William Godwin

William Godwin (1756–1836) is often considered one of the earliest philosophical anarchists. In his major work An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice, he argued that government corrupts human judgment and that society could function through reason, voluntary cooperation, and moral development. Godwin believed that people, if freed from coercion and inequality, would naturally act in ways that benefit others.

His utopian vision was grounded not in rigid systems but in human perfectibility—the idea that individuals could continually improve themselves and their relationships. He imagined a decentralized society without formal authority, where decisions emerge from rational discussion and mutual respect rather than law or force.