minarchism means belief in the desirability and practicality of minimum government. It carries an Arena rating of 1229, earned across 29 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, minarchism ranks #4,207 of 17,132 for Most Betrayed by Its Sound, #4,808 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #6,400 of 17,128 for Most Ponderous Words, #6,975 of 17,127 for Words That Escaped Their Books.
minarchism is pronounced /ˈmɪnəˌkɪzəm/.
Why “minarchism” is a great word
MINARCHISM — [Noun] A political philosophy advocating for the most minimal possible state, limited to functions such as protection against force, fraud, and the enforcement of contracts. Coined in 1971 by Samuel Edward Konkin III as a blend of 'minimum' or 'minimal' + '-archy' ("government") + '-ism' ("system, doctrine"). Unlike anarchism, which seeks to raze the state entirely, or statism, which expands its dominion, minarchism occupies the slender frontier between them, accepting the barest scaffolding of governance. It is the lone, dimly lit police booth on a vast frontier; the single notary stamp on a stack of private agreements; the silent courthouse at the edge of town. This is the dream of a society so ordered by its own principles that governance is reduced to a faint, peripheral hum—the ultimate expression of collective power is its own near-total restraint.
Etymology
1971, coined by Samuel Edward Konkin III. Blend of minimum + -archy (“government”) + -ism (“system”) (alternatively, minimal).
noun
- Belief in the desirability and practicality of minimum government.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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