1001Philosophers

Henri de Saint-Simon 1760 – 1825

Claude Henri de Rouvroy, Comte de Saint-Simon, was a French political philosopher, theorist of industrial society, and one of the founders of socialist thought. Born to one of the oldest families of the French nobility, he served as a young officer in the American Revolution and survived a brief imprisonment during the Reign of Terror. His writings, including the Letters from an Inhabitant of Geneva and the New Christianity, argued that industrial society must be reorganized under the leadership of producers, scientists, and engineers in the service of the poorest class. He shaped the work of Comte and the early French socialists.

Key facts

Nationality
French
Era
Modern
Movements
Political

Selected quotes

  • Attributed to Henri de Saint-Simon:

    “From each according to his capacity, to each according to his work.”

  • Attributed to Henri de Saint-Simon:

    “Industrial society replaces feudal society.”

  • Attributed to Henri de Saint-Simon:

    “The whole of society ought to strive toward the amelioration of the moral and physical existence of the poorest class.”

  • Attributed to Henri de Saint-Simon:

    “The age of the producers replaces the age of the warriors.”

  • Attributed to Henri de Saint-Simon:

    “The new Christianity is the religion of progress.”