American individualist anarchists’  critique of the democratic state

Magdalena Modrzejewska

doi:10.35765/hp.2414

Published : 2023-02-10

Vol. 14 No. 47 (2023)

American individualist anarchists’ critique of the democratic state

Magdalena Modrzejewska

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0095-6630

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35765/hp.2414

Section: Vol. 14, No. 47 (2023): The limits of power in a constitutional democracy

Abstract

RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: The aim of this paper is to investigate major premisses of American individualist anarchist movement as the critique toward the constitutional democratic state.

THE RESEARCH PROBLEM AND METHODS: Paper analyses premises that led individualist anarchists to formulate their thesis about supreme character of individual rights and individual sovereignty. Consequently, this brought them to conclusion that such defined sovereignty is irreconcilable with any form of government, including constitutional democracy.

THE PROCESS OF ARGUMENTATION: After taking preliminary considerations, reconstructing development of individualist anarchist theory paper examines the shortcomings of constitutional democratic state pointed out by anarchists.

RESEARCH RESULTS: The result of the study is to clarify the Individualist Anarchists critique of the state, including the constitutional democratic state. Also, to elaborate why classical elements like judicial control, constitution, legal protection of individual rights was not perceived by individualist anarchist as sufficient to legitimise the political authority as such.

CONCLUSIONS, INNOVATIONS, AND RECOMMENDATIONS: Adopting anarchists’ perspective and introducing into discourse stateless order as the possible alternative allows to introduce more critical voices about original shortages in legitimization of state power.

Keywords

Individual anarchism ; Josiah Warren; Individual sovereignty; stateless order

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