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42-613: Richard and Dorothea Tyler, two artists who met while attending the Chicago Institute of Fine Art c.  1956 , established the Uranian Phalanstery in 1974. The organization was a work in progress, beginning in the late 1950s, when the couple first moved into two adjacent buildings in the Lower East Side. These buildings housed the organization for over thirty years. Due to physical deterioration of

84-438: A "decent minimum" for those unable to work. He used the word "civilization" in a pejorative sense; as such, "Fourier's contempt for the respectable thinkers and ideologies of his age was so intense that he always used the terms philosopher and civilization in a pejorative sense. In his lexicon civilization was a depraved order, a synonym for perfidy and constraint ... Fourier's attack on civilization had qualities not to be found in

126-466: A complete change in the social institutions: distribution of the social product according to need, assignment of functions according to individual faculties and inclinations, constant mutation of functions, short work periods, and so on. But the possibility of "attractive labor" ( travail attrayant ) derives above all from the release of libidinal forces . Fourier assumes the existence of an attraction industrielle which makes for pleasurable co-operation. It

168-444: A corps of fairies who would soon cure them of their lovesickness, and visitors could consult the card-index of personality types for suitable partners for casual sex. He also defended homosexuality as a personal preference for some people. Anarchist Hakim Bey describes Fourier's ideas as follows: In Fourier's system of Harmony all creative activity including industry, craft, agriculture, etc. will arise from liberated passion—this

210-436: A diverse range of texts, religions and spiritual practices, specifically the teachings of Fourier , who recommended the reorganization of society into small communities (phalansteries), living in common. The Phalanstery was concerned with confronting the ethos of society, interjecting spiritual aspects into everyday life, and pioneering what is now referred to as 'new age' ideas. Richard viewed creativity as "a mantic procedure of

252-423: A situation which was to continue until 1914. In 1926, Belgium as well as France experienced depreciation and an abrupt collapse of confidence, leading to the introduction of a new gold currency for international transactions, the belga of 5 francs, and the country's withdrawal from the monetary union, which ceased to exist at the end of the year. The 1921 monetary union of Belgium and Luxembourg survived and formed

294-534: A wider audience. Key publications of the Uranian Press include: Charles Fourier François Marie Charles Fourier ( / ˈ f ʊr i eɪ , - i ər / ; French: [ʃaʁl fuʁje] ; 7 April 1772 – 10 October 1837) was a French philosopher , an influential early socialist thinker, and one of the founders of utopian socialism . Some of his views, held to be radical in his lifetime, have become mainstream in modern society. For instance, Fourier

336-414: Is based on the attraction passionnée in the nature of man, which persists despite the opposition of reason, duty, prejudice. This attraction passionnée tends toward three principal objectives: the creation of "luxury, or the pleasure of the five senses"; the formation of libidinal groups (of friendship and love); and the establishment of a harmonious order, organizing these groups for work in accordance with

378-658: Is credited with having originated the word feminism in 1837. Fourier's social views and proposals inspired a whole movement of intentional communities . Among them in the United States were the community of Utopia, Ohio ; La Reunion near present-day Dallas, Texas ; Lake Zurich, Illinois ; the North American Phalanx in Red Bank, New Jersey ; Brook Farm in West Roxbury, Massachusetts ;

420-625: Is equivalent to €0.00152449. A separate ( franc CFP ) circulates in France's Pacific territories , worth €0.0084 (formerly 0.055 French franc). In 1981, the Comoros established an arrangement with the French government similar to that of the CFA franc. Originally, 50 Comorian francs were worth 1 French franc. In January 1994, the rate was changed to 75 Comorian francs to the French franc. Since 1999,

462-523: Is said to derive from the Latin inscription francorum rex ( King of the Franks ) used on early French coins and until the 18th century, or from the French franc , meaning "frank" (and "free" in certain contexts, such as coup franc , "free kick"). The countries that use francs today include Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and most of Francophone Africa . The Swiss franc is a major world currency today due to

