Agorism
Agorism is a social philosophy that advocates creating a society in which all relations between people are voluntary exchanges by means of counter-economics, engaging with aspects of nonviolent revolution. Agorism has similar elements to anarcho-capitalism, but unlike some anarcho-capitalists, most agorists are strictly opposed to voting as a strategy for achieving their desired outcomes.[1] It was first proposed by American libertarian philosopher Samuel Edward Konkin III (1947–2004) at two conferences, CounterCon I in October 1974 and CounterCon II in May 1975.
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Etymology
The term was coined by Konkin, and comes from the word agora (Ancient Greek: ἀγορά), referring to an open area in a polis (Ancient Greek: πόλις; city-state) for assemblies and markets.[2]
Origins
According to Konkin, agorism and counter-economics were originally fighting concepts forged in the revolutionary atmosphere of 1972 and 1973.[3] Konkin credits the Austrian School and particularly Ludwig von Mises as the base of economic thought leading to agorism and counter-economics.[3]
In the 1960–1970s, there was an abundance of political alienation in the United States, particularly for those in favor of libertarian ideologies. Whereas Murray Rothbard chose to create political alliances between the Old Right and the New Left, Robert LeFevre and his West Coast followers pursued a non-participatory form of civil disobedience.[3]
LeFevre's anti-collaboration methods ultimately lost favor and faded away. According to Konkin, after the creation of the Libertarian Party in 1971, the debate shifted from anarchy vs. minarchism to partyarchy vs. agorism.[3]
Ideology
The goal of agorism is the agora. The society of the open marketplace as near to untainted by theft, assault, and fraud as can be humanly attained is as close to a free society as can be achieved. And a free society is the only one in which each and every one of us can satisfy his or her subjective values without crushing others' values by violence and coercion.
Konkin characterized agorism as a form of anti-capitalist[5] left-libertarianism,[6][7] and, generally, that agorism is a strategic branch of left-wing market anarchism.[4] Although this term is non-standard usage, agorists identify as part of left-wing politics in the general sense and use the term left-libertarian as defined by Roderick T. Long, i.e. as "an integration, or I'd argue, a reintegration of libertarianism with concerns that are traditionally thought of as being concerns of the left. That includes concerns for worker empowerment, worry about plutocracy, concerns about feminism and various kinds of social equality".[8]
Counter-economics
The concept of counter-economics is the most critical element of agorism. It can be described as such:
The Counter-Economy is the sum of all non-aggressive Human Action which is forbidden by the State. Counter-economics is the study of the Counter-Economy and its practices. The Counter-Economy includes the free market, the Black Market, the "underground economy," all acts of civil and social disobedience, all acts of forbidden association (sexual, racial, cross-religious), and anything else the State, at any place or time, chooses to prohibit, control, regulate, tax, or tariff. The Counter-Economy excludes all State-approved action (the "White Market") and the Red Market (violence and theft not approved by the State).[9]
Profitable civil disobedience
Agorism advocates for gradual withdrawal of state support through what Konkin described as "Profitable Civil Disobedience".[3] Starving the state of its revenue and purpose by transferring these responsibilities over to decentralized institutions is the most feasible way to achieve free markets according to agorism:
Rather than slowly amass votes until some critical mass would allow state retreat (if the new statists did not change sides to protect their new vested interests), one could commit civil disobedience profitably, dodging taxes and regulations, having lower costs and (potentially) greater efficiency than one's statist competitors – if any.[3]
Opposition to political parties
Agorism does not support political engagement in the form of political party promotion as a means to transition to a free-market anarchism. The methods of the Libertarian Party are not compatible with agorist principles. Konkin referred to these attempts to fight for free markets through state approved channels of operation as "partyarchy":
Partyarchy, the anti-concept of pursuing libertarian ends through statist means, especially political parties.[10]
Voluntary association
