With all the student demonstrations in the UK and the worldwide unrest caused by a few bankers, I thought it would be useful to actually look at the term ‘anarchist’ for what it originally, and still does, mean.
From what I recall of the political system in ancient Athens they had Archons, who were liked judges, generals and presidents and in the classical period there were two or three of them and they were elected. One of them was called the Eponymous Archon and his name would be sued to record the years he was Archon and acted like a calendar (speak the name and you know the year).
The word anarchy is derived from this position in Athens and basically means ‘without archon’ , or in effect to live without a law giver. But, and this is an important distinction to make, it doesn’t mean to live without law. What is means is not to have an outside force ruling over you but to be ruled by oneself. It would come as a shock to those who believe in small Government and no Government interference to know that they are close to being anarchists.
Anarchy has been linked to revolutions because revolutions destroy Governing elites, but its nobler meaning is that of a person who doesn’t need to be ruled because their ethics are already strong enough.