual’s physical and intellectual capabilities to property rights. This means that an individual should be able to do whatever they want with both their mind and body, since they are both essentially private property.

Murray Rothbard For a New Liberty: a Libertarian Manifesto (1973)

Anarcho-capitalism, the stateless libertarian philosophy of Murray Rothbard is outlined in this text. Libertarianism according to Rothbard is defined by the non-aggression principle which Rothbard argues has not been applied to the state as the state chooses to position itself above this universally applied principle. This failure by the state to abide by the definitive principle of libertarianism led Rothbard in this text to call for a stateless imagining of society.

Josiah Warren Manifesto (1841)

In his manifesto, utopian philosopher Josiah Warren describes the establishment of societies as being the gravest mistake enacted by reformers. This is because Warren believes society encroaches on the sovereignty of individuals. According to Warren's manifesto, individuals have been reduced to mere cogs in machines where they do not have total autonomy over their own affairs. Warren condemns this image and calls for a more individualistic composition of society.