ABSTRACT
There are two main varieties of anarchism: the socialist variety (aka “social anarchism” or “anarcho-socialism”) and the capitalist variety (“anarcho-capitalism”). This chapter argues that anarcho-capitalism is preferable to anarcho-socialism. Socialist and capitalist anarchists agree in opposing central government. But they disagree about ownership of capital goods: the capitalists want to retain individual ownership of capital goods, whereas socialists want to abolish it. There are two main motivations for anarcho-capitalism. The first is a libertarian conception of individual rights. Second, there is the value of economic efficiency, or human wellbeing more broadly. Anarcho-capitalists are impressed by the general ability of competitive markets to provide an adequate supply of relatively high-quality, low-priced goods and services. When the topic of anarchism arises, the first objection most people think of is that crime would run rampant in an anarchic society.
