[10] He is regarded as the first American philosophical anarchist;[10] he took an active part in Robert Owen's experimental community at New Harmony, Indiana, in 1825–1826.

In his subsequent development, Practical Applications of the Elementary Principles of True Civilization (1873), he proposes a decentralized hexagonal ideal city, drawing inspiration from J. Madison Allen of Ancora design.

The city was supposed to be the antithesis[a] of communism, being owned by cellular units while promoting equitable distribution and a system of time chits.

[14] A few years later, Hoe & Company began producing a press based on the same principle, which would revolutionize printing by the late nineteenth century.

[16] His philosophical work has been appreciated across the political spectrum, influencing prominent intellectuals such as Herbert Spencer, Benjamin Tucker, Émile Armand, and John Stuart Mill.

[19] In 1825, Warren became aware of the "social system" of Robert Owen and began to talk with others in Cincinnati about founding a communist colony.

Together, they hoped to create an ideal community that would pave the way for a new era of peace, abundance, brotherhood, and happiness, ultimately envisioning this model as something that could embrace all of humanity.

Although Robert Owen suggested labor notes in 1820 as part of a plan to tackle the inequality facing industrial Ireland, Warren was the first to put the idea into effective practice.

Accepting only in-demand items from depositors prevented overstocking and avoided the mistake that later contributed to the quick downfall of Robert Owen's London Labor Exchange.

[28]Although Warren's purpose was principled, he recognized that self-interest, rooted in the instinct for self-preservation, drives human behavior and did not waste time on reforms ignoring this natural motivation.

Skeptics condemned it as a new scam, and friends advised him to abandon his utopian pursuits, offering to help him build a profitable business instead.

The financial advantages of fair trading quickly attracted attention, and before long, the store required all Warren's time and energy.

He approached Warren, explained his situation, and asked for guidance to transition his business to this new system to regain lost customers.

[31] Warren was happy to help his fellow merchant convert his shop into a "Time Store" based on Equity principles and delighted to witness how competition could drive fairer trading methods.

Warren closed the store to pursue establishing colonies based on economic mutualism,[34] including "Utopia" and "Modern Times."

[36] It was Josiah Warren's last attempt to put his ideas of Equitable Commerce and sovereignty of the individual,[37] which he had developed over a lifetime of study and experimentation, into action.

In 1850, Warren came back to Boston from the Midwest and began searching for an area near a major city, with low land prices, to establish a utopian community.

[57] In the United States Benjamin Tucker dedicated his collection of essays, Instead of a Book, to the memory of Warren, "my friend and master ... whose teachings were my first source of light".