Panarchist Democracy

Panarchist Democracy

The word Panarcheia derives from two Greek words: Pan meaning all and Archeia meaning an origin or source of influence. Panarcheia is a situation where the needs of all have an influence on the way we live together.

By Democracy we mean that political influence is widely distributed. We believe power should be shared among a large number of people. Nevertheless we also believe that power should be wielded by those most able and inclined to wield it to good effect. This implies both that people need to work at developing the ability to be good political actors and that not everybody will have the same abilities or should wield the same amount of power.

What we believe

Panarchists believe that there is a psychospiritual aspect to existence and that this is of primary importance. In other words we believe that the feelings, thoughts, emotions, pleasures and pains that are described as the internal life of a person are objectively real and that what is ultimately most important is that people have a good experience of life.

Panarchists believe that the welfare of all people and other living beings is of importance.

Panarchists believe that there is a natural law which derives from the innate nature of things. This natural law shapes whether any particular actions will have good and life-enhancing results or not.

Achieving Panarchist Democracy

Panarchist Democracy can only come about if there is a Panarchist Demos. Panarchy can only come about if those with power believe in taking the needs of the less powerful into account. The Good Society which creates the conditions for the Good Life can only come about if there is a body of people working purposefully and intelligently to create such a Good Society.

Building the Panarchist Demos

The Panarchist Demos is the politically active population working in association to further the common good.

The Panarchist Demos:

1. Is composed of members able to work in association on a common project (who are able to communicate and collaborate with each other and are not divided by mutual antipathy).

2. Is composed of members desirous of achieving the common good (rather than only be concerned for their private benefit). (This requires suitable character formation).

3. Is composed of members with the ability to discern what is the common good is and how to achieve it. (This requires suitable education or personal development)

Movements for the creation of the Panarchist Demos

Panarchist Democracy is not just a way of running a society but also a project to create the conditions that a Good Order of Society be achieved - in other words primarily the creation of the Panarchist Demos. This process is one that could happen from the grassroots upwards with many individuals working to build little 'droplets' of the Panarchist Demos. Each droplet being a small cluster of people orientating themselves to the task at hand, growing the strength of their association, strengthening their mutual bond of trust, discovering and developing the group culture and modes of action and greater resilience in adversity. Then educating and developing themselves to serve the wider common good with greater commitment to the goal of a well-ordered society, greater enlightenment to reality and greater capability of useful action.

February 2013 CE - updated 2025