Natural Codex: The True Spirit of Natural Law, Which Has Been Consistently Ignored or Denied

Author: (French) Morelly
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1982-05-01
Features: Morelly (whose birth and death dates are unknown, and some suspect him to be the pen name of Diderot) was a prominent representative of French 18th-century utopian communism and one of the pioneers of the French Encyclopedist movement. Morelly, standing on the rationalist stand of idealism, argued based on the doctrines of "natural law" and "natural state" that primitive communism was the golden age of human society that conformed to "reason," an ideal social system that should be adopted by people in the modern and future eras. In his works, Morelly inherited and developed some traditional principles of utopian communism in the form of law and theory, and systematized and theorized them. Engels highly praised Morelly and Mably's doctrines, considering their theories as the "direct communist theories" of the 18th century. Morelly's ideas had a profound influence on Babeuf and the Babouvists of late 18th-century France. During his trial in court, Babeuf confidently admitted that he was a student of Morelly and Mably. Morelly was an important representative of French 18th-century utopian communism and one of the pioneers of the French Encyclopedist movement. He stood on the rationalist stand, arguing that primitive communism was the golden age of human society that conformed to "reason," an ideal social system worth adopting in the modern and future eras. Engels highly praised Morelly's ideas and doctrines, considering his theories as the "direct communist theories" of the 18th century. Morelly's ideas had a profound influence on Babeuf and the Babouvists of late 18th-century France.