Charles Fourier: a ‘non-scientistic’ Conception of Justice

In this chapter, the authors demonstrate that the nature of the representation of the others as well as the attitude towards them determines the form of the social structure a thinker considers just and desirable. The idea of justice and the representation of the otherness are closely tied. The authors argue that the depth of Fourier's thought lies in this: not only is he delighted with the differences the human world harbours; he also makes use of all his theoretical and creative forces to achieve the conditions of the endless emancipation of differences. The chapter explains Fourier's conception of mankind. It focuses on Fourier's attitude towards the "negative", to borrow Hegel's terminology. The chapter explains Fourier's genuine appraisal of justice. In Fourier's system of thought there is a natural order as wished by God that has been perverted in Civilisation and that should be re-established in a 'societary order'.