"At this juncture, there came forward as a reformer a manufacturer 29-years-old – a man of almost sublime, childlike simplicity of character, and at the same time one of the few born leaders of men. Robert Owen had adopted the teaching of the materialistic philosophers: that man’s character is the product, on the one hand, of heredity; on the other, of the environment of the individual during his lifetime, and especially during his period of development. In the industrial revolution most of his class saw only chaos and confusion, and the opportunity of fishing in these troubled waters and making large fortunes quickly. He saw in it the opportunity of putting into practice his favorite theory, and so of bringing order out of chaos. ...The newly-created gigantic productive forces, hitherto used only to enrich individuals and to enslave the masses, offered to Owen the foundations for a reconstruction of society; they were destined, as the common property of all, to be worked for the common good of all."
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Social activistsAuthors from WalesPhilosophers from WalesBusinesspeople from WalesBusiness theorists from Wales
Original Language: English
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Sources
Friedrich Engels. Socialism, Utopian and Scientific (1901)
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Robert_Owen
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Robert Owen
Robert Owen (14 May 1771 – 17 November 1858) was a Welsh socialist and social reformer, considered to be the father of the cooperative movement.
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