Before you leave a comment saying my argument is purely semantic, please reread the title of this post. The nature is semantics, but I do believe the argument is one worth writing about.
First, let's define our terms.
Anarchy~ a state of disorder due to lack of authority;
Absence of government and absolute freedom of the individual.
• I think most people agree on the basic idea "absence of government"
Capitalism~ private ownership of the means of production for profit.
• in my experience when people think of capitalism they think of business.
The business aspect is what troubles me. When anarco-capitalists use the phrase, so far as I can tell, what they are getting at is the non aggression principle. I know this because whenever I myself am confronted with the obvious questions people ask about a free society, what will the poor do, I revert to answers involving community and charity.
The definition and examples of charity need not be discussed here, basically, people give stuff or money to the poor with no expectation of anything in return.
Community is a little bit more tricky. I see community as organizations in which people participate based on location with no expectation of monetary compensation. An example is a neighborhood watch program (minus the public police involvement of course). Or perhaps your neighbor goes on vacation and you collect their mail and keep an eye on their house while they are away.
These two examples, community and charity, by definition are not capitalist ventures as there is no monetary expectation involved, yet we use both when we answer questions about how a free society could work. For this reason, I believe the phrase anarco-capitalist should not be used by advocates of freedom. Especially in today's world of wall street bankers using state power to rip everyone else off... The term may do more harm than good when naming our views.
As for me, I simply say anarchist or anarchy. The absence of "legitimate" coercion is really what we strive for.
Please comment and share your thoughts.
