Markets, Science and Social Changes. Proudhon and the legacy oF Enlightenment

Name: Markets, Science and Social Changes. Proudhon and the legacy oF Enlightenment
Brand: Vita e Pensiero
Price: 6.00 EUR
Availability: OnlineOnly

digital

Article

Magazine

RIVISTA INTERNAZIONALE DI SCIENZE SOCIALI

Issue

RIVISTA INTERNAZIONALE DI SCIENZE SOCIALI - 2012 - 2

Title

Markets, Science and Social Changes. Proudhon and the legacy oF Enlightenment

Authors

Emiliano Bevilacqua, Vitantonio Gioia

Publisher

Vita e Pensiero

Format

Article |

Pdf

Pages

Online from

02-2012

Issn

0035-676X (print) | 1827-7918 (digital)

€ 6.00

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Description

This paper is focused on an often neglected aspect of Proudhon’s thought: his rich confrontation with the theoretical legacy of the Enlightenment authors (Rousseau, Diderot, A. Smith, Condorcet, etc.) about the nature of ‘‘commercial society’’ and the idea of social progress. Through the rethinking of the Enlightenment views, Proudhon builds an approach designed to inquire into the relationships between scientific advances and the increased awareness of social agents, in order to analyse the causes of economic and social changes. In this perspective Proudhon creates a new category of social progress that can explain the theoretical evolution of the social sciences and the dynamics of capitalistic society. At the centre of his analysis we find both an interesting and original reflection about the relationship between individuals and society, and about the evolution of human nature with reference to the idea of social ‘‘Justice’’.

Keywords: Proudhon, Enlightenment, Division of Labor, Political Economy, Social Progress.
JEL Classification: B12.