PROUDHON.It is logical; but I conclude the contrary,because man is the stronger.
AUTHOR.A contradiction, Master.
PROUDHON."Social equilibrium is the equalization of the strong and the weak. So long as the strong and the weak are not equal, they arestrangers, they cannot form an alliance, they areenemies."—1stMemoir on Property.
AUTHOR.Now, according to you, man is the strong and woman the weak of an identical species; social equilibrium ought therefore toequalizethem, that they may be neither strangers nor enemies.
PROUDHON.It is logical; but I claim that they should bemade unequalin society and in marriage. Man should have the prepotence,because he is the stronger.
AUTHOR.A contradiction, Master.
PROUDHON."From the identity of reason in all men, and the sentiment of respect which leads them to maintain their mutual dignity at any cost, follows equality before justice."—(Justice,Vol.III, etc.) All are born free: between individual liberties there is no other judge than equilibrium,which is equality; the identity of essence does not permit the creation of a hierarchy.—Vol.II, the whole of the 8thStudy.
AUTHOR.Now, woman is in essence identical with man. She is born free; between her and man there is, therefore, no other judge than equality; it is not permissible, therefore, to establish a hierarchy between them.
PROUDHON.It is logical. But I conclude, on the contrary, that it is necessary to create a hierarchy between the sexes, and to give the prepotence to man,because he is the stronger.
AUTHOR.A contradiction, Master.
PROUDHON."The dignity of the human soul consists in being unwilling to suffer any one of its powersto subordinatethe others, to require all to be at the service of the collective whole; this is morality, this is virtue. Whoever speaks of harmony or agreement, in fact, necessarily supposes terms in opposition. Attempt a hierarchy, a prepotence!you think to create order, you create nothing but absolutism."—Justice,Vol.II.
AUTHOR.Woman, according to you, forms with man an organism, that of justice. Now, according to you, the two halves of the androgynus have different qualities, which are required to harmonize with each other in equality under pain of creating absolutism instead of order; the feminine faculty is therefore required to form an equipoise with the masculine faculty.
PROUDHON.It is logical; but I conclude that the dignity of the humanitary androgynus lies in subjugating the feminine faculty and creating despotism,because man is the stronger.
AUTHOR.A contradiction, Master.
PROUDHON."Justice is the respect spontaneously felt for andreciprocally guarantiedto human dignity, inwhatever personand whatever circumstance it may be found compromised."—Justice,Vol.I.
AUTHOR.Now, woman is a human being, possessing a dignity which should be respected and guarantied by the law of reciprocity; therefore one cannot be wanting in respect to feminine dignity without being wanting in justice.
PROUDHON.It is logical; but although woman is a human being, identical in species with man, and although I believe that there is no other basis of right than equality, I nevertheless affirm that the dignity of woman is inferior to that of man,because he is the stronger.
AUTHOR.A contradiction, Master.
PROUDHON."Right is to each the faculty of exacting from others respect for human dignity in his person," duty is "the obligation of each to respect this dignity in another."—Justice,Vol.I.
AUTHOR.Now, woman being identical in species, man possesses a dignityequalto hers; therefore she should be respected in her dignity, that is, in her person, her liberty, her property, her affections; this is her right as a human being, and man cannot deny it without failing in justice and in his duty.
PROUDHON.It is logical. But I claim that woman has not the right which my principles attribute to her; that man alone has rights,because man is the stronger.
AUTHOR.A contradiction, Master.
PROUDHON."Liberty is anabsoluteright, because it is to man what impenetrability is to matter, a conditionsine qua nonof existence."—1stMemoir on Property.
AUTHOR.Now, woman is a human being, she has therefore anabsoluteright to liberty, which is her conditionsine qua nonof existence.
PROUDHON.It is logical. But I conclude, on the contrary, that woman has no need of liberty; that this conditionsine qua nonof existence for our species, does not regard one half of the species; that man alone cannot exist without liberty,because he is the stronger.
AUTHOR.A contradiction, Master.
PROUDHON."Equality is an absolute right,because without equality, there is no society."—Id.
AUTHOR.Now, woman is a human and social being; she has an absolute right, therefore, to this equality, without which she would be but a Pariah in society.
PROUDHON.It is logical. But I nevertheless conclude from this that woman has no more right to equality than to liberty. That, although of the same species as man, and consequently amenable to the law of equality, nevertheless she is not amenable to it, and should be unequal and in subjection to man,because he is the stronger.
