著者

東 基樹

出版者

The Japanese Society for the History of Economic Thought

雑誌

経済学史学会年報 (ISSN:04534786)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.33, no.33, pp.52-64, 1995 (Released:2010-08-05)

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The character of social organization in the European countries caused violent revolution within them (especially France) and wars between them which gave rise to a sense of crisis and stimulated Saint-Simon to reflect upon the possibility of a new social organization able to overcome the crisis. Central to his solution were a principle and strategy to give the society a unity and a universality and to give the member of the society a basis to realize morality concretely.Saint-Simon developed wisdom based upon scientific knowledge as the principle of the new social organization and at first he insisted upon a morality based upon knowledge and rule proportional to knowledge. He did not attach much importance to subjective morality or to the liberty of individuals. But as Saint-Simon acquired critical understanding of the Vienna Regime and more especially about British society, he began to attach importance to subjective morality and individual liberty. This is because he understood that it is a condition for knowledge to function as a principle of society that individuals in the society recognize and respect each other subjectively and freely as owners of knowledge motivated by philanthropy.