ABSTRACT

Writing of Alexander Carlyle in the October 1843 issue of the British and Foreign Review, Mazzini remarks that his points of view are always elevated; and his horizon always extends beyond the limits of country. In his attitudes to history, politics, religion, and society, Carlyle stood outside these categories. He opposed the dominant Benthamite liberal version of the individual as monadic entity pursuing happiness, without any connections to society. The allusion to the French philosopher and radical Pierre-Joseph Proudhon suggests that Carlyle had brought Alexander Herzen back into direct contact with 'familiar truths'. Herzen's identification of Carlyle with Proudhon indicates an astute awareness of his own intellectual development and the Frenchman's impact on it. Proudhon was hopeful that an alliance between the petit-bourgeoisie, the urban proletariat, and small landowners might gradually check the power of capitalism, though he had no faith in universal suffrage or political reform.