Kevin Carson's Definition of Mutualism
Mutualists belong to a non-collectivist segment of anarchists. Although we favor democratic control when collective action is required by the nature of production and other cooperative endeavors, we do not favor collectivism as an ideal in itself. We are not opposed to money or exchange. We believe in private property, so long as it is based on personal occupancy and use. We favor a society in which all relationships and transactions are non-coercive, and based on voluntary cooperation, free exchange, or mutual aid. The "market," in the sense of exchanges of labor between producers, is a profoundly humanizing and liberating concept. What we oppose is the conventional understanding of markets, as the idea has been coopted and corrupted by state capitalism. - http://www.mutualist.org
- Individualism (methodological.) Democratic control only when required.
- Money and exchange is permissible.
- Private property is permissible when based on personal occupancy and use.
- Non-aggression.
- The market is a liberating force; the State is a corrupting force.
Note: The only difference between anarcho-capitalism and mutualism is the last part of #3. If "when based on personal occupancy and use" is omitted, we have pure sticky property anarcho-capitalism.
What did Pierre Proudhon say about property?
