Pantisocratist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A person who supports or promotes a system of society in which all members have equal power and authority
2. Someone who believes in or advocates for a form of social organization where everyone holds equal political and social rank
3. An adherent of the principle that all individuals in a community should possess identical rights and governing power

Etymology: Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Robert Southey, two young English poets, coined "pantisocracy" for a utopia they hoped to build. Combining Greek "pan" (all), "isos" (equal) and "kratos" (rule), it meant rule by everyone equally. Their plan was a community on the banks of the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania, where members would share property and labour and take turns governing. The scheme collapsed before anyone sailed. The two men could not raise the money, and disputes among their circle, including arguments over marriage, undermined the project. The settlement never materialised, and Coleridge turned to other pursuits. The term is simply the suffix "-ist" added to that coinage, naming a supporter of the idea. Because the community never existed, it describes a belief rather than a movement.