A social and economic system developed by French philosopher Charles Fourier that proposed organizing society into self-contained communities called phalansteries based on the idea of harmonious cooperation and satisfying human passions.
From the name Charles Fourier (1772-1837), a French utopian socialist, plus the suffix -ism meaning a system or doctrine. The term emerged in the 19th century as followers of Fourier's ideas sought to implement his vision of ideal communities.
Fourier believed humans had exactly 810 distinct passions that needed to be satisfied, and he designed communities where everyone could find meaningful work—it sounds crazy, but his ideas influenced real socialist experiments and even inspired the design of some intentional communities that still exist today.
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