AUTHOR.Fie, Master! To contradict yourself thus is disgraceful to your reputation. It would be better to maintain that woman has not the same rights as man, because she is of a different species.
PROUDHON.Woman is bound to feel that she does not possess a dignity equal to that of man; in the association formed between them to produce justice,the notions of right and duty shall be no longer correlative. Man shall have all rights, and shall accept only such duties as it shall please him to recognize.
AUTHOR.Reflect that man, after having denied the dignity and the right of woman, will labor to stultify her more and more in the interest of his despotism!
PROUDHON.That does not concern me: the family should be immured: the husband is priest and king therein. If, as in the case with all liberty oppressed, the woman grows restive, we will tell herthat she does not know herself, that she is incapable of judging and ruling herself; that she is a cypher; we will outrage her in her moral worth; we will deny her intellect and activity: and by dint of intimidating her, we will succeedin forcing her to be silent: for man must remain master,since he is the stronger!
AUTHOR.Deny and insult us, Master, this does us no harm: the lords of the Middle Age employed this method with their serfs, your sires ... we are now indignant at them. Slaveholders employed and still employ this method with the blacks, and the civilized world is indignant at them, slavery is restricted, and is on the way to disappear.
Meanwhile, I point out your contradictions to my readers; your authority over minds will be thereby lessened, I hope.
Those who claim, in accordance with the major of the preceding syllogisms, that you found right upon identity of species, an abstraction of individual qualities; that you believe right and duty correlative; that you desire equality and liberty, will be quite as nearly right as those who claim, in accordance with the conclusion of the same syllogisms, that you base right upon force, superiority of faculties; that you accept inequality and despotism, deny individual liberty and social equality, and do not believe in the correlation of right and duty.
If it is painful to you to have fallen into contradictions so monstrous, believe that it is not less painful to me to be forced, in the interest of my cause, to point them out to the world.
Having taken in hand the cause of my sex, I was under obligations to parry your attacks by turning against yourself your allegations against us.
It was necessary to do this, not by denials and declamations which prove nothing, or by affirmations without proofs, according to your method of proceeding; but by opposing to you science and facts; by making use onlyof the rational method which you extol without employing it, by charging you often with contradicting yourself when proofsde factowould have demanded too much detail and time.
You accuse women oftaking chimeras for realities. I have proved to you that you deserve this reproach, since your theory is in contradiction to science and facts.
You accuse women oferecting unreal analogies into principles.... I have proved that you have done so as well, in deducing from thepretendedabsence of physical germs in woman, the absence of intellectual and moral germs.
You accuse woman ofreasoning wrongly.... I have brought you face to face with your own principles, that you might draw from them contradictory conclusions.
You accuse woman of creating nothing butmedleys, monsters.... The anatomy of your theory proves that you know how to do so quite as well.
You accuse woman of lacking intellect, of want of justice, virtue, chastity.... I appeal from you to yourself, and you say positively the contrary.
Where you are fantastic, contradictory, I,a woman, appeal to logic.
Where you are wanting in method, I,a woman, employ scientific and rational method.
Where you contradict your own principles, I appeal to these same principles to judge and condemn you.
Which of us two is the more reasonable and more rational?
My modesty suffers, I acknowledge, at the thought that I have played the part ofMinerva shaming Ulyssesof his paradoxes and his profligacies. At last, this tiresome part is ended!
I have addressed so many harsh things to you in so firm and resolute a tone, that I should be sorry to quit you without a few friendly words coming from my heart. You ought to be fully convinced of my sincerity, for you see that you have to deal with a woman who shrinks from no one; who is never intimidated, however great may be her opponent, or whatever name he may bear. You may be my adversary: I shall never be your enemy, for I regard you as an honest man, a vigorous thinker, one of the glories of France, one of the great men of our Comté, always so dear to the heart of her children; lastly, one of the admirations of my youth. You and I belong to the great army that is assaulting the citadel of abuse, and endeavoring to mine and sap it; I do not shun this solidarity. Is it so necessary that we should fight? Let us live in peace; I can entreat it of you without stooping, since I do not fear you. Understand one thing that I tell you without bitterness: that you are incapable of understanding woman, and that by continuing the struggle, you will inevitably range her under the banner of the anti-revolutionists.
Your pride has set enmity between you and woman, and you have bruised her heel: no one would be more sorry than I to see her crush your head.