Maclure of New Harmony: Scientist, Progressive Educator, Radical Philanthropist

10 Robert Owen, Maclure, and the Utopian Commune

153 Robert Owen, Maclure, and the Utopian Commune We have it in our power to begin the world over again Thomas Paine, Common Sense Intheeighteenthcentury,theunfoldingofthescientificspiritandthegrowing appetite for new knowledge were taken as harbingers of a better world; rationalanalysisbasedonsoundinformationwouldbehumanity’ssalvation. Sadly,eventsprovedotherwise,fortherestillremainedthevagariesofhuman nature, moral and intellectual inadequacy, and an ignorance that frustrated hopes for a heavenly kingdom on earth. With all the political turmoil, most ofthedreadfuloligarchiesremainedinplace,andinFrancearevolutionthat was cheered by liberal thinkers because it was guided by the promise of reason and the Enlightenment descended into a hell of its own—as one despot was replaced by a murderous band of ideologues, who in turn were replaced by Napoleon Bonaparte, a dictator responsible for the deaths of millions. Where did hope for a better future lie? Some intellectuals sought solace in the blandishments of the Romantic movement, while others began to formulate ideas about humane, cooperative, and egalitarian societies. For hundreds of years, people living under intolerable conditions had devisedcooperative ,communalisticschemes,somestrangeandmystic,othTen • 154 · Maclure of New Harmony ers based on traditional religious beliefs, to escape the brutalities of the world. But, alas, at best they met with little success. In the late eighteenth century, a new political-economic entity took form, a juggernaut called the Industrial Revolution, with its huge economicbenefitsanditsterriblehumandevastation .Whileitwasthemeans bywhichfabulouswealthwascreated,itwasalsopeculiarlysusceptibleto manipulation by the rich and powerful few who were empowered to exploitthemany —theworkers.IntheUnitedStates,thesituationwasmade worse throughout the nineteenth century by the immigration of throngs of impoverished Europeans and by the failure of the Jeffersonian agrarian movement, which led to the overcrowding of cities by the dispossessed. While Jacksonian populist democracy held the promise of an answer to the wretched problems of society, it was overwhelmed by a dynamic, exploitative capitalism where the dollar was king. In Maclure’s time, revolution in France had shaken the world, and with the weakening of the old systems, continued turmoil inspired thinkingaboutnewsocialandpoliticalarrangements —blueprintsforthebuilding of a just society. Three major socialist systems evolved that may be considered transitional in the early history of socialist thinking—SaintSimonian , Fourierist, and Owenite—each of which influenced Maclure, as reflected in his writing. All proposed in practical terms the creation of utopian socialist communities based on principles that promoted shared commitment and countered individualism and economic competitiveness , which were at the foundation of society’s devastating problems. Althoughtheydidnotadvocaterevolutionaryviolence ,theyhadlittleregard for politics or for existing governmental systems. They fervently believed that education was one of the keys to change. The dream of socialism was for the producers of the world to attain control of their destiny.1 One socialist plan was proposed by Claude-Henri de Rouvroy, comte de Saint-Simon, the impoverished descendent of Saint-Simon, the man who had recorded the events of Louis XIV’s court at Versailles. He had fought in the American Revolution and returned to France, only to lose his fortune during the French Revolution (and through unwise financial speculation). A man of brilliant historical insight and a visionary, he had witnessed the young Industrial Revolution and had seen its potential for both the creation of wealth and the disruption of society. He wrote of the coming industrial age, in which a new society would arise, organized Robert Owen, Maclure, and the Utopian Commune · 155 and controlled by captains of industry, while scientists and savants would tendtosociety’sspiritualneeds.Saint-Simonrecognizedwhathebelieved to be the religious nature of the human being, and while deeply critical of Christianity as it was practiced, he incorporated religious elements, its language and symbolism, into his program. In essence, he wished to create an “industrial religion” in which followers were exhorted to “love one another.” Saint-Simon attempted to fuse science with Christianity to forma“NewChristianity”inwhichheavenonearthwouldbecreatedbya humanizedindustry.Thenew“rational”systemwashierarchicalinnature, utilitarianinspirit,andinsistentonan“equalityofprivilege.”Saint-Simon proposed to do away with competition, inheritance, and the military, and women were to have rights and privileges equal to those of men. Whether private ownership of property should continue was not clearly addressed. The influence of the Saint-Simonian doctrine was far-reaching. Saint-Simon died in 1825, but he left an organization, a cult, whose able, selfless apostles, some with financial means, dedicated themselves to the spread of his doctrine. Ultimately, the movement lost momentum, and enthusiasm abated, but it was a major wellspring of the modern socialist movement and of utopian thought, with many of its ideas seeping intoprogressiveandradicalthinking,almostunacknowledged.KarlMarx considered Saint-Simon “among the most fertile thinkers of any age,”who...