what is property-第34节

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〃But；〃　it　will　be　said；　〃suppose　there　are　some　people　who　wish　to　perform　only　half　of　their　task？〃　。　。　。　　Is　that　very　embarrassing？　　Probably　they　are　satisfied　with　half　of　their　salary。　　Paid　according　to　the　labor　that　they　had　performed；　of　what　could　they　complain？　and　what　injury　would　they　do　to　others？　　In　this　sense；　it　is　fair　to　apply　the　maxim；TO　EACH　ACCORDING　TO　HIS　RESULTS。　　It　is　the　law　of　equality　itself。

Further；　numerous　difficulties；　relative　to　the　police　system　and　the　organization　of　industry；　might　be　raised　here。　　I　will　reply　to　them　all　with　this　one　sentence；that　they　must　all　be　solved　by　the　principle　of　equality。　　Thus；　some　one　might　observe；　〃Here　is　a　task　which　cannot　be　postponed　without　detriment　to　production。　　Ought　society　to　suffer　from　the　negligence　of　a　few？　and　will　she　not　ventureout　of　respect　for　the　right　of　laborto　assure　with　her　own　hands　the　product　which　they　refuse　her？　　In　such　a　case；　to　whom　will　the　salary　belong？〃

To　society；　who　will　be　allowed　to　perform　the　labor；　either　herself；　or　through　her　representatives；　but　always　in　such　a　way　that　the　general　equality　shall　never　be　violated；　and　that　only　the　idler　shall　be　punished　for　his　idleness。　　Further；　if　society　may　not　use　excessive　severity　towards　her　lazy　members；　she　has　a　right；　in　self…defence；　to　guard　against　abuses。

But　every　industry　needsthey　will　addleaders；　instructors；　superintendents；　&c。　　Will　these　be　engaged　in　the　general　task？　　No；　since　their　task　is　to　lead；　instruct；　and　superintend。　　But　they　must　be　chosen　from　the　laborers　by　the　laborers　themselves；　and　must　fulfil　the　conditions　of　eligibility。　　It　is　the　same　with　all　public　functions；　whether　of　administration　or　instruction。

Then；　article　first　of　the　universal　constitution　will　be：

〃The　limited　quantity　of　available　material　proves　the　necessity　of　dividing　the　labor　among　the　whole　number　of　laborers。　　The　capacity；　given　to　all；　of　accomplishing　a　social　task；that　is；　an　equal　task；and　the　impossibility　of　paying　one　laborer　save　in　the　products　of　another；　justify　the　equality　of　wages。〃


％　7。That　Inequality　of　Powers　is　the　Necessary　Condition　of　Equality　of　Fortunes。


It　is　objected；and　this　objection　constitutes　the　second　part　of　the　St。　Simonian；　and　the　third　part　of　the　Fourierstic；　maxims；

〃That　all　kinds　of　labor　cannot　be　executed　with　equal　ease。　　Some　require　great　superiority　of　skill　and　intelligence；　and　on　this　superiority　is　based　the　price。　　The　artist；　the　savant；　the　poet；　the　statesman；　are　esteemed　only　because　of　their　excellence；　and　this　excellence　destroys　all　similitude　between　them　and　other　men：　in　the　presence　of　these　heights　of　science　and　genius　the　law　of　equality　disappears。　　Now；　if　equality　is　not　absolute；　there　is　no　equality。　　From　the　poet　we　descend　to　the　novelist；　from　the　sculptor　to　the　stonecutter；　from　the　architect　to　the　mason；　from　the　chemist　to　the　cook；　&c。　　Capacities　are　classified　and　subdivided　into　orders；　genera；　and　species。　　The　extremes　of　talent　are　connected　by　intermediate　talents。　　Humanity　is　a　vast　hierarchy；　in　which　the　individual　estimates　himself　by　comparison；　and　fixes　his　price　by　the　value　placed　upon　his　product　by　the　public。〃

This　objection　always　has　seemed　a　formidable　one。　　It　is　the　stumbling…block　of　the　economists；　as　well　as　of　the　defenders　of　equality。　　It　has　led　the　former　into　egregious　blunders；　and　has　caused　the　latter　to　utter　incredible　platitudes。　　Gracchus　Babeuf　wished　all　superiority　to　be　STRINGENTLY　REPRESSED；　and　even　PERSECUTED　AS　A　SOCIAL　CALAMITY。　　To　establish　his　communistic　edifice；　he　lowered　all　citizens　to　the　stature　of　the　smallest。　　Ignorant　eclectics　have　been　known　to　object　to　the　inequality　of　knowledge；　and　I　should　not　be　surprised　if　some　one　should　yet　rebel　against　the　inequality　of　virtue。　　Aristotle　was　banished；　Socrates　drank　the　hemlock；　Epaminondas　was　called　to　account；　for　having　proved　superior　in　intelligence　and　virtue　to　some　dissolute　and　foolish　demagogues。　　Such　follies　will　be　re…enacted；　so　long　as　the　inequality　of　fortunes　justifies　a　populace；　blinded　and　oppressed　by　the　wealthy；　in　fearing　the　elevation　of　new　tyrants　to　power。

Nothing　seems　more　unnatural　than　that　which　we　examine　too　closely；　and　often　nothing　seems　less　like　the　truth　than　the　truth　itself。　　On　the　other　hand；　according　to　J。　J。　Rousseau；　〃it　takes　a　great　deal　of　philosophy　to　enable　us　to　observe　once　what　we　see　every　day；〃　and；　according　to　d'Alembert；　〃the　ordinary　truths　of　life　make　but　little　impression　on　men；　unless　their　attention　is　especially　called　to　them。〃　　The　father　of　the　school　of　economists　（Say）；　from　whom　I　borrow　these　two　quotations；　might　have　profited　by　them；　but　he　who　laughs　at　the　blind　should　wear　spectacles；　and　he　who　notices　him　is　near…sighted。

