Ambiarchy comes from the Latin, ambi, meaning “both,” and archia, meaning “rule.” Ambiarchy, then, means “both rule.”
The “both” in question can refer to a number of concepts.
In the past– though it doesn’t seem to have been a major trend–, Ambiarchy has referred to a diarchy or biarchy, particularly one in which a man and woman co-rule. The idea of man and woman co-ruling is completely compatible with the more recent rendition of Ambiarchy that I pose here. It may be understood to refer to the Lord and Lady– entropy and syntropy–, a topic in Ambitheism; or it may refer to the actual sharing of power within the Ambiarchy by men and women.
But the manner which I pose Ambiarchy focuses more on the ambiguity between competing approaches to political rule, namely government (archy) and no government (anarchy). In this case, Ambiarchy refers to an collective body which can be described as either. Such a collective body would be highly organized, as with government, but would lack a strict territorial monopoly, as with anarchy. Ambiarchy is both social anarchy, or anarchy de jure and good government.
The Ambiarchy is ambiguous not because it does not take a specific form, but because its form is difficult to put neatly into an ideological box. Its form is very clearly laid out in the works on Ambiarchy Academy. There is no this or that kind of Ambiarchy. Described by Ambiarchy Academy is not an Ambiarchy, but the Ambiarchy. There is only one possible configuration (Ambiarchy is necessitarian). The details are to emerge from deliberation and consensus, but the general outline is well-established.
The ambiguity built into the definition takes the focus off of semantics, and puts it onto characteristics and the actual form taken. This is more conducive to creative, productive, and objective discussions, and directs focus toward practicality. We don’t need the infighting, factionalism, and ignorance found in anarchist circles to bleed into Ambiarchy. There is room for freedom of thought and practice built into the Ambiarchy, so that each may retain their autonomy. The Ambiarchy as a confederal body is something different, and demands cohesion and consistency, so as not to fall apart.
