Anarcho-Individualism
"If our fathers, in 1776, had acknowledged the principle that a majority had the right to rule the minority, we should never have become a nation; for they were in a small minority, as compared with those who claimed the right to rule over them."
Anarcho-Individualism, or AnInd for short, is an economically variable and culturally variable anarchist ideology that emphasizes the individual and the will of the individual over external determinants - such as: society, groups, tradition, and ideologies - seeing the abolition of the state as the fullest realization of individual liberty. He believes that without any government, individuals will pursue their personal objectives and work together in mutual self-interest to create a stable and harmonious anarchist society.
History
Within anarchism, individualist anarchism is primarily a literary phenomenon since social anarchism has been the dominant form of anarchism, emerging in the late 19th century as a distinction from individualist anarchism, after Anarcho-Communism had replaced Collectivist Anarchism as the dominant tendency.
Boston Anarchism
One of the most well-known individualist anarchist scenes originates from the Boston area in the United States. Thinkers who came from this scene had primarily been influenced by Mutualism, although some had incorporated Anarcho-Egoism, with Benjamin Tucker combining the aforementioned two to create Ego-Mutualism, and others - like Henry David Thoreau - would go on to influence Eco-Anarchism and Anarcho-Pacifism.
Foundations
Individualist Anarchism has been popularised and heavily influenced by the ideas/works of European philosophers William Godwin, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, and Max Stirner, and American philosophers Benjamin Tucker, Josiah Warren, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Lysander Spooner.
Personality and Behavior
AnInd is often depicted as passionate about individual liberty and can be shown to have a disdain for any sort of authority or hierarchies, as well as having a strong sense of self and resistance to tradition and conformity. AnInd often prefers to "go his own way" as opposed to letting his ideas be influenced by those around him and usually keeps himself busy with his own affairs. Although he is sometimes willing to work with his fellow anarchists if it benefits him to do so, he is equally likely to be seen debating with them, keeping true to his ideological convictions of true individual liberty.
How to Draw
- Draw a ball;
- draw a line in near-black diagonally across the ball;
- fill the bottom half of the ball with the same near-black color, and fill the top half with sky blue or turquoise;
- draw an uppercase letter "I" in the middle of the ball, in opposite colors to the ball (i.e. black on turquoise, turquoise on black);
- add the eyes, and you're done!
Color Name | HEX | RGB | |
---|---|---|---|
Black | #202020 | 32, 32, 32 | |
Turquoise | #00FFDA | 0, 255, 218 |
Relationships
Friends
- Anarcho-Nihilism - You get me, I think... wait, what do you mean "atomization?"
- Anarcho-Egoism - STIRNER GANG, but you call things "spook" too much. My European variant took a lot from you.
- Mutualism - The original anarchist. My Boston variant took a lot from you.
- Post-Leftism - You truly understand the lumpenproles fight is one for self-determination from the tyranny of the majority and rightfully call out many of the left who have become the very statists they claimed to oppose.
- Post-Colonial Anarchism - Fellow colonized lumpens. Fighting against the will of the authoritative majority and not assimilating into their hive mind is based. (Stop calling me a 'white anarchist,' though.)
- Autarchy - Only the self may rule their own person.
- Queer Anarchism - Even if most of you are a bit too idpol obsessed, and many of your modern followers on social media take a very moralistic and puritanical approach, I'll always be for the sexual freedom of any consenting adults no matter what.
- Anarcho-Communism - I'm a little skeptical about this whole communism thing, but a fair portion of you seem to care about individual liberty as I do, at least in theory. Though Post-Left anarchism is still right about you.
- Post-Anarchism - Extremely confusing, but at least a fellow egoist.
Frenemies
- Classical Liberalism - Our ideologies come from similar ways of thought, but I'll only be your friend if you reject the state and all those other meaningless social constructs.
- Anarcho-Collectivism - Collectivism is incompatible with anarchism! However, we both like to smash the status quo together. And at least the collectivism part of your name isn't 100% literal.
- Anarcho-Monarchism - Huh?
- Avaritionism - Uh, I think you're taking this a little too far buddy. Seriously are you ok?
- Civil Libertarianism - I wouldn't really consider rights given by the state to be true freedom, but at least you try.
- Anarcho-Capitalism - Not exactly a fan of capitalism, but I at least admire your passion for individualism, even if your idea of achieving it is really misguided.
- Insurrectionary Anarchism - You can take your insurrection too far, to place where you don't fight government but violate individuals.
Enemies
- Marxism–Leninism - Collectivist; you claim to hate monopolies yet use a monopoly to fight capitalism. Curious.
- Libertarian Municipalism - Collectivist in an anarchist mask; just because we lumpenproles don't want to follow you doesn't make us not anarchists or anti-revolutionary. Also, Bob Black wrecked your ass.
- Fascism - The bundle of tyranny!
- Capitalism - Covert collectivist.
- Christian Theocracy - You want to limit the freedom of individuals not only by enforced morality but also by state.
- Ochlocracy - Literally tyranny of the majority!
- Ingsoc & Illuminatism - Worst nightmare that could ever happen.
- Hive-Mind Collectivism - Your existence disturb me.
- Death Worship - What the fu- *Obliterated*
- Communalism - I will not give you my personal property.
- Anarcho-Conservatism - Oxymoron.
Further Information
For overlapping political theory see:
Literature
- No Treason by Lysander Spooner
- Instead of a Book by a Man Too Busy to Write One: A Fragmentary Exposition of Philosophical Anarchism by Benjamin R. Tucker
- Individual Liberty by Benjamin R. Tucker (same book as above, but edited)
- The Unconstitutionality of Slavery by Lysander Spooner
- Our Enemy, the State by Albert Jay Nock
- The Unique and Its Property by Max Stirner
- The Production of Security by Gustave de Molinari
Wikipedia
- Individualist anarchism
- William Godwin
- Pierre-Joseph Proudhon
- John Henry Mackay
- Lev Chernyi
- Oscar Wilde
- Lysander Spooner
- Benjamin R. Tucker
- Josiah Warren
- Henry David Thoreau
- William Batchelder Greene
- Stephen Pearl Andrews
By Region
Online Communities
Citations
- ↑ The Spooner-Tucker Doctrine: An Economist's View by Murray N. Rothbard
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Individual Liberty by Benjamin Tucker: "The Anarchists are simply unterrified Jeffersonian Democrats. They believe that 'the best government is that which governs least,' and that that which governs least is no government at all."
Gallery
Portraits
Alternative designs
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Ego-Mutualism
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Legacy flag design