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William Henry Channing, “Charles Fourier” (1843)

May 29, 2012
CHARLES FOURIER.  The zeal and ability with which Albert Brisbane has for several years devoted himself to the propagation of Fourier’s doctrines of association, begin to be appreciated as they deserve. And whatever conclusive judgment his countrymen may pass upon this peculiar system, all must admit, that this earnest advocate of social reorganization has hastened and widened the great reform movement of our day. Few who have paid Fourier the respect he merits, of deep study, will deny that he has cast light, much needed and timely, upon the darkest problems, whether they adopt his social science without modification or […]
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Notes on a “mutualist minimum”

May 28, 2012 Shawn P. Wilbur
One of the more “collectivist” economic heresies that I’m interested in is the notion of a “basic minimum.” As expressed by the followers of Fourier, and people like Joseph Charlier, it was one of the long list of intrusive measures that Proudhon hoped to avoid through the establishment of the Bank of the People. And I appreciate that sentiment, but I am also tempted by Pierre Leroux’s assertion that a basic subsistence is a basic right. In any event, in response to one of those constant “what would a mutualist do?” questions on Facebook, I sketched just a bit of […]
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Molinari’s “Soirées” in translation

May 27, 2012 Shawn P. Wilbur
Good translation news, with a tip of the hat to Roderick Long: the Liberty Fund will be publishing an English translation of Gustave de Molinari’s 1849 work, Les Soirées de la rue Saint-Lazare: entretiens sur les lois économiques et défense de la propriété (Evenings on Saint Lazarus Street: Discussions on Economic Laws and the Defence of Property), and a draft is already online. I think mutualists will find plenty here to disagree with, but it will be very useful to have a translation of the work available. So far, it seems very well done, and rather massively footnoted.
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The Splendors of the Combined Order

May 25, 2012 Shawn P. Wilbur
I’ve finally made a start at a blog-archive of material related to Charles Fourier, passional economy, attractive labor, etc. There is a real wealth of such material tucked away in the pages of various 19th century radical periodicals, and my own work is beginning to draw more directly on parts of the tradition, so it will be nice to have the relevant texts available for readers. It will be an on again, off again affair, but I think many of you will enjoy The Splendors of the Combined Order.
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The Lesson of the Pear Growers’ Series

May 25, 2012
The Lesson of the Pear Growers’ Series (Commentary) Given the reputation of “classical” anarchists these days, it might be too much to ask anarchists to consider the lessons of those “utopian” socialists who came before. But I want to do just that. It is generally acknowledged that Pierre-Joseph Proudhon was influenced by Charles Fourier, whose Le Nouveau Monde Industriel et Sociétaire Proudhon helped to print in 1829. Fourier’s Theory of Four Movements found an echo in the theory of “four movements” which ends Proudhon’s De la création de l’ordre dans l’humanité, and less specialized versions of Fourier’s analysis of series […]
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Séverine — The Anarchists of Chicago

May 23, 2012 Shawn P. Wilbur
THE ANARCHISTS OF CHICAGO They have taken these four men full of life and health, cast over their shoulders the shrouds that shall, some few minutes later, wrap their twisted limbs, and hide their contorted faces—eyes bulging out of their orbits to punish them for having seen too far and too high into the future of humanity; tongues bulging from mouths, gags of purple flesh sealing forever these lips guilty of speaking of justice and truth! Their gait was unsteady, for their ankles were cut by the cords which hobbled their feet, as the legs of beasts are tied before […]
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Tentative outline for the Bakunin Project

May 21, 2012 Shawn P. Wilbur
From this point on, I’ll be directing most of the Bakunin-related material to the Bakunin Library blog, but I wanted to let my readers here, and on the aggregators where this blog appears, know that I have posted a tentative outline for the Collected Works of Bakunin and would welcome feedback.
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More on the Bakunin project

May 16, 2012 Shawn P. Wilbur
Thanks to those who have responded. Here’s a few more details about the project: Bakunin’s works were published in nine languages, with the majority in French, and then most of the works in other languages were translated into French for the CD-ROM that was issued in 2000. Ideally, we’ll be able to have everything carefully checked against the original language, but, given the translators available and the grassroots nature of the project, we may well take advantage of the French translations to develop working drafts in English. It looks to me like the division of labor is likely to involve: […]
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The Gift Economy of Property: From Property to Gifts

April 30, 2012 Shawn P. Wilbur
The Gift Economy of Property Thesis From the Self to Property From Property to Gifts Gifting Property    3. I’m obviously not talking about “property” in any of the very narrow senses that it has been given, including the narrower senses given to it by Proudhon. Or, rather, I am seeking a broad, underlying definition, which will allow us to relate those more limited senses of the term to one another. We’ll probably find ourselves drowning in specific definitions pretty quickly here, but for a moment or two more, let’s stay general and try to clarify just what sort of […]