Politics · Philosophy · Science · 1809–1865
Born: 15 January 1809 · Died: 19 January 1865 · Age at death: 56
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon died aged 56. He was born on 15 January 1809 and died on 19 January 1865.
French philosopher widely regarded as the father of modern anarchism
Did you know?He is famous for coining the provocative phrase "property is theft" in one of his earliest published works.
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon was a printer who taught himself to read philosophy. He then shook it. His answer to his own question 'What is property?' became a slogan: 'Property is theft.' He imagined societies built on free agreement and cooperation. He was jailed and exiled. His ideas shaped anarchism and the labour movement. His influence spread across Europe. He argued with Karl Marx, who mocked his ideas in print. Many trade unions and cooperatives still carry traces of his thinking.
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon (also US:; French:; 15 January 1809 – 19 January 1865) was a French anarchist, socialist, philosopher, and economist who founded mutualist philosophy and is considered by many to be the "father of anarchism".
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Profile
French philosopher, born 1809
Pierre-Joseph Proudhon was born in Besançon on 15 January 1809.
He was the first to call himself an anarchist.
He wrote What Is Property?.
He was jailed for criticising Louis-Napoléon.
Career highlights
Did you know?As a boy he worked as a cowherd in the Jura countryside.
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