'Philosophie économique' and money in France, 1750-1776 : the stakes of a transformation

Gilbert Faccarello (1) , Philippe Steiner (2)

1 TRIANGLE - Triangle : action, discours, pensée politique et économique
2 GEMAS - Groupe d'étude des méthodes de l'analyse sociologique

The developments of political economy in France between 1750 and 1776 did not allocate a central place to the discussion of the nature and functions of money. The object of this paper is to account for this fact and what it denotes: the disappearance of money as a central object in the discourse on economy and society. We outline the context of this mutation in relation to the ideas of Montesquieu, Gournay and Forbonnais. The actors of this change will then be considered: the promoters throughout these years of 'philosophie économique' i.e., Quesnay, the Physiocrats and Turgot. An analysis of these authors, together with a founder of this perspective, Boisguilbert, will show how the status and role of money was modified, and illuminate the issues involved. This transformation can be related to the affirmation of a new political discourse whose foundations are rooted in economic interest.

Mots clés: Boisguilbert; Quesnay; Le Mercier de la Rivière; Turgot; Money; Free trade; French political economy; French Enlightenment; Philosophie économique; Monnaie; Liberté du commerce; Economie politique française; XVIIIe siècle

Domaines: Economies et finances

Gilbert Faccarello, Philippe Steiner. 'Philosophie économique' and money in France, 1750-1776 : the stakes of a transformation. European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 2012, 9 (3), pp.325-353. ⟨10.1080/09672567.2012.683020⟩. ⟨halshs-00728486⟩