What is Property? An Inquiry into the Principle of Right and of Government by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (1809 - 1865) · LibriVox

PJ Proudhon, his life and works, Part 2

·36 min·3 clips

Proudhon's 1845 work reveals his unexpected interest in religious history alongside economic studies.

This episode continues the biography of French philosopher Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, focusing on his intellectual development and writings in the mid-1840s. It details his engagement with religious history and the crucial influence of German philosophy on his work. The narration draws from historical accounts to trace the evolution of his thought. In March 1845, Proudhon published a religious work titled *Le Miserere, or The Repentance of a King* in the *Revue Indépendante*. This publication coincided with the Lenten sermons of the preacher Lacordaire in Lyon. The episode notes Proudhon's ongoing, yet unfinished, project to write a history of early Christian heresies. This planned work aimed to detail the struggle of Christianity against Caesarism. A significant turning point was his encounter with the German thinker Charles Grün during the winter of 1844-45. Grün had traveled to France to study philosophical and socialistic systems. Because Proudhon did not know German, he could not read Hegel's works, which were then untranslated. Charles Grün personally conveyed the substance of Hegelian ideas to Proudhon through long conversations. These discussions with Grün decisively shaped the form, though not the core ideas, of a major work Proudhon was preparing. The episode clarifies that Proudhon's fundamental ideas remained his own, described as belonging "exclusively to the Besson-Tin-Thin." The influence pertained specifically to the structure and presentation of his forthcoming book. This highlights how Proudhon synthesized external philosophical frameworks with his original economic and social theories. The narrative underscores that his intellectual pursuits were broad, spanning economics, religion, and philosophy simultaneously. The tone is educational and historical, presenting a straightforward chronological account of Proudhon's life and influences. The style is formal and descriptive, akin to an audiobook or academic lecture. Listeners interested in the history of socialist thought, Hegelian philosophy, or 19th-century intellectual history would find this episode valuable. Those seeking a direct discussion of Proudhon's political theories rather than his biography might prefer a different episode.

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