Comm5-RNE2: Men are selfish by nature; Fourier's Phalanxes

 

    This continues from Part 4 (Table of Contents in Part 1), a series presenting a new translation of C.F.W. Walther's Communism and Socialism from 1878. — Walther keeps his narrative simple – no academic terms – he just speaks to the heart when he says that we are selfish. If people are honest with themselves, they must admit this. But in so admitting, the wishful thinking of Communists falls to the ground. We see the first of Walther's many examples of this in this installment. I made a note in red below where the Wikipedia article was deficient on the history of Charles Fourier's Communist experiment. [Continued in Part 6]

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Translation of Walther's 1878 Communismus und Socialismus by BackToLuther primarily using DeepL online translation service; highlighting and bolding are my emphases, red text within square brackets [] are my comments, underlining is Walther's emphasis. Red highlight indicates omitted in 1947 translation.

C.F.W. Walther's Communism and Socialism, (Part 5, p. 16-20)

That is why it says here in the second place: [1947-28]

2. It is a fact that people are selfish by nature.

The Communists will have to admit: Yes, it is true, people will never agree to be made equal, they will have to be forced. But that would be completely against their own principle if they were to constantly force people to conform to these new conditions. Then the paradise which they pretend to want to build would be a true hell; the conditions would then become worse than they were before. No, man is selfish by nature. He who has not yet received a changed heart [page 17] thinks of himself first. Such a one says all the time: First I come, and then I come again, and then, at best, my neighbor comes a little bit. Man is full of envy by nature, he is full of ambition, full of greed. These are all wild beasts, which are natural in man, and which the Communist will therefore never be able to tame by reorganizing the social conditions. People do not merely want to have as much as they need — for the Socialists would not get any further than that every man has as much as he needs — no, most people want to have more, they want to have much, and the more they get, the greater their lust for riches becomes. The one who has acquired only a little wealth is as if he had drunk seawater, which does not quench his thirst, but only makes it greater, only more burning.

As terrible as the truth is, no man can deny it: Man is selfish by nature, and the selfish man does not want to be like another unless the other is far above him. All those who respond to the new Communist social constitution do so because they hope to get better. It is just that each one, when he considers the experience he has had with people, asks himself whether he believes that many people would be comfortable with the new order of things, if they knew that they would have less there. No, with the exception of a few enthusiasts, only those who think they will improve their situation will want to accept it. Therefore there is no other way that the Communists can achieve their ends, and even then only for a short time, but by bloody violence, by murder and fire.

They still did it that way when they wanted to achieve something. Those who really wanted to introduce these ideas into the world immediately realized that there was no other way than to knock the heads of the opponents off. [1947-29] But this is admittedly the greatest nonsense; and when they knock off thousands and millions of heads, new opponents of this system grow up again and again.

How much blood has been shed in France because of this, even during the first revolution in the nineties of the last century! Streams of blood flow. They started with the king: his head had to come off, his wife's head as well, and the heads of the princesses. Then it went to the bishops, to the priests, to the rich, to the distinguished ministers who had previously been at the helm. But what helps? No matter how much blood might be shed, there were still many thousands and thousands of secret enemies who were just waiting for the hour of redemption from this reign of terror. But is it not frightening that the people who want to make the whole world happy with the establishment of a paradisiacal state should begin to shed rivers of blood? Anyone who disagrees with them will be put to [page 18] death, often under terrible torture and torment!

No, it is a fact that men are selfish by nature, and this too proves that it is foolishness to want to help human society by outwardly making it the same. If one wants to help it, one gets rid of selfishness. Then it works. If the whole world were made up of true Christians, then it could easily introduce a certain Communism. But it would also have to be made up of strong Christians, because weak Christians can't bear it either. But so long as man remains in his selfishness, it is the greatest folly of the world to set the goal that all should become equal to each other, equally rich, equally honored. — Yes, in France, they went so far that they even said: “In education, too, no one may be higher than another;” and to show that equality alone is valid, all tall, slender trees must be cut down. Yes, it was already determined that the steeples should also be knocked down. These, of course, had another meaning because the steeples point up to heaven, and no one wanted to know anything more about it, but wanted to have it already here on earth. —

