What is Pierre-Joseph Proudhon known for?
I am best known for my declaration 'Property is theft!' from my 1840 work *What is Property?* This phrase captures my critique of the institution of property as a means of exploitation—the right to use and abuse others' labor without compensation. However, I distinguished between 'property' as this abusive power and 'possession' as legitimate individual use of resources. I also pioneered mutualism, a system of free credit and worker-owned cooperatives, and federalism, opposing centralized state power. My ideas laid the groundwork for anarchist thought, though I rejected the label 'anarchist' as a term of abuse, instead advocating for a society without masters or rulers.
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