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504-497: Is the famous theory of "attractive labor." Fourier sexualizes work itself—the life of the Phalanstery is a continual orgy of intense feeling, intellection, & activity, a society of lovers & wild enthusiasts. Fourier supported women's rights . He believed that all important jobs should be open to women on the basis of skill and aptitude rather than closed on account of gender. He spoke of women as individuals, not as half

546-723: The Community Place and Sodus Bay Phalanx in New York State; Silkville, Kansas , and several others. In Guise , France, he influenced the Familistery of Guise  [ fr ; de ; pt ] . Fourier later inspired a diverse array of revolutionary thinkers and writers. Fourier was born in Besançon , France, on 7 April 1772. The son of a small businessman, Fourier was more interested in architecture than in his father's trade. He wanted to become an engineer, but

588-478: The lira on a similar basis in 1862. In 1865, France, Belgium, Switzerland and Italy created the Latin Monetary Union (to be joined by Spain and Greece in 1868): each would possess a national currency unit (franc, lira, peseta, drachma) worth 4.5 g of silver or 0.290 322  g of gold (fine), all freely exchangeable at a rate of 1:1. In the 1870s the gold value was made the fixed standard,

630-704: The French franc, was introduced in the Saar Protectorate in 1948. On 1 January 1957, the territory joined the Federal Republic of Germany , nevertheless, in its new member state of Saarland , the Saar franc continued to be the currency until 6 July 1959. The name of the Saar franc in German, the main official language in the Protectorate, was Franken . Coins displaying German inscriptions and

672-472: The French nationalists). Fourier was one of the writers to argue that Jews were disloyal and would not make good French citizens. Like others, he placed great significance on the religious restrictions prohibiting Jews from eating at the same table as non-Jews: he confined himself to sitting down at table and drinking; he refused to eat any of the dishes, because they were prepared by Christians. Christians have to be very patient to tolerate such impertinence. In

714-579: The Jewish religion it denotes a system of defiance and aversion for other sects. Now, does a sect which wishes to carry its hatred as far as the table of its protectors, deserve to be protected? The influence of Fourier's ideas in French politics carried forward into the 1848 Revolution and the Paris Commune by followers such as Victor Considerant . "When, as a consequence of human improvement", said I, "the globe shall arrive at its final perfection,

756-469: The Mediterranean in a future phase of Perfect Harmony. Fourier said Jews were "the leprosy and the ruin of the body politic". He criticized the government for being weak and "prostrate" when confronted with what he called a "secret and indissoluble league" of Jews. Post-Medieval antisemitic rhetoric often accused Jews of being unable to assimilate into a unitary national culture (highly valued by

798-476: The Phalanstery was influenced by the contemporary psychedelic movement and made contact with innovative creators and thinkers including Peter Shauman, Axel Gross, Timothy Leary , Monroe Wheeler , Al Hensson, Claes Oldenburg , Ornette Coleman, Thom D'Vita, Nick Bubash, and Ed Hardy. The Uranian Press was started by Richard in the late 1950s and served as a means for the Phalanstery to spread their message to

840-534: The ability to mint its own currency, the Liechtenstein franc , which it does from time to time for commemorative or emergency purposes. The name of the country "Swiss Confederation" is found on some of the coins in Latin ( Confoederatio Helvetica ), as Switzerland has four official languages, all of which are used on the notes. The denomination is abbreviated "Fr." on the coins which is the abbreviation in all four languages. The Saar franc , linked at par to

882-536: The basis for full economic union in 1932. Like the French franc, the Belgian and Luxembourg francs ceased to exist on 1 January 1999, when they became fixed at 1 EUR = 40.3399 BEF/LUF, thus a Belgian or Luxembourg franc was worth €0.024789. Old franc coins and notes lost their legal tender status on 28 February 2002. One Luxembourg franc was equal to one Belgian franc. Belgian francs were legal tender inside Luxembourg, and Luxembourg francs were legal tender in

