Anarcho-capitalism

Summary

Anarcho-capitalism is a political ideology and economic theory that advocates for the abolition of the public state and services and promotes their replacement with private providers. Proponents argue that a society could function without a state through voluntary exchange and private institutions that provide legal and security services. This model envisions a voluntary society. Proponents rely heavily on the non-aggression principle to argue that essential public services—including policing, courts, and defense—can be effectively replaced by competing private agencies and insurance providers. However, this synthesis of anti-statism and private property remains deeply controversial; mainstream anarchist movements overwhelmingly reject anarcho-capitalism, arguing that things anarcho-capitalists advocate for, namely private land ownership, the exploitative wage system, law and contract enforcement, and workplace hierarchy are inherently hierarchical and governmentalist and therefore incompatible with true anarchism.