Considérant, Victor Prosper, 1808-93, French socialist; follower of Charles
Fourier. In 1837, at the death of Fourier, he became the acknowledged leader of Fourierism. He edited Fourierist newspapers, including the
Philanstère and the
Phalange, and published works on the subject, notably a digest of Fourier's writings,
Destinée sociale (2d ed. 1847-49). As a member of the national assembly, he took part in the
June Days insurrection (1848) and was forced to leave Paris and live in Belgium. At the request of Albert Brisbane, Considérant tried unsuccessfully to establish (1855-57) a Fourierist colony in Texas. His several books include
Principes du socialisme (1847), an argument favoring Fourierism over other kinds of socialism.
See biography by M. Dommanget (1929).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia Copyright © 2004.
Licensed from Columbia University Press