Pierre Leroux Redivivus

Reflecting growing evidence of a renewed interest in Pierre Leroux (1797-1871), the article uses the recent republication of the encyclopedist's La Grève de Samarez (1863-1865) as the basis for a restatement of his philosophy, which, arising in the ideological vacuum of post-Revolutionary France, is essentially an idealist synthesis of the doctrines of continuity and perfectibility. In the light of this philosophy Leroux proceeds to pass judgment on men and ideas dating from various periods of history and representative of the sweep of human knowledge: Byron, Spinoza, Malthus, Hugo . . . An attempt is made to assess Leroux's own place in the "history of ideas." (DAG) [Treatment of socialism.]