If, for example, someone has first put a great deal of effort into learning the profession or the art he practices, and now should not get more for his work than the other, who can do nothing more than move his healthy hands, then he will soon say: “I have no intention whatsoever of joining Communist society.” The mere manual worker, on the other hand, will say: “Yes, I want to put myself on an equal footing with the one who has had to prepare himself for many years in order [1947-30] to acquire his artistry.” If, of course, all were true Christians, they would say, “I do not work at all to gain money, but because God has commanded me to do so; but I expect my bread from God, because He has promised that if I worked faithfully He would not leave me or fail to do so.” But only a true Christian thinks like this. The natural man, on the other hand, thinks: “Why shall I work if it brings me nothing?” How many merchants are there who say, “Why should I stock this or that article?” They don't ask whether the public needs the goods, because they serve only themselves, and so it goes through all relations. One does not do only what serves one's neighbor, but that by which one can gain the most. That is the selfish principle of a natural man, as he is born into the world.

So if the poor world is to be helped, then, as I said, people must become Christians. That is the only way. Now, however, there are so many thousands who are called Christians, but they are not. Now the Communists see that and say: “What Christians! They are the greatest scoundrels in the world. And we must admit to them, [page 19] yes, indeed; among those who call themselves Christians there are many scoundrels who are not worthy to bear the Christian name. But when we talk about Christians, we are not talking about Christians by name, but about those who not only believe the Bible, but who also show, represent and carry out the principles contained in the Bible through their lives. These alone are Christians, and if all were such Christians, then heaven would already be on earth, and the cross, which of course is not absent, would be easy to bear. But of course no Communist believes this, because he does not know what it means to be a Christian. He is only interested in the mistakes and sins of those who call themselves Christians and perhaps also go to church, and now thinks: “What? Christianity should help the world? Aren't Christians worse than us?” And unfortunately one has to say: “Oh, you poor Communists! You are indeed fearfully offended, and woe unto him through whom this offense comes, for he makes you so stubborn that you now believe all the more firmly that Christianity is nothing. But it is still true: Men are selfish by nature, and they remain so as long as they do not become true Christians; therefore it is senseless to want to create a world in which every one is satisfied that he has no more than the other. [1947-31] 

One should not think that someone who has a lot does not want to have more than the other. One could make the case that there is a man who has $10,000, $100,000, $500,000, or even $1,000,000 in his fortune. Will he be comfortable to enter such a Communist society? The Communist [Charles] Fourier (died 1837) [not mathematician Joseph Fourier] wanted to establish his Communism in France and he got together here and there small Communist communities, which he then called Phalanstères. [Wikipedia] From 1800 to 2000 people had to live there together and had everything in common. There were no authorities, except the so-called “distributors”. For one had to have someone who said: “You get so much and you get so much; there you are to work and here you are to work.” But unfortunately there was only a lack of money. Fourier now announced in all the newspapers that a rich man should give away a million dollars for this purpose out of philanthropy. He (Fourier) wanted to go to a certain place every day and see if such a good man would come. He went there every day for 12 years, — but nobody came. And all his Phalanstères, without exception, have been bankrupted. [This was not reported in Wikipedia article. See also later pages 36-38, Part 10.]

Either these Communists, like Fourier, are enthusiasts, or they are swindlers. Now we would like to believe that those who stand at the top are mostly enthusiasts. Because they do not want to know anything more about Christianity, they have rather been thinking every day: “How do we begin to rebuild the failing world, to make it happy again?” — these are the things they have now thought about. But of course, what does it help? People won't be made happy by this means, but rather [page 20] only unhappy, and, just as the Communists go on and on telling people how terrible the conditions in the world are, so much the more firmly the thoughts set in all men, “How wretched is the world! how unhappy! we should strive for another goal.” This is the poison that the Communists feed the poor people. This is the poison that works all the more terribly, because we know that it will not change. There may be a thousand more Communist newspapers, but they will not turn the world upside down, they will not change it. So what do they gain? Nothing more than to make people feel unhappy. If the poor man thinks, “Well, I am poor, I cannot have it as the rich man can; but I will not worry, but surrender to it, if only I get through the world honestly,” — such a man is a very [1947-32] happy man, however poor he may be. Let us therefore hear now, as it says in the third proposition:

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