Anarchism is a political philosophy that advocates self-governed societies based on voluntary institutions. These societies are often described as stateless societies, although some authors define them more specifically as institutions based on non-hierarchical or free associations. Anarchism views the state as undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful. The opposition to the state is central to anarchism, which also entails opposing authority or hierarchical organization in all human relations. Anarchism is generally considered a far-left ideology, and different types and traditions of anarchism exist, ranging from extreme individualism to complete collectivism. Anarchist economics and legal philosophy often reflect anti-authoritarian interpretations of communism, collectivism, syndicalism, mutualism, or participatory economics. Anarchism does not offer a fixed body of doctrine from a single world view, but rather as a philosophy that flexes and flows. The word anarchism is composed of the Greek word "anarchy" and the suffix "-ism". Anarchy derives from "an-" meaning without, and "archos" and "narcos" meaning leaders or rulers. The first known use of the word anarchism was in 1539. During the French Revolution, opponents of the revolution were labeled as anarchists, although their views were different from later anarchists. Many revolutionaries of the early 19th century, such as William Godwin and Wilhelm Weitling, contributed to the development of anarchist doctrines. However, they did not use the terms "anarchist" or "anarchism" to describe themselves. It was Pierre-Joseph Proudhon who first called himself an anarchist, marking the formal birth of anarchism in the mid-19th century. Since the 1890s, the term libertarianism has been used synonymously with anarchism in France and other countries outside the United States. However, in some contexts, libertarianism refers specifically to individualistic, free-market philosophy. The earliest anarchist themes can be found in the works of Taoist philosophers in the 6th century BC, as well as in the philosophies of Diogenes of Sinope, the...