At a glance
Anarcho-capitalism proposes abolishing the state and providing law, security and other services through private property, voluntary contracts and market competition.
Core principles
- Self-ownership; private property; voluntary exchange; opposition to state coercion; privately supplied dispute resolution and protection.
Origins & development
It developed prominently through twentieth-century libertarian thinkers, especially Murray Rothbard, drawing on market economics and arguments for radical limits on government.
Economic outlook
Markets extend to services normally treated as public functions. Tax-funded provision is rejected, with contracts, insurance and competing agencies proposed as alternatives.
Society & government
No sovereign government would legislate through compulsory territorial authority. Personal freedoms follow property and contract rules; this is not a proposal for majoritarian democratic government.
Variations & related traditions
Natural-rights and consequentialist versions differ. Many social anarchists reject its inclusion in anarchism because they regard capitalist ownership as a source of domination.
Debates & criticisms
Debates concern enforcement, monopoly, unequal bargaining power and conflicts between protection agencies. Critics question whether private authority could recreate coercive government without democratic accountability.