The Future of Humanity in the Concept of Pierre Leroux

Abstract

The doctrine of Pierre Leroux, one of the leaders of Сhristian socialism, which had a significant impact on literature and philosophy of the industrial epoch, are analyzed. Following H. Saint-Simon, P. Leroux spoke of a golden age waiting for humanity in the future. The past of the Earth, according to Leroux, is filled with evil and suffering. The French thinker saw the reason for this in the division among people, dictated by privileges and delusions. Highlighting the family, property and the state as the main forms of social existence, he associated with distortions of their essence all the disasters of the human race. Humans are not inherently angry, but are influenced by stagnant social constraints. Leroux considered caste spirit as the most important source of political injustice and human suffering. In his desire to find a solution to the most acute social contradictions of the epoch, Leroux made a large-scale attempt to synthesize religion and philosophy. He regarded Christianity as a moral truth, but incomplete, more prophetic than finished. According to Leroux, religious and philosophical insights of the past should be combined with the idea of improving humanity. The idea of ​progress, therefore, takes on a system-forming meaning in his doctrine. The philosopher envisaged the peaceful transformation of the social system. Man must realize his own nature in its completeness, understand the inextricable connection linking him with his fellow men and the universe as a whole. Then, focusing on the achieved knowledge, he will be able to build the right relations about property. The family and the state will cease to serve as a means of oppressing people. In Leroux’s project it is easily traces the intention to combine all the spiritual conquests of mankind in the final system. But it is impossible to preserve equally all the achievements of the past. In addition, a significant drawback of Leroux’s project is its distracted, metaphysical nature. At the same time, the call itself to give great importance to mercy in human history can hardly be considered completely outdated.