"Property is robbery!" This slogan coined by the French political philosopher Pierre-Joseph Proudhon is one of his answers to the titular question of his 1840 treatise, What Is Property? A fervent attack against the established order of capitalism and private property, the publication of What Is Property? almost immediately led to Proudhon's official prosecution and the revocation of Proudhon's scholarship by the Academy of Besançon. (Proudhon, an autodidact of humble ori...

The System of Economic Contradictions, or Philosophy of Poverty (French: Système des contradictions économiques ou Philosophie de la misère often erroneously referred to as The Philosophy of Misery) is a work by Pierre-Joseph Proudhon published in 1846.According to George Lichtheim, the "doctrine that emerged went something like this: what people really needed were use values, whereas they were actually being offered exchanges values by the market. These represented thesis and antithesis; ...

"What is Property? An Inquiry into the Principle of Right and of Government" is a seminal work by French philosopher and socialist Pierre-Joseph Proudhon, first published in 1840. In this book, Proudhon famously declares that "property is theft," arguing against the concept of property rights as conventionally understood and critiquing the economic and social injustices they perpetuate. Proudhon examines the nature of property and its relation to freedom and justice, challenging contempora...

What is Property?, by P. J. Proudhon.

"The letters of Proudhon, even outside the circle of his particular friends, will always be of value; we can always learn something from them, and here is the proper place to determine the general character of his correspondence."It has always been large, especially since he became so celebrated; and, to tell the truth, I am persuaded that, in the future, the correspondence of Proudhon will be his principal, vital work, and that most of his books will be only accessory to and corrob...

"The letters of Proudhon, even outside the circle of his particular friends, will always be of value; we can always learn something from them, and here is the proper place to determine the general character of his correspondence."It has always been large, especially since he became so celebrated; and, to tell the truth, I am persuaded that, in the future, the correspondence of Proudhon will be his principal, vital work, and that most of his books will be only accessory to and corroborative...

"The letters of Proudhon, even outside the circle of his particular friends, will always be of value; we can always learn something from them, and here is the proper place to determine the general character of his correspondence. "It has always been large, especially since he became so celebrated; and, to tell the truth, I am persuaded that, in the future, the correspondence of Proudhon will be his principal, vital work, and that most of his books will be only accessory to and corroborativ...

I affirm the REALITY of an economic science. This proposition, which few economists now dare to question, is the boldest, perhaps, that a philosopher ever maintained; and the inquiries to follow will prove, I hope, that its demonstration will one day be deemed the greatest effort of the human mind. I affirm, on the other hand, the ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY as well as the PROGRESSIVE nature of economic science, of all the sciences in my opinion the most comprehensive, the purest, the best supporte...

What is property? An inquiry into the principle of right and of government is a philosophical and political work that critically examines the foundations of ownership, justice, and governance. Opening with a bold challenge to established definitions of property, the text questions whether the institution truly serves fairness or perpetuates inequality. The author argues that conventional justifications - be they rooted in labor or codified in law - collapse under close scrutiny, framing pr...

I affirm the REALITY of an economic science.This proposition, which few economists now dare to question, is the boldest, perhaps, that a philosopher ever maintained; and the inquiries to follow will prove, I hope, that its demonstration will one day be deemed the greatest effort of the human mind.I affirm, on the other hand, the ABSOLUTE CERTAINTY as well as the PROGRESSIVE nature of economic science, of all the sciences in my opinion the most comprehensive, the purest, the b...

'One of the most vigorous thinkers of the age ... the prophet of modern society.' The New York TimesPierre-Joseph Proudhon was one of the most important and influential political theorists of the 19th century. On publication, Proudhon's first significant book What Is Property? created a sensation - in its pages, he declared 'I am an anarchist' and 'Property is theft!' The latter is Proudhon's - and potentially anarchism's - most famous quote, but ...

"I affirm the reality of an economic science. This proposition, which few economists now dare to question, is the boldest, perhaps, that a philosopher ever maintained; and the inquiries to follow will prove, I hope, that its demonstration will one day be deemed the greatest effort of the human mind. I affirm, on the other hand, the absolute certainty as well as the progressive nature of economic science, of all the sciences in my opinion the most comprehensive, the purest, the best support...