By holding these views he cuts himself off entirely from the revolutionary thinkers of his time to join those of the mid-nineteenth century. For this reason he can with some justice be called the first reasoned socialist. In his attempt to conciliate the conflicting demands of the individual with political fairness for all he still stands alone, despite Kropotkin and the anarchists. Related e. Wikipedia Wiktionary Shop. It was one of the earliest books on Sade.
Gorer pointed out that Sade was in complete opposition to contemporary philosophers for both his "complete and continual denial of the right to property " and for viewing the struggle in late 18th century French society as being not between "the Crown, the bourgeoisie, the aristocracy or the clergy, or sectional interests of any of these against one another", but rather all of these "more or less united against the proletariat.
Thus, Gorer argued, "he can with some justice be called the first reasoned socialist. Literary principles, ii. Miscellaneous works, iii. Aline et Valcour. Plan for a European Federa- tion.
Plan of legislation for the new re- public. When the monster legend is dissipated, it becomes clear that de Sade was a very remarkable and original thinker.
To-day we find the philosophical fathers of the French Revolution slightly ridiculous because they generally assumed that with the abolition of a particular set of abuses the golden age would return. De Sade saw a great deal further. He had no illusions about the natural goodness of man, but he believed that with com- plete economic and sexual equality human conditions could be greatly bettered. He anticipated the views of Mai thus on population, and the tolerance of the Danish penal code as regards sexual behaviour.
