Agorism is a free-market anarchist political philosophy developed by Samuel Edward Konkin III. Its central aim is the creation of a society where all human relationships occur through voluntary exchange in a truly free market, without coercion or state interference15. The term comes from the Greek “agora,” meaning the open marketplace in ancient Greek city-states15.
Key principles of agorism include:
- Counter-economics: Agorism focuses on building a free society through participation in the black and grey markets—economic activities that are voluntary and peaceful but may be forbidden or regulated by the state236. Black markets involve non-violent, prohibited activity; grey markets refer to legal goods and services traded outside of state controls23.
- Rejection of political means: Agorists reject voting, participation in political parties, or running for office as effective strategies. Instead, they advocate for directly undermining the state through economic activity and civil disobedience that circumvents state controls46.
- Non-aggression: Agorism emphasizes strict adherence to the non-aggression principle—voluntary interaction without the initiation of force or fraud—and opposes any violent revolutionary tactics or “red markets,” which involve aggression or violence23.
- Distinction between classes: Konkin defined two classes—the “economic class,” who live by voluntary trade, and the “political class,” who exploit through coercion1.
Agorists believe the state inherently perpetuates violence and coercion, and that the best path to a free society is peaceful revolution through market activities that gradually “starve the state”—shifting services and production away from government control toward decentralized, voluntary alternatives25. This approach was influenced by Austrian economics, particularly the subjective theory of value, which argues that state interference disrupts free, beneficial exchange and reduces societal welfare5.
In summary: Agorism seeks a stateless, voluntary society through direct participation in free market activities outside state control, viewing this as both the means and the end to achieving personal and economic freedom156.
- https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agorism
- https://polcompball.wikitide.org/wiki/Agorism
- https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/derrick-broze-agorism-is-not-anarcho-capitalism
- https://www.libertarianism.org/columns/black-market-activism-agorism-samuel-edward-konkin-iii
- https://www.thecollector.com/agorism-explained/
- https://spreadgreatideas.org/contrasts/agorism-vs-anarcho-capitalism/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Edward_Konkin_III
- https://www.reddit.com/r/Anarchy101/comments/nd0aaf/what_are_your_thoughts_on_agorism/
- https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/samuel-edward-konkin-iii-the-last-whole-introduction-to-agorism