What Is Property? · Character

Charles Fourier

The utopian socialist of association whose imagined harmonies Proudhon summons to the witness stand, only to cross-examine the premises beneath them.

supporting

Also known as Fourier

First appearance: what is property

As a supporting figure in What Is Property?, Charles Fourier is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Referenced indirectly via 'La Phalange', the Fourierist journal Proudhon edited.

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Fourier belongs to the circle of philosophers Proudhon questions in turn — spiritualist, materialist, eclectic — before turning to law. His doctrines of association represent one of the rival answers to the property question that Proudhon must clear away to make room for his own. The critique of Fourier matters because it shows that even the most radical reformers of the age left the core institution untouched.

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Character Web

27 connections

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Relationship types

Rivalry
Friendship
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Character groups

Moral and legal authorities
Protagonist
Broad intellectual and political spectrum

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This passage marks the dramatic climax because it reveals the terrifying logical endpoint of property's tyrann…

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Relationships

Pierre Joseph Proudhon
rivalry · negative
Fourier and Proudhon were competing socialist theorists with fundamentally different… How this plays out →
M. Victor Considérant
friendship · positive
St. Simon
rivalry · negative
Pierre Joseph Proudhon
rivalry · negative
Fourier and Proudhon were competing socialist theorists with fundamentally different… How this plays out →

Pierre Joseph Proudhon
Fourier and Proudhon were competing socialist theorists with fundamentally different visions of social organization.
M. Victor Considérant
Victor Considérant was a devoted disciple and follower of Fourier, promoting his utopian socialist ideas.
St. Simon
Fourier and Saint-Simon were competing founders of socialist schools, each advocating different utopian systems.
Pierre Joseph Proudhon
Fourier and Proudhon were competing socialist theorists with fundamentally different visions of social organization.

Relationship notes

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In the story

Charles Fourier appears across 4 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

P. J. Proudhon
Referenced indirectly via 'La Phalange', the Fourierist journal Proudhon edited.
§ 6: That in Society All Wages Are Equal
Mentioned as proponent of the maxim 'To each according to his capital, his labor, and his skill,' which Proudhon refutes.
Eighth Proposition
Referenced indirectly through the Fourierists, whom Proudhon criticizes as enemies of equality.
Endnotes
Fourier and his disciples are criticized for their myths, allegories, and defense of property.

Chapter companion notes

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See Charles Fourier in P. J. Proudhon