# Charles Fourier — What Is Property? character guide

> Charles Fourier in What Is Property? by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Fourier

**First appearance:** 0002-what-is-property

## Snapshot

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

## Who they are

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.

## Relationships

### [Pierre Joseph Proudhon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/characters/pierre_joseph_proudhon)

_rivalry_

Fourier and Proudhon were competing socialist theorists with fundamentally different visions of social organization.

### [M. Victor Considérant](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/characters/m_victor_considerant)

_friendship_

Victor Considérant was a devoted disciple and follower of Fourier, promoting his utopian socialist ideas.

### [St. Simon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/characters/st_simon)

_rivalry_

Fourier and Saint-Simon were competing founders of socialist schools, each advocating different utopian systems.

### [Pierre Joseph Proudhon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/characters/pierre_joseph_proudhon)

_rivalry_

Fourier and Proudhon were competing socialist theorists with fundamentally different visions of social organization.

## In the story

### [P. J. Proudhon](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/p-j-proudhon)

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

### [§ 6: That in Society All Wages Are Equal](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/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](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/eighth-proposition)

Referenced indirectly through the Fourierists, whom Proudhon criticizes as enemies of equality.

### [Endnotes](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/chapters/endnotes)

Fourier and his disciples are criticized for their myths, allegories, and defense of property.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/characters/charles_fourier
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/what_is_property_se/characters