Proponents of anarcho-capitalism, also commonly known as market anarchism or anti-state capitalism, use a number of special terms and symbols to discuss and represent their ideas. Most of these are symbols that represent freedom of will and action, or the pursuit of profit, in some way.

Terms

Ancapistan

Ancapistan: a term used by market anarchists/anarcho-capitalists to refer to any real or hypothetical stateless region characterized by private property and the private production of rights enforcement (ie a place organized by the precepts of anarcho-capitalism). The term derives from an abbreviation of anarcho-capitalism plus -stan, Persian for "country" (as in Pakistan, etc).

The convention of creating a hypothetical place to facilitate discussion of theoretical concepts is likely inherited from the Austrian School of economics, to which anarcho-capitalism owes an intellectual debt: Austrian School economists often use "Ruritania" in examples. The term Ancapistan seems to have first appeared on the Anti-State.com forum in February 2002 and has since been widely adopted by anarcho-capitalists.

PDA

PDA: Private defense agency. Anarcho-capitalists use this term to refer to a private organization fulfilling some or all of the roles associated with police in a statist society. For instance, a discussion may center on the feasibility and mechanics of employing PDAs to prevent and punish violence or property crimes. The concept of a private defense agency usually implies an agency focused on small-scale policing; thus, one might see a reference to PDAs in contrast to private military operations. Also, in some contexts, the private defense agency may specifically imply a for-profit business; thus, one might see a reference to PDAs in contrast to volunteer groups such as a neighborhood watch or militia.

Symbols

Ama-gi

The ama-gi is an ancient Sumerian cuneiform word meaning "freedom". It is believed to be the first instance of humans writing that concept down. The Ama-gi is sometimes used as a symbol of anarcho-capitalists.

Libertatis Æquilibritas

Libertatis Æquilibritas, which is Latin for "the Equilibrium of Liberty", is a symbol used by some adherents of anarcho-capitalism. It is a combination of the circle-A, the yin/yang symbol, and the dollar sign. The circle-A represents freedom from a governing state; the yin/yang represents the perceived balance of a free market; the dollar sign represents capitalism and private property. The symbol was invented by Per Bylund[1] and gained a significant following among anarcho-capitalists. It serves to distinguish anarcho-capitalists from the rest of the anarchist movement, which largely opposes capitalism and the freedom of individuals to become wealthy.

See also

• Anarchist symbolism