Agorists

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A group of individuals who advocate for a society based on voluntary exchanges without the interference of the state
2. People who support the ideas of exchanging goods and services freely in a non-coercive market environment
3. Individuals who endorse the principles of anarchy and free market capitalism, rejecting government involvement in economic activities

Etymology: Samuel Edward Konkin III coined "agorist" in his 1980 book New Libertarian Manifesto, where it named a strategy for achieving a free society: rather than lobbying governments, participants would build an alternative economy through voluntary exchange outside state control. The name comes from the Greek "agora," the open public space where Athenians gathered to trade and debate, so the term ties a modern anarchist-leaning idea to the marketplace itself. The Greek root is the same one behind "agora" in modern English, used for the public square or meeting place. Adding the suffix "-ist" yields a word for someone who practises or believes in that approach. Konkin's coinage was deliberately built from a classical image of free exchange, which is why the word reads as a label for a whole movement rather than a technical term.