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924-474: The course of events. He saw a world full of strife, chaos, and disorder. Fourier is best remembered for his writings on a new world order based on unity of action and harmonious collaboration. He is also known for certain utopian pronouncements, such as that the seas would lose their salinity and turn to lemonade , and a coincidental view of climate change , that the North Pole would be milder than

966-609: The currency has been pegged to the euro. The conquest of most of western Europe by Revolutionary and Napoleonic France led to the franc's wide circulation. Following independence from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the new Kingdom of Belgium in 1832 adopted its own Belgian franc, equivalent to the French one, followed by Luxembourg adopting the Luxembourgish franc in 1848 and Switzerland in 1850. Newly unified Italy adopted

1008-443: The development of the individual "passions" (internal and external "play" of faculties). Fourier believed that there were 12 common passions, which resulted in 810 types of character, so the ideal phalanx would have 1,620 people. One day there would be six million of these, loosely ruled by a world " omniarch ", or (later) a World Congress of Phalanxes . He had a concern for the sexually rejected; jilted suitors would be led away by

1050-509: The end of his life, Fourier advocated the return of Jews to Palestine with the assistance of the Rothschilds . John K. Roth and Richard L. Rubenstein see Fourier as motivated by economic and religious antisemitism rather than the racial antisemitism that emerged later in the century. Fourier characterized poverty (not inequality) as the principal cause of disorder in society, and proposed to eradicate it by sufficiently high wages and

1092-687: The franc as their standard denomination. The value of the French franc was locked to the euro at 1 euro = 6.55957 FRF on 31 December 1998, and after the introduction of the euro notes and coins, ceased to be legal tender after 28 February 2002, although they were still exchangeable at banks until 19 February 2012. Fourteen African countries use the franc CFA (in west Africa, Communauté financière africaine ; in equatorial Africa, Coopération financière en Afrique centrale ), originally (1945) worth 1.7 French francs and then from 1948, 2 francs (from 1960: 0.02 new franc) but after January 1994 worth only 0.01 French franc. Therefore, from January 1999, 1 CFA franc

1134-456: The great ocean is to be converted into a particular kind of lemonade, such as was fashionable at Paris in Fourier's time. He calls it limonade a cedre. It is positively a fact! Just imagine the city docks filled, every day, with a flood tide of this delectable beverage! Francs The franc is any of various units of currency . One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes . The name

1176-554: The human couple. Fourier saw that "traditional" marriage could potentially hurt woman's rights as human beings and thus never married. Writing before the advent of the term "homosexuality", he held that both men and women have a wide range of sexual needs and preferences, which may change throughout their lives, including same-sex attraction and androgénité . He argued that all sexual expressions should be enjoyed as long as people are not abused, and that "affirming one's difference" can actually enhance social integration. Fourier's concern

1218-482: The intuitive function" and was dedicated to merging life with art by building a supportive, nurturing community of like-minded artists. In order to spread the message of the Phalanstery, Richard Tyler would sell publications as "The Uranian Press", along with political trinkets, from a pushcart which he would walk from his basement studio on 326 E. 4th Street to the corner of Judson Church, at Lafayette and E 4th Streets. Artists who were influenced by,

1260-400: The keys to social success. He believed that a society that cooperated would see an immense improvement in its productivity. Workers would be recompensed for their labor according to their contribution. Fourier saw such cooperation occurring in communities he called "phalanxes", based upon structures called Phalanstères or "grand hotels". These buildings were four-level apartment complexes where

1302-462: The local military engineering school accepted only sons of noblemen. Fourier later said he was grateful that he did not pursue engineering because it would have taken too much time away from his efforts to help humanity. When his father died in 1781, Fourier received two-fifths of his father's estate, valued at more than 200,000 francs . This enabled Fourier to travel throughout Europe at his leisure. In 1791 he moved from Besançon to Lyon , where he