As with voluntaryists, agorists typically oppose electoral voting and political reform and instead they stress the importance of alternative strategies outside political systems to achieve a free society. Agorists claim that such a society could be freed more readily by employing methods such as education, direct action, alternative currencies, entrepreneurship, self sufficiency, civil disobedience and counter-economics.[10]
Konkin's class theory
Wally Conger developed (based on work of Konkin) a class theory which includes entrepreneurs, non-statist capitalists and statist capitalists:
| Entrepreneur | Non-statist capitalist | Statist capitalist |
| Good | Neutral | Bad |
| Innovator, risk-taker, producer The strength of a free market |
Holders of capital Not necessarily ideologically aware "Relatively drone-like non-innovators" |
The primary beneficiaries of government controls "The main Evil in the political realm" |
Konkin claimed that while agorists see these three classes differently, anarcho-capitalists tend to conflate the first and second types while "Marxists" may conflate all three.[6]
Intellectual property
Konkin opposed the concept of intellectual property and wrote in an article entitled "Copywrongs" in support of such a thesis.[11] J. Neil Schulman criticized this thesis in "Informational Property: Logorights".[12] Whereas Konkin was opposed to the laws of the state in the cases of patents and copyright, seen as creators of monopolies and distortion, Schulman agreed with Konkin that the state could not be a foundation for any class of rightful property yet sought to demonstrate that exclusive ownership rights could apply to what he ultimately termed "Media Carried Property"—created objects that exist independent of the subjective human mind yet are not themselves made of atoms or molecules.[13]
Literature
Konkin's treatise New Libertarian Manifesto was published in 1980.[10] Previously, the philosophy had been presented in J. Neil Schulman's science fiction novel Alongside Night in 1979. Ayn Rand's example, presenting her ideas in the form of a work of fiction in Atlas Shrugged, had inspired Schulman to do likewise. Konkin's afterword to the novel, "How Far Alongside Night?", credited Schulman with integrating the "science of counter-economics" with Konkin's basic economic philosophy.[14]
Other media
J. Neil Schulman adapted Alongside Night as a feature film released in 2014,[15] as a graphic novel,[16] and as an unabridged audiobook.[17]
See also
- Blockchain
- Cryptocurrency
- Debates within libertarianism
- Distributism
- Economic activism
- Expropriative anarchism
- Hawala
- Illegalism
- Individualist anarchism
- Market anarchism
- Insurrectionary anarchism
- Informal sector (or grey economy)
- Issues in anarchism
- Libertarian municipalism
- Local exchange trading system
- Mutualism
- Philosophical anarchism
- Piracy
- Prefigurative politics
- Ross Ulbricht
- Sharing economy
- Silk Road (marketplace)
- System D
- Underground economy
References
- "Interview With Samuel Edward Konkin III" (PDF). Retrieved 2 March 2023.
- Gordon, David (1 April 2011). "Sam Konkin and Libertarian Theory". LewRockwell.com. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- Konkin III, Samuel Edward. "Last Whole Introduction to Agorism" (PDF). Agorism.eu.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
- Konkin III, Samuel Edward. An Agorist Primer (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 March 2022.
- Gaus, Gerald; D'Agostino, Fred (2013). The Routledge Companion to Social and Political Philosophy. Routledge. p. 277. ISBN 9780415874564.
- "Smashing the State for Fun and Profit Since 1969: An Interview With the Libertarian Icon Samuel Edward Konkin III (a.k.a. SEK3)".
- D'Amato, David S. (27 November 2018). "Black-Market Activism: Samuel Edward Konkin III and Agorism". Libertarianism.org. Retrieved 21 November 2019.
- Long, Roderick. T. (4 January 2008). "An Interview With Roderick Long". Liberalis in English. Retrieved 21 December 2019.
- "Counter-Economics: what it is, how it works" (PDF). Agorism.eu.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
- Konkin III, Samuel Edward (1980). "New Libertarian Manifesto" (PDF). Agorism.eu.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 April 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
- Konkin III, Samuel Edward. "Copywrongs". Archived 13 August 2006 at the Wayback Machine
- Shulman, J. Neil. "Informational Property: Logorights".
- Shulman, J. Neil. "Human Property".
- Afterword by Samuel Edward Konkin III in Alongside Night (1999). Pulpless.com. pp. 271–290. ISBN 978-1-58445-120-4.
- "Alongside Night".
- "J. Neil Schulman's Alongside Night – The Graphic Novel".
- "Alongside Night – The Movie Edition".