Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809 - 1865)

Sun Jan 15, 1809

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Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, born on this day in 1809, was a French politician, philosopher, and founder of mutualist philosophy.

Proudhon was the first person to declare himself an anarchist and is widely regarded as one of the ideology’s most influential theorists, sometimes called “the father of anarchism”. He became a member of the French Parliament after the Revolution of 1848, afterwards referring to himself as a federalist.

Proudhon favored workers’ associations or co-operatives as well as individual worker and peasant possession over private ownership or the nationalization of land and workplaces. In “The Confessions of a Revolutionary”, Proudhon asserted that “Anarchy is Order Without Power”, the phrase which much later inspired in the view of some the anarchist circled-A symbol.

It is worth noting that, despite his egalitarian beliefs in other respects, Proudhon was an avowed sexist and anti-Semite. One unpublished quote reads “The Jew is the enemy of the human race. This race must be sent back to Asia, or exterminated.” Proudhon also maintained that a woman’s choice was to be “courtesan or housekeeper”, stating that man is “a father, a chief, a master: above all, a master”.

These views did not go uncontested amongst his colleagues. Joseph Déjacque, a contemporary libertarian communist, told Proudhon to “speak out against man’s exploitation of woman” or “do not describe yourself as an anarchist”.

Proudhon unsuccessfully tried to create a national bank, to be funded by what became an abortive attempt at an income tax on capitalists and shareholders. Similar in some respects to a credit union, it would have given interest-free loans.

“I build no system. I ask an end to privilege, the abolition of slavery, equality of rights, and the reign of law. Justice, nothing else; that is the alpha and omega of my argument: to others I leave the business of governing the world.”

- Pierre-Joseph Proudhon


  • Hadriscus@lemm.ee
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    4 days ago

    had no idea Proudhon was so sexist. Kinda destroys the myth. How could he not see the hierarchy in sexes ?

    • redrum@lemmy.mlM
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      4 days ago

      [European-centric answer]

      My approach is to try to understand the people based on their historical context and accept the existence of contradictions in the way they see the world. I’m not an anarchist, but Proudhon was essential to the development of the anarchism (i.e., the social and anti-capitalist libertarian ideology and philosophy) and very influential in the socialist development (together with Marx, Blanqui…) and to construct the ideological frameworks of socialism from the previous utopian socialists.

      • Hadriscus@lemm.ee
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        4 days ago

        Absolutely, I agree. However what I’m asking myself is how that specific contradiction develops : he was enlightened to the point of condemning hierarchical organization of society, yet he didn’t see how crushing women illustrates yet another hierarchy. Perhaps he was a proto-incel. Right now I can’t wrap my head around how one would be anarchist and use the word “master” seriously.