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1344-481: The national currency from 1795 until 1999 (franc coins and notes were legal tender until 2002). Though abolished as a legal coin by King Louis XIII in 1641 in favor of the gold louis and silver écu , the term franc continued to be used in common parlance for the livre tournois . The franc was also minted for many of the former French colonies, such as Morocco, Algeria, French West Africa, and others. Today, after independence, many of these countries continue to use

1386-483: The original buildings, the Uranian Phalanstery moved to the Upper West Side in 2010. The organization is now run by Dorothea Tyler's protege, director and artist, Medi Matin. The Phalanstery's ideology, rights, benefits, and codes of conduct were detailed in a Manifesto, written by Richard, and expressed the fundamental purpose of the organization as: The Manifesto and the Phalanstery itself were influenced by

1428-595: The prominence of Swiss financial institutions . Before the introduction of the euro in 1999, francs were also used in France, Belgium and Luxembourg, while Andorra and Monaco accepted the French franc as legal tender ( Monégasque franc ). The franc was also used in French colonies including Algeria and Cambodia. The franc is sometimes Italianised or Hispanicised as the franco , for instance in Luccan franco . The franc

1470-419: The richest had the uppermost apartments and the poorest had ground-floor residences. Wealth was determined by one's job; jobs were assigned based on interest and desire. There were incentives: jobs people might not enjoy doing would receive higher pay. Fourier considered trade , which he associated with Jews, the "source of all evil", and advocated that Jews be forced to perform farm work in the phalansteries. By

1512-504: The stupefaction of "deceitful and degrading duties." He began writing. His first book was published in 1808 but sold few copies. After six years, it fell into the hands of Monsieur Just Muiron, who eventually became Fourier's patron. Fourier produced most of his writings between 1816 and 1821. In 1822, he tried to sell his books again but with no success. Fourier died in Paris in 1837. Fourier declared that concern and cooperation are

1554-510: The whole of Belgium. (In reality, Luxembourg francs were only accepted as means of payment by shops and businesses in the Belgian province of Luxembourg adjacent to the independent Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, this for historical reasons.) The equivalent name of the Belgian franc in Dutch and German, Belgium's other official languages, was frank . As mentioned before, in Luxembourg the franc

1596-423: The writing of any other social critic of his time." For Herbert Marcuse "The idea of libidinal work relations in a developed industrial society finds little support in the tradition of thought, and where such support is forthcoming it seems of a dangerous nature. The transformation of labor into pleasure is the central idea in Fourier's giant socialist utopia." Fourier insists that this transformation requires

1638-618: Was called Frang (plural Frangen ) in Luxembourgish . The Swiss franc ( ISO code : CHF or 756; German : Franken ; Italian : franco ), which appreciated significantly against the new European currency from April to September 2000, remains one of the world's strongest currencies, worth as of August 2023 just over one euro. The Swiss franc is used in Switzerland and in Liechtenstein. Liechtenstein retains

1680-459: Was employed by the merchant M. Bousquet. Fourier's travels also brought him to Paris, where he worked as the head of the Office of Statistics for a few months. From 1791 to 1816 Fourier was employed in Paris, Rouen , Lyon, Marseille , and Bordeaux . As a traveling salesman and correspondence clerk, his research and thought was time-limited: he complained of "serving the knavery of merchants" and

1722-594: Was originally a French gold coin of 3.87 g minted in 1360 on the occasion of the release of King John II ("the Good") , held by the English since his capture at the Battle of Poitiers four years earlier. It was equivalent to one livre tournois (Tours pound). The French franc was originally a gold coin issued in France from 1360 until 1380, then a silver coin issued between 1575 and 1641. The franc finally became

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1764-411: Was to liberate every human being, in two senses: through education and by liberating human passion. Fourier felt that "civilized" parents and teachers saw children as little idlers. But he himself believed that children as early as age two and three were very industrious. He listed children's dominant tastes as including: Fourier was deeply disturbed by the disorder of his time and wanted to stabilize

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