What Is Property? · Chapter
§ 6: That in Society All Wages Are Equal explained
Proudhon argues that in a just society, all wages must be equal because labor is a cooperative struggle against nature, not a competition between individuals.
What happens
Proudhon argues that in a just society, all wages must be equal because labor is a cooperative struggle against nature, not a competition between individuals. He critiques the St. Simonian and Fourierist maxims of rewarding according to capacity, capital, or labor, asserting that capital cannot legitimately yield income and that natural inequalities neutralize themselves through association. The chapter concludes that the only basis for inequality is property, and that equality of wages is both necessary and possible.
Themes in this chapter
Labor and Exploitation
Proudhon argues that labor is a cooperative struggle against nature, not a basis for unequal wages, and critiques the exploitation inherent in rewarding capital and capacity.
Equality and Justice
Central theme: Proudhon asserts that social equality demands equal wages, as natural inequalities neutralize themselves through association.
Critique of Law and Government
Proudhon critiques the St. Simonian and Fourierist principles as being influenced by the property idea and as antisocial.
Characters to notice
- Pierre Joseph Proudhon
Author and primary voice; argues for equal wages and critiques St. Simonian and Fourierist principles.
- Charles Fourier
Mentioned as proponent of the maxim 'To each according to his capital, his labor, and his skill,' which Proudhon refutes.
- St. Simon
Mentioned as proponent of the maxim 'To each according to his capacity, to each capacity according to its results,' which Proudhon critiques.
Key passages
“God said to man, 'In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,'—that is, thou shalt produce thy own bread: with more or less ease, according to thy skill in directing and combining thy efforts, thou shalt labor. God did not say, 'Thou shalt quarrel with thy neighbor for thy bread;' but, 'Thou shalt labor by the side of thy neighbor, and ye shall dwell together in harmony.'”
Proudhon interprets the biblical command as a call to cooperative labor alongside others, not as a license for competition or conflict over resources.
This passage grounds Proudhon's argument for equal wages in a moral and religious framework, emphasizing harmony over rivalry.
“The principle, To each according to his labor , interpreted to mean, Who works most should receive most , is based, therefore, on two palpable errors: one, an error in economy, that in the labor of society tasks must necessarily be unequal; the other, an error in physics, that there is no limit to the amount of producible things.”
Proudhon argues that the idea of unequal wages based on labor rests on false assumptions: that tasks are inherently unequal and that resources are unlimited.
This is a key critique of the St. Simonian and Fourierist maxims, highlighting Proudhon's economic and physical reasoning.