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The focus of this paper is to examine to what extent Henri De Saint-Simon, social philosopher's ideas are in fact a living force in contemporary economic life, particularly in French-style economic planning. In many respects the dominant mood of Saint-Simon's era was similar to that which characterized France after the World War II. Saint-Simon shared with many of his contemporaries a great fear of further revolutionary upheavals. However, unlike the traditionalists, he advocated the establishment of a new society based on the emerging forces of industry and science, not a revival of institutions based on concepts lacking relevance to a new age. In a well-known parable he maintained that the loss of princes, military leaders, bishops, idle land-owners, and others who held social prominence would have only a negligible effect on society, while the disappearance of the nation's merchants, industrial leaders, scientists, and workers would cripple the community. The task of the nation, therefore, should be to replace the stagnant forms of the past with social and economic organizations conducive to efficient production and distribution.