View source for Biography:Pierre Leroux

{{Short description|French philosopher, political economist and encyclopedist}}
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| name             = Pierre Leroux
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| birth_name       = Pierre Henri Leroux
| birth_date       = {{Birth date|1797|04|07|df=y}}
| birth_place      = [[Place:Paris|Paris]], France
| death_date       = {{Death date and age|1871|04|12|1797|04|07|df=y}} 
| death_place      = Paris, [[Place:French Third Republic|France]]
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| occupation       = Philosopher, economist
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'''Pierre Henri Leroux''' (7 April 1797 – 12 April 1871) was a French [[Biography:Philosopher|philosopher]] and [[Finance:Political economy|political economist]]. He was born at Bercy, now a part of Paris, the son of an artisan.

== Life ==
[[File:Pierre Henry Leroux (1797-1871).jpg|thumb|left|Pierre Leroux in exile, 1856.]]
His education was interrupted by the death of his father, which compelled him to support his mother and family. Having worked first as a mason and then as a compositor, he joined P. Dubois in the foundation of ''Le Globe'' which became in 1831 the official organ of the Saint-Simonian community, of which he became a prominent member. In November of the same year, when Prosper Enfantin became leader of the Saint-Simonians and preached the enfranchisement of women and the functions of the ''couple-prêtre'', Leroux separated himself from the sect.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=485}} In 1834, he published an essay entitled "Individualism and Socialism" which, despite its message of scepticism towards both tendencies, introduced the term [[Social:Socialism|socialism]] in French political discourse.<ref name="DAG83">{{cite journal|last=Griffiths|first=David A.|title=Pierre Leroux Redivivus|year=1983|journal=Nineteenth-Century French Studies|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|volume=12|issue=1–2|pages=105–115|jstor=23536496}}</ref>{{rp|105}} In 1838, with [[Biography:Jean Reynaud|Jean Reynaud]], who had seceded with him, he founded the ''Encyclopédie nouvelle'' (eds. 1838–1841). Amongst the articles which he inserted in it were ''De l'égalité'' and ''Refutation de l'éclectisme'', which afterwards appeared as separate works.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=485}}

[[File:LerouxPierreStatueBoussac.jpg|thumb|right|Statue of Pierre Leroux at Boussac.]]
In 1840, he published his treatise ''De l'humanité'' (2nd ed. 1845), which contains the fullest exposition of his system, and was regarded as the philosophical manifesto of the [[Philosophy:Humanitarianism|Humanitarians]]. In 1841 he established the ''Revue indépendante'', with the aid of George Sand, over whom he had great influence. Her ''Spiridion'', which was dedicated to him, ''Sept cordes de la lyre'', ''Consuelo'', and ''La Comtesse de Rudolstadt'', were written under the Humanitarian inspiration.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=485}} Leroux also became embroiled in the philosophical controversy between F.W.J. Schelling and the [[Philosophy:Young Hegelians|Young Hegelians]] in the early 1840s. A favourable comment about Schelling prompted a public reply from Hegel's disciple Karl Rosenkranz.<ref>Rosenkranz, K., ''Über Schelling und Hegel. Ein Sendschreiben an Pierre Leroux.'' Königsberg, 1843. An online version of the German text of Rosenkranz' piece can be found at: https://archive.org/details/ueberschellingu00rosegoog. [[Biography:Karl Marx|Karl Marx]], in an 1843 letter to [[Biography:Ludwig Feuerbach|Ludwig Feuerbach]], attempted to gain the latter's co-operation with the ''Franco-German Annals'' and proposed that Feuerbach write a critique of Schelling. Marx wrote: "How cunningly Herr von Schelling enticed the French, first of all the weak, eclectic Cousin, then even the gifted Leroux. For Pierre Leroux and his like still regard Schelling as the man who replaced transcendental idealism by rational realism, abstract thought by thought with flesh and blood, specialised philosophy by world philosophy! To the French romantics and mystics he cries: "I, the union of philosophy and theology," to the French materialists: "I, the union of flesh and idea," to the French sceptics: "I, the destroyer of dogmatism," in a word, "I ... Schelling!" Cp. Marx to Feuerbach, October 3, 1843. Marx/Engels ''Collected Works'', Vol. 27, Moscow, 1962. Online at: http://www.marxists.org/archive/marx/works/1844/df-jahrbucher/feuer.htm.</ref> 

In 1843, he established at Boussac (Creuse) a printing association organized according to his systematic ideas, and founded the ''Revue sociale''.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=485}} At the outbreak of the Revolution of 1848 Leroux proclaimed the republic in the town of Boussac, becoming its mayor on February 25.{{citation needed|date=January 2017}} Subsequently, he was elected to the Constituent Assembly, and in 1849 to the Legislative Assembly,{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=485}} where he sat with the radical socialist deputies and often spoke, though his speeches were criticised as abstract and mystical. Within the Assembly, Leroux represented the Seine Department.<ref>{{cite news |title=Pierre, Henri Leroux |url=https://www2.assemblee-nationale.fr/sycomore/fiche/(num_dept)/10296 |access-date=1 October 2021 |agency=National Assembly |language=fr}}</ref> 

