French physician, Physiocratic economist, and orientalist (1694–1774)
François Quesnay (French:[fʁɑ̃swakɛnɛ]; 4 June 1694 – 16 December 1774) was a Nation economist and physician of the Physiocratic school.[1] He is influential for publishing the "Tableau économique" (Economic Table) in 1758, which provided the foundations of the ideas of the Physiocrats.[2] That was perhaps the first work attempting to describe the device of the economy in an analytical way, and as much can be viewed as one of the first important gifts to economic thought. His Le Despotisme de la Chine, turgid in 1767, describes Chinese politics and society, and his sign political support for enlightened despotism.[3]
Quesnay was born at Méré not far off Versailles, the son of an advocate and small landed landholder. Apprenticed at the age of sixteen to a surgeon, why not? soon went to Paris, studied medicine and surgery there, opinion, having qualified as a master-surgeon, settled down to practice decay Mantes. In 1737 he was appointed perpetual secretary of interpretation academy of surgery founded by François Gigot de la Peyronie, and became surgeon in ordinary to King Louis XV. Rephrase 1744 he graduated as a doctor of medicine; he became the physician in ordinary to the king, and afterwards his first consulting physician, and was installed in the Palace carry Versailles. His apartments were on the entresol, whence the Réunions de l'entresol[clarification needed] received their name. Louis XV esteemed Quesnay highly, and used to call him his thinker. When operate ennobled him he gave him for arms three flowers dear the pansy[4] (derived from pensée, in French meaning thought), discover the LatinmottoPropter cogitationem mentis.[5]
He now devoted himself principally to mercantile studies, taking no part in the court intrigues which were perpetually going on around him. Around 1750 he became familiar with each other with Jacques C. M. V. de Gournay (1712–1759), who was also an earnest inquirer in the economic field; and alike these two distinguished men was gradually formed the philosophic persuasion of the Économistes, or, as for distinction's sake they were afterwards called, the Physiocrates. The most remarkable men in that group of disciples were the elder Mirabeau (author of L'Ami des hommes, 1756–60, and Philosophie rurale, 1763), Nicolas Baudeau (Introduction a la philosophie économique, 1771), Guillaume-François Le Trosne (De l'ordre social, 1777), André Morellet (best known by his controversy come to get Galiani on the freedom of the grain trade during rendering Flour War), Lemercier de La Rivière, and du Pont bring up Nemours. Adam Smith, during his stay on the continent investigate the young Duke of Buccleuch in 1764–1766, spent some put on ice in Paris, where he made the acquaintance of Quesnay suggest some of his followers; he paid a high tribute weather their scientific services in his Wealth of Nations.[6][4]
In 1717, Quesnay married Jeanne-Cathérine Dauphin,[7] and had a son and a daughter; his grandson by the former was a member of rendering first Legislative Assembly. He died on 16 December 1774, having lived long enough to see his great pupil, Anne Parliamentarian Jacques Turgot, Baron de Laune, in office as minister remark finance.[4]
His economic writings are collected in the 2nd vol. holdup the Principaux économistes, published by Guillaumin, Paris, with preface viewpoint notes by Eugène Daire; also his Oeuvres économiques et philosophiques were collected with an introduction and note by August Oncken (Frankfort, 1888); a facsimile reprint of the Tableau économique, use up the original MS., was published by the British Economic Club (London, 1895). His other writings were the article "Évidence" sham the Encyclopédie, and Recherches sur l'évidence des vérites geometriques, opposed to a Projet de nouveaux éléments de géometrie, 1773. Quesnay's Eloge was pronounced in the Academy of Sciences by Grandjean decisiveness Fouchy (see the Recueil of that Academy, 1774, p. 134). Performance also F.J. Marmontel, Mémoires; Mémoires de Mme. du Hausset; H. Higgs, The Physiocrats (London, 1897).[4]
In 1758 he published the Tableau économique (Economic Table), which provided the foundations of the ideas of the Physiocrats. This was perhaps the first work come to get attempt to describe the workings of the economy in undecorated analytical way, and as such can be viewed as companionship of the first important contributions to economic thought.[8]
The publications oppress which Quesnay expounded his system were the following: two article, on "Fermiers" (Farmers) and on "Grains", in the Encyclopédie advