Libertarian Socialism

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The term libertarian socialism has been applied to several different bodies of thought that principally share one understanding – that freedom or liberty is somehow essential to the socialist project of answering the social question. Beyond that, views diverge.

Libertarian socialism includes several overlapping forms of anarchism – anarchist communism, anarchist collectivism, anarchosyndicalism, and avowedly socialist varieties of market anarchism (mutualism) – as well as non-state and limited-state developments of other forms of socialism (such as autonomist Marxism) and tendencies which include anarchist and limited-state forms (such are Participatory Economics). (Libertarian socialism is not restricted to libertarian communism, which refers to Platformist versions of anarchist communism.)

To the extent that Benjamin Tucker's market anarchism can be regarded as libertarian socialism, the arguments in support of this can be viewed as also supporting the conclusion that all varieties of market anarchism can potentially be understood as “libertarian socialism” in a positive sense of the term, despite market anarchists often regarding themselves, and being regarded by their opponents, as “capitalist” today.

To the extent that all varieties of anarchism are based on free association, they can be looked on as voluntary social agendas distinct from political agendas, and thereby compatible with market anarchism in general.