Pantisocracy

Part of speech: noun

Pronunciation: /ˌpæntaɪˈsɒkɹəsi/

Definitions

1. A theoretical system of governance where every participant holds equal power and rights is proposed as the ideal standard
2. A theoretical form of government where all individuals share equal authority and rights without hierarchy
3. An imagined political structure advocating for equal participation and shared power among its members

Etymology: Samuel Taylor Coleridge coined this word in the 1790s as the name for a utopian community he hoped to found. The "pan-" half comes from the Greek "pas" (all), and the "isocracy" half is a formation on "isos" (equal) and "-cracy" (rule), so the whole word means rule by equals, or rule by all. Coleridge and his friend Robert Southey planned to build an ideal society on the banks of the Susquehanna River in America, where property would be shared and every member would have an equal voice. The scheme was a product of the radical enthusiasms of the time, and it never got past the planning stage. The community was never founded, and the word survives mainly as a curiosity of that brief, idealistic moment in English literary history.