Saint-Simon

Henri de Saint-Simon (17 October 1760 – 19 May 1825), was a French political and economic theorist and businessman whose thought played a substantial role in influencing politics, economics, sociology, and the philosophy of science.

He established a political and economic ideology known as industrialism. He wrote about an industrial class which he also labeled the "working class".

He said an effective society and an efficient economy needed to recognize and fulfill. As a businessman, he defined the working class as not just manual laborers alone. The working class included all people engaged in productive work that contributed to a healthy society, from businesspeople and managers, innovators and scientists, and even bookkeepers, bankers, and pastors.

He believed the greatest threat to the industrial class was another class he called the idling class. He did not consider businessmen, their managers, and other innovators were not a part of the idling class. The idling class were the capable people who chose to be parasitic and benefit from the work of others while often avoiding doing some productive work.

Saint-Simon stressed the need a merit-based hierarchy in society and in the economy rather than the "equality of outcome" approach we hear from socialists of today. He advocated a society having hierarchical merit-based organizations of managers and innovators to be the decision-makers in business and even limited government. He strongly criticized any expansion of government intervention into the economy beyond ensuring no hindrances to productive work and reducing idleness in society. He believed that any intervention by government beyond these to functions as too intrusive.

• "Today, for the first time since the existence of societies it is a question of organizing a totally new system; of replacing the celestial with the terrestrial, the vague by the positive, and the poetic by the real." Henri de Saint-Simon

If you need help:

Or want to help others:

Join The Living Network of The Companies of Ten
The Living Network | Join Local group | About | Purpose | Guidelines | Network Removal
Contact Minister | Fractal Network | Audacity of Hope | Network Links