Ernest Lesigne Archives - The Libertarian Labyrinth

Ernest Lesigne, “Socialist Letters” (1887)

August 5, 2019 Shawn P. Wilbur

I have already told you, my dear friend, that the socialization of the means of production is a dogma; that a dogma is proclaimed, taught, imposed; that it has its faithful, its apostles its sectarians, its priests, its martyrs, and its visionaries; but that it is not opened, justified, demonstrated.

The dogma is by nature mysterious and obscure, and you ask me to throw some light upon it, on the ground that I have taken as my motto, “Whatsoever is not clear is not true.”

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Ernest Lesigne, Socialistic Letters — IX (1887)

January 30, 2015 Shawn P. Wilbur

SOCIALISTIC LETTERS IX Ten years ago, I wrote a study from which emerged the somewhat unexpected conclusion that every error is, as well as every truth, the product of experiment. In the case of error, the experiment is incomplete. That is all. But as those who are mistaken have seen, or what is called seeing, we mustn’t be surprised to see so many of them become hot and bothered when one assures them that they are mistaken. So I simply say this to the collectivists: You have concluded without having seen enough. It is always the story of that Englishman […]

Ernest Lesigne, “Socialistic Letters,” No. 8 (1887)

December 28, 2012 Shawn P. Wilbur

[ezcol_2third] SOCIALISTIC LETTERS VIII These socialistic letters have earned me, as it should be, some unfriendly observations, with which I find nothing wrong, strong partisan that I am of the freedom of the press. Before such a touching agreement to criticize both content and form, to declare that writing in French, I must know nothing of what I say, and that it is very bold of me to dare address social questions without first being awarded a diploma by the regular doctors, there is nothing to do but make a strong mea culpa for the great liberty and recognize that […]

Unfinished business of Liberty

April 24, 2008 Shawn P. Wilbur

Benjamin Tucker, like a lot of us, took on a lot of projects, not all of which came to fruition. His “Proudhon Library” and the pamphlet version of Bellegarrigue’s “Anarchy: Journal of Order” are among those announced, but never completed. In some other cases, what Tucker translated from his wide reading of libertarian literature was just the tip of the iceberg, where fascinating material was concerned. It will take some time before anything like the “Proudhon Library” is possible, but one of the reasons for pursuing the updated Libertarian Labyrinth is precisely to pursue those kinds of projects. And some […]

Ernest Lesigne on “The Two Socialisms”

January 23, 2007 Shawn P. Wilbur

The third Carnival of Anarchy, scheduled for the upcoming weekend, is on “Anarchism and Socialism.” I’ll probably be posted related items off and on all week. Here’s an important item from the pages of Liberty. Ernest Lesigne wrote a series of Socialistic letters for Le Radical, and Benjamin R. Tucker printed some in translation. This one is certainly on-topic this week. Socialistic Letter[Le Radical] There are two Socialisms. One is communistic, the other solidaritarian. One is dictatorial, the other libertarian. One is metaphysical, the other positive. One is dogmatic, the other scientific. One is emotional, the other reflective. One is […]