PROUDHON. "The dignity of the human soul consists in being unwilling to suffer any one of its powers _to subordinate_ the others, to require all to be at the service of the collective whole; this is morality, this is virtue. Whoever speaks of harmony or agreement, in fact, necessarily supposes terms in opposition. Attempt a hierarchy, a prepotence! _you think to create order, you create nothing but absolutism._"--_Justice_, _Vol._ II. AUTHOR. Woman, according to you, forms with man an organism, that of justice. Now, according to you, the two halves of the androgynus have different qualities, which are required to harmonize with each other in equality under pain of creating absolutism instead of order; the feminine faculty is therefore required to form an equipoise with the masculine faculty. PROUDHON. It is logical; but I conclude that the dignity of the humanitary androgynus lies in subjugating the feminine faculty and creating despotism, _because man is the stronger_. AUTHOR. A contradiction, Master. PROUDHON. "Justice is the respect spontaneously felt for and _reciprocally guarantied_ to human dignity, in _whatever person_ and whatever circumstance it may be found compromised."--_Justice_, _Vol._ I. AUTHOR. Now, woman is a human being, possessing a dignity which should be respected and guarantied by the law of reciprocity; therefore one cannot be wanting in respect to feminine dignity without being wanting in justice. PROUDHON. It is logical; but although woman is a human being, identical in species with man, and although I believe that there is no other basis of right than equality, I nevertheless affirm that the dignity of woman is inferior to that of man, _because he is the stronger_. AUTHOR. A contradiction, Master. PROUDHON. "Right is to each the faculty of exacting from others respect for human dignity in his person," duty is "the obligation of each to respect this dignity in another."--_Justice_, _Vol._ I. AUTHOR. Now, woman being identical in species, man possesses a dignity _equal_ to hers; therefore she should be respected in her dignity, that is, in her person, her liberty, her property, her affections; this is her right as a human being, and man cannot deny it without failing in justice and in his duty. PROUDHON. It is logical. But I claim that woman has not the right which my principles attribute to her; that man alone has rights, _because man is the stronger_. AUTHOR. A contradiction, Master. PROUDHON. "Liberty is an _absolute_ right, because it is to man what impenetrability is to matter, a condition _sine qua non_ of existence."--1st _Memoir on Property_. AUTHOR. Now, woman is a human being, she has therefore an _absolute_ right to liberty, which is her condition _sine qua non_ of existence.