On Equality

Author: Pierre Leroux
Publisher:
Publication Date: 1988-05-14
Features: Pierre Leroux (1797–1871) was a famous French philosopher and utopian socialist of the 19th century. Born into a craftsman's family near Paris, he had to interrupt his studies early after his father's death and worked as a bricklayer and typesetter to support his family. He studied diligently, reading extensively the works of utopian socialists and French Enlightenment thinkers, particularly Rousseau, and was deeply influenced by Rousseau's ideas of freedom and equality. In 1824, he co-founded Le Globe with Dubois to promote his social doctrines. In 1825, after publishing a review article titled The Liberation of the Artisans, which drew the attention of Henri de Saint-Simon, he met Saint-Simon and began to be influenced by his teachings. In October 1830, he transformed Le Globe into the organ of the Saint-Simonists and actively promoted their doctrines. By the end of 1831, due to deepening divisions within the Saint-Simonist movement, he and others like Bazal separated from the Saint-Simonist faction and began to develop their own socialist thought system. From the early 1830s to the late 1840s, Leroux was his most productive period and his most celebrated period. During this time, he published works such as The Critical Encyclopedia, The New Encyclopedia, The Independent Review, and The Social Review. During the February Revolution of 1848, he stood firmly on the side of the Republic and was elected to the National Assembly. In 1849, he was also elected to the Legislative Assembly, but his influence was limited. After Louis Napoleon's coup in December 1851, he was forced to flee to England with his family and settled in Jersey, where he engaged in agricultural experiments and writing. In 1869, he returned to Paris after France granted a general amnesty. Two years later, in April 1871, during the time of the Paris Commune, he passed away.
This book, On Equality, is an article in the New Encyclopedia edited by Leroux and was published in 1838. However, it can be considered a monograph. In this work, he examines and discusses the issue of equality from historical to contemporary perspectives using the doctrine of the Christian Trinity, arguing that equality is the foundation of society. He affirms the slogans of liberty, equality, and fraternity proposed by the French Revolution, stating that each word contains profound social meaning. Liberty is the right to human existence, fraternity is the sentiment inherent in human nature, and equality is brotherly love and mutual support. These three words are interconnected and inseparable, and only when they are combined do they become "the most wonderful expression of truth and life" (This Book, p. 17). Therefore, they "constitute a complete doctrine," a doctrine that not only addresses the present but also "foresees the future." He particularly emphasizes the dominant role of equality. Only through equality can individual liberty and rights be realized, and similarly, only through equality can fraternity between people be achieved. He recognized the hypocrisy of bourgeois liberty and equality and pointed out that in post-revolutionary French society, "there is an 'unbridgeable gulf' between equality as a fact and equality as a principle" (This Book, p. 21). To change this social condition, as a Saint-Simonist, Leroux, like other utopian socialists, did not advocate revolutionary change but rather social reform. He believed that there are two paths to equality: one is the path of mutual consultation and harmony, and the other is the path of conflict and chaos. He favored the former, advocating the achievement of equality through continuous social progress and the establishment of a religious socialist society.
In summary, the ideas of equality discussed in this book, Leroux's critique of French capitalist society, and his proposals for overcoming inequality primarily reflect the dissatisfaction and desire for change among the petty bourgeoisie and early proletariat regarding the contemporary social reality. These discussions, like those of his predecessors such as Saint-Simon, are marked by clear utopianism. Leroux lived during the time when scientific socialism had already emerged, but his socialist thought did not evolve from utopianism to science. He is remembered as one of the last utopian socialists in the history of socialist thought.