Strange！　that　which　has　frightened　so　many　minds　is　not；　after　all；　an　objection　to　equalityit　is　the　very　condition　on　which　equality　exists！　。　。　。

Natural　inequality　the　condition　of　equality　of　fortunes！　。　。　。　　What　a　paradox！　。　。　。　　I　repeat　my　assertion；　that　no　one　may　think　I　have　blunderedinequality　of　powers　is　the　sine　qua　non　of　equality　of　fortunes。

There　are　two　things　to　be　considered　in　societyFUNCTIONS　and　RELATIONS。

I。　FUNCTIONS。　　Every　laborer　is　supposed　to　be　capable　of　performing　the　task　assigned　to　him；　or；　to　use　a　common　expression；　〃every　workman　must　know　his　trade。〃　　The　workman　equal　to　his　work；there　is　an　equation　between　functionary　and　function。

In　society；　functions　are　not　alike；　there　must　be；　then；　different　capacities。　　Further；certain　functions　demand　greater　intelligence　and　powers；　then　there　are　people　of　superior　mind　and　talent。　　For　the　performance　of　work　necessarily　involves　a　workman：　from　the　need　springs　the　idea；　and　the　idea　makes　the　producer。　　We　only　know　what　our　senses　long　for　and　our　intelligence　demands；　we　have　no　keen　desire　for　things　of　which　we　cannot　conceive；　and　the　greater　our　powers　of　conception；　the　greater　our　capabilities　of　production。

Thus；　functions　arising　from　needs；　needs　from　desires；　and　desires　from　spontaneous　perception　and　imagination；　the　same　intelligence　which　imagines　can　also　produce；　consequently；　no　labor　is　superior　to　the　laborer。　　In　a　word；　if　the　function　calls　out　the　functionary；　it　is　because　the　functionary　exists　before　the　function。

Let　us　admire　Nature's　economy。　　With　regard　to　these　various　needs　which　she　has　given　us；　and　which　the　isolated　man　cannot　satisfy　unaided；　Nature　has　granted　to　the　race　a　power　refused　to　the　individual。　　This　gives　rise　to　the　principle　of　the　DIVISION　OF　LABOR；a　principle　founded　on　the　SPECIALITY　OF　VOCATIONS。

The　satisfaction　of　some　needs　demands　of　man　continual　creation；　while　others　can；　by　the　labor　of　a　single　individual；　be　satisfied　for　millions　of　men　through　thousands　of　centuries。　　For　example；　the　need　of　clothing　and　food　requires　perpetual　reproduction；　while　a　knowledge　of　the　system　of　the　universe　may　be　acquired　for　ever　by　two　or　three　highly…gifted　men。　　The　perpetual　current　of　rivers　supports　our　commerce；　and　runs　our　machinery；　but　the　sun；　alone　in　the　midst　of　space；　gives　light　to　the　whole　world。　　Nature；　who　might　create　Platos　and　Virgils；　Newtons　and　Cuviers；　as　she　creates　husbandmen　and　shepherds；　does　not　see　fit　to　do　so；　choosing　rather　to　proportion　the　rarity　of　genius　to　the　duration　of　its　products；　and　to　balance　the　number　of　capacities　by　the　competency　of　each　one　of　them。

I　do　not　inquire　here　whether　the　distance　which　separates　one　man　from　another；　in　point　of　talent　and　intelligence；　arises　from　the　deplorable　condition　of　civilization；　nor　whether　that　which　is　now　called　the　INEQUALITY　OF　POWERS　would　be　in　an　ideal　society　any　thing　more　than　a　DIVERSITY　OF　POWERS。　　I　take　the　worst　view　of　the　matter；　and；　that　I　may　not　be　accused　of　tergiversation　and　evasion　of　difficulties；　I　acknowledge　all　the　inequalities　that　any　one　can　desire。＇1＇

＇1＇　I　cannot　conceive　how　any　one　dares　to　justify　the　inequality　of　conditions；　by　pointing　to　the　base　inclinations　and　propensities　of　certain　men。　　Whence　comes　this　shameful　degradation　of　heart　and　mind　to　which　so　many　fall　victims；　if　not　from　the　misery　and　abjection　into　which　property　plunges　them？




Certain　philosophers；　in　love　with　the　levelling　idea；　maintain　that　all　minds　are　equal；　and　that　all　differences　are　the　result　of　education。　　I　am　no　believer；　I　confess；　in　this　doctrine；　which；　even　if　it　were　true；　would　lead　to　a　result　directly　opposite　to　that　desired。　　For；　if　capacities　are　equal；　whatever　be　the　degree　of　their　power　（as　no　one　can　be　coerced）；　there　are　functions　deemed　coarse；　low；　and　degrading；　which　deserve　higher　pay；a　result　no　less　repugnant　to　equality　than　to　the　principle；　TO　EACH　CAPACITY　ACCORDING　TO　ITS　RESULTS。　　Give　me；　on　the　contrary；　a　society　in　which　every　kind　of　talent　bears　a　proper　numerical　relation　to　the　needs　of　the　society；　and　which　demands　from　each　producer　only　that　which　his　special　function　requires　him　to　produce；　and；　without　impairing　in　the　least　the　hierarchy　of　functions；