# Differences Between Agorism and Anarcho-Capitalism: A Detailed Comparison with Agorist Class Analysis
**Agorism and Anarcho-Capitalism** are both anarchist philosophies advocating stateless societies and free markets, but they differ significantly in strategy, economic class analysis, and their stance on capitalism itself. Agorism is closer to free market anarchist anti-capitalism, contrasting with anarcho-capitalism's full embrace of capitalism.
### Where They Diverge
- **Strategy and Political Engagement:**
Agorism, founded by Samuel Edward Konkin III, emphasizes *counter-economics*—building a parallel, voluntary economic system through black and gray markets to withdraw support from the state. It rejects political activism as legitimizing state power and favors peaceful direct economic action outside state control.
Anarcho-capitalism, influenced by Murray Rothbard, also opposes the state but is open to political strategies and focuses on abolishing the state in favor of unfettered private property and free markets. It views market competition as capable of providing all services, including law and defense.
- **Economic and Class Analysis:**
Agorism includes a **class-conscious critique of capitalism**, distinguishing between:
- **Entrepreneurs:** Innovators engaging in voluntary market relations outside state control; not necessarily capitalists seeking profits but key to agorist counter-economics, undermining the state.
- **Non-statist capitalists:** Capital holders who operate in the market without direct state support; typically conformist and passive toward state power, profiting without rent-seeking.
- **Pro-statist capitalists:** Those who depend on state favors, lobbying, and rent-seeking (crony capitalism). Agorists actively oppose these as they perpetuate coercion and inequality.
This analysis makes agorism *closer to free market anarchist anti-capitalism*, opposing coercive capitalist relations tied to the state.
### Summary of Entrepreneur and Capitalist Categories (Agorist Theory)
| Category | Description and Role | Agorist Evaluation | Characteristics and Views |
|-----------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
| **Entrepreneur** | Innovators and risk-takers who engage voluntarily in free market activities, often outside direct state control; may not accumulate capital traditionally. | *Good* | Agents undermining state power; crucial for counter-economy development. |
| **Non-Statist Capitalist** | Capital holders operating without state patronage; generally conformist and passive about state power. | *Neutral* | Passive market participants; not actively opposing state influence. |
| **Pro-Statist Capitalist** | Capitalists relying on state favors, lobbying, cronyism, and rent-seeking to secure profits. | *Bad* | Primary enemies of the counter-economy; embody coercive, crony capitalism. |
- **Relation to Anarchism and Capitalism:**
Agorism aligns with *free market anarchism with an anti-capitalist edge*, opposing hierarchical and coercive capital accumulation backed by the state. It rejects legitimizing political means and focuses on direct economic action that builds alternative institutions.
Anarcho-capitalism identifies itself as anarchist but is often criticized by anarchists as a right-libertarian variant of capitalism that accepts hierarchical economic power structures and private property regimes as inherently non-coercive.
### Detailed Table of Differences
| Aspect | Agorism | Anarcho-Capitalism |
|--------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------|
| **View of State** | Completely illegitimate; rejects political activism | Completely illegitimate but open to political activism |
| **Strategy for Change** | Counter-economics: black/gray market activity, economic withdrawal | Primarily market solutions; some tolerate political activism |
| **Capitalist Class View** | Distinguishes entrepreneurs, non-statist capitalists, and pro-statist capitalists; opposes rent-seeking | Fully embraces capitalism; treats all voluntary capitalists alike |
| **Entrepreneurs** | Innovators engaging in voluntary, counter-economic activity outside state control; not necessarily capitalists | Market actors operating under free-market capitalism; valid if voluntary |
| **Non-Statist Capitalists** | Capital holders operating without direct state support; passive, conformist | Legitimate capitalists within free markets |
| **Pro-Statist Capitalists** | Depend on state power, lobbying, cronyism, rent-seeking; opposed as enemies of the free market | No distinct condemnation if voluntary exchanges occur |
| **Relation to Anarchism** | Closer to free market anarchist anti-capitalism; opposes statist capitalism and rent-seeking | Uses anarchist language but aligns with laissez-faire capitalism |
| **Economic Philosophy** | Radical libertarianism with class-conscious critique; focuses on counter-economics | Austrian economics and laissez-faire capitalism; accepts political means |
### Emphasis on Agorism’s Closeness to Free Market Anarchist Anti-Capitalism
Agorism emphasizes *building a stateless society not only by abolishing the political state but by creating economic institutions that reject coercive capitalist relations tied to the state.* It views many capitalists, especially those reliant on state power, as perpetuators of oppression and not genuinely free market actors. This results in agorism being closer to a *free market anarchist anti-capitalism* than the pro-capitalist stance of anarcho-capitalism.
In contrast, anarcho-capitalism accepts all voluntary markets and capitalist relationships as legitimate, prioritizing private property and laissez-faire economics without the class and state dependency critique central to agorism.
This detailed explanation and the tables provide a clear conceptual and practical distinction between agorism and anarcho-capitalism, especially highlighting agorism’s nuanced perspective on entrepreneurs and capitalist classes, and its position relative to free market anti-capitalism.
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