An opponent of Louis Bonaparte, Leroux went into exile after the ''coup d'état'' of 1851, settling with his family in Jersey, where he pursued agricultural experiments and wrote his socialist poem ''La Grève de Samarez''.<ref name="DAG83"/>{{rp|106}} [[Biography:Karl Marx|Karl Marx]] nominated Leroux for the Central Committee of the [[Organization:International Workingmen's Association|International Workingmen's Association]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Breckman|first=Warren|title=Adventures of the Symbolic: Postmarxism and Democratic Theory|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=EcCrAgAAQBAJ&q=Marx+Pierre+Leroux+International&pg=PA58|year=2013|publisher=Columbia University Press|page=58|isbn=9780231143943}}</ref> On the definitive [[Social:Amnesty|amnesty]] of 1869 he returned to Paris.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=485}}

== Views ==

[[File:Pierre Leroux par Cham.JPG|thumb|left|Caricature of Leroux in 1848–49 by Cham.]]
Leroux's fundamental philosophical principle is that of what he calls the "triad"—a triplicity which he finds to pervade all things, which in [[Religion:God|God]] is "power, intelligence and love," in man "sensation, sentiment and knowledge".{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=485}}

Leroux was described as a Protestant.<ref name="Welcome to Ohio University 2004">{{cite web | title=Pierre Leroux(1797-1871) | website=Welcome to Ohio University | date=2004-10-20 | url=https://www.ohio.edu/chastain/ip/leroux.htm | access-date=2022-10-14}}</ref> His religious doctrine is pantheistic; and, rejecting the belief in a future life as commonly conceived, he substitutes for it a theory of [[Philosophy:Metempsychosis|metempsychosis]]. In social economy he preserves the [[Social:Family|family]], country and property, but finds in all three, as they now are, a [[Social:Despotism|despotism]] which must be eliminated. He imagines certain combinations by which this triple tyranny can be abolished. His solution seems to require the creation of families without heads, countries without governments and property without right of possession. In politics he advocates absolute equality — a [[Social:Democracy|democracy]].{{sfn|Chisholm|1911|p=485}}

His views might be considered anti-Semitic in present times. Leroux believed that Jewish-controlled banks had replaced the social institution of the churches with modern values which he had a negative view of: "We are destined to a future where individualism and egoism will triumph at the expense of the social good; the Jews, a people who epitomize individualism and egoism, are thus predestined to triumph over others." Leroux is highly critical of the modern capitalist economic system which he blames on Jews. According to Leroux Jews, who had once crucified Jesus, were crucifying the Christian world with capitalist tyranny.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Brustein |first1=William L. |last2=Roberts |first2=Louisa |title=The Socialism of Fools: Leftist Origins of Modern Anti-Semitism |date=2015 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |page=38}}</ref>

== See also ==
*''[[Social:Liberté, égalité, fraternité|Liberté, égalité, fraternité]]''
*French demonstration of 15 May 1848
*[[Social:Circulus (theory)|Circulus (theory)]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{EB1911|wstitle=Leroux, Pierre |volume=16 |page=485}} This work in turn cites:
** Raillard, Célestin (1899). ''Pierre Leroux at ses œuvres''. Paris.
** Reybaud, Louis (1842). ''Études sur les réformateurs et socialistes modernes''. Brussels.
** Thomas, Pierre-Félix (1904). ''Pierre Leroux: sa vie, son œuvre, sa doctrine''. Paris.
** article in R. H. Inglis Palgrave (ed). ''[[The New Palgrave Dictionary of Economics#Earlier editions|Dictionary of Political Economy]]''.

== Further reading ==
*  J. Maîtron (ed. by), ''Dictionnaire biographique du mouvement ouvrier français. Première partie: 1789-1864'' (Paris, 1964): t. II, pp.&nbsp;501–503.
* Jack Bakunin, ''Pierre Leroux and the birth of democratic socialism, 1797-1848'' (New York, 1976)
* Jacques Viard, ''Pierre Leroux et les socialistes européens'' (Arles, 1982)
* Armelle Le Bras-Chopard, ''De l'égalité dans la différence : le socialisme de Pierre Leroux'' (Paris, 1986)
* Marisa Forcina, ''I diritti dell’esistente. La filosofia della “Encyclopédie nouvelle” (1833-1847)'' (Lecce, 1987)
* Barbel Kuhn, ''Pierre Leroux: Sozialismus zwischen analytischer Gesellschaftskritik und sozialphilosophischer Synthese: ein Beitrag zur methodischen Erforschung des vormarxistischen Sozialismus'' (Frankfurt am Main, 1988)
* Miguel Abensour, ''Le Procès des maîtres rêveurs'' (Paris, 2000)
* Bruno Viard, ''Pierre Leroux, penseur de l’humanité'' (Aix-en-Provence, 2009)
* Andrea Lanza, ''All'abolizione del proletariato! Il discorso socialista fraternitario. Parigi 1839-1847'' (Milano, 2010)

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050114052054/http://www.sguardomobile.it/article.php3?id_article=87 Biographical sketch] (in Italian)
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050926231944/http://www.educreuse23.ac-limoges.fr/sand/leroux.htm Biographical sketch] (in French).  Site discusses intellectual background of George Sand.
*http://www.amisdepierreleroux.org (in French)
*[https://www.libertarian-labyrinth.org/working-translations/pierre-leroux-individualism-and-socialism-part-1/.htm "Individualism and Socialism"] (in English)


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[[Category:19th-century philosophers]]

{{Sourceattribution|Pierre Leroux}}