Pierre-Joseph Proudhon is a well-known French philosopher, politician and sociologist. Many know him as the founder of anarchism. It is he who is credited with the idea of the first "free" society, at least known to historians. However, what kind of person was Pierre Proudhon? What peaks could you achieve in your life? And what are the features of his worldview?
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon: a biography of the early years
The future politician was born on January 15, 1809 in a family of ordinary peasants. Naturally, this estate meant that the youth spent all his childhood in hard work. Nevertheless, this did not ruin his talent and prudence. At the age of twenty, he shows unprecedented determination and gets a job in a small printing house.
Initially, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon was a simple typesetter, day and night, printing tons of newspaper material. Due to his inner qualities, he quickly attracts the favor of leadership. Soon Proudhon begins to rapidly move up the career ladder. In addition, the young man’s innovative ideas brought the company a good profit, in the end he becomes a co-owner of this printing house.
But what is most striking is that in 1838, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon manages to successfully pass exams for a bachelor's degree. And this is due to the fact that he acquired all the knowledge himself, working hard in his free time. A similar social leap allowed him to quickly increase his capital.
Political activity
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon spent his money wisely. Moreover, he stubbornly saved them to move to live in Paris. And in 1847 his dream came true, though with a certain flaw. After all, a year later a revolution erupted in the capital, and it finds itself in its very epicenter. Naturally, the character of Proudhon does not allow him to stand aside, and he takes an active part in the revolutionary movement of the country.
In particular, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon becomes a member of the National Assembly. With carelessness, he openly criticizes the policies of Louis Napoleon Bonaparte. Such tricks greatly depress the government, and therefore they institute proceedings against it. As a result, a freedom-loving philosopher is sentenced to three years in prison, which gives him time to reflect on his actions well. In the future, he will more warmly welcome the events that came after the Bonapartist coup of 1851.
Released, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon tried to protect himself from politics. But his book On Justice in the Revolution and in the Church (1858) again stirred up the minds of the government. Fearing to be in prison, the philosopher immigrates to Belgium, where he lives for the next four years. Only sensing the approach of death, he returns home.
And on January 19, 1865, Pierre-Joseph Proudhon dies for unknown reasons. The only pleasant thing is that this happens near Paris. The city where the great philosopher dreamed of spending his life.
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon: ideology
Proudhon was the first anarchist. Under this word, the philosopher meant the destruction of all state laws that work for the benefit of the ruling elite. He believed that they should be replaced by a “social constitution”, which will be based on universal justice.
To achieve a similar utopia could be in several stages. But the most important of them was the overthrow of the modern economy, because it fully supported inequality among the people. In his opinion, an equivalent exchange of goods or services is more correct. For example, with such a system, a shoemaker can safely pay with shoes in a store, and a farmer with food.