Top Ten Forms of Anarchy

This is the most popular form of anarchism. In an anarcho-communist society, all forms of government and markets would be abolished. Workers would own the means of production, and citizens would take what they needed.

Some famous examples of anarcho-communism in practice were Catalonia during the Spanish Civil War and some Native American societies. Critics of anarcho-communism state that people would become selfish and choose not to work, taking more than they need. Anarcho-communists argue that people would not take more than necessary because artificial scarcity caused by markets would be gone. They also believe that people would choose to work because they would realize that if not enough people work, goods and services will not be available for them in the future.

This anarchist philosophy wishes to get rid of the state but, unlike anarcho-communism, wants to keep markets as a way of trading goods. Workers would still own the means of production, and most forms of profit would be eliminated because Mutualists follow the labor theory of value. Mutualism is considered by many to be the first form of anarchism.

Anarcho-pacifists wish to abolish the state and hierarchy through peaceful means because violence is a form of oppression, and anarchy is the opposite of oppression. Leo Tolstoy, a famous Russian author, was the main inspiration for this school of thought.

This philosophy combines the goals of anarchy, which is to eradicate the state and oppression, with green politics and a love of nature. Anarcho-naturism supports vegetarianism, nudism, hiking, etc. It's fallen out of style, but there are many who still consider themselves naturists.

Christian anarchists believe that the only real ruler is God, so all forms of government should be abolished. Many Christian anarchists are vegetarians and pacifists. Critics state that Christian Anarchism isn't real anarchy because anarchy is supposed to be absent of all rulers.

While it was mainly prominent when women were openly oppressed in first-world countries, there are still many who subscribe to this philosophy today. Anarcha-Feminism supports ending male domination over women, establishing reproductive rights, changing the views of women in the workplace, etc.

Queer anarchists want to abolish the state and stress tolerance towards homosexual, bisexual, and transgender people.

Anarcho-capitalists believe that the state should be abolished and every service should be privatized. That means traditionally public services, like the police, would become for-profit in a free market capitalist economy. Critics state that this would lead to oppression, which is the antithesis of anarchy.

Proponents reply that if one cannot enter into an agreement out of their own free will, then they are truly not free. Still, most anarchists do not consider capitalism to be compatible with anarchy.

Egoism is an individualist anarchist philosophy stating that the state, and the very concept of society, should be abolished. Many egoists are nihilists and believe that people should be free to live their lives however they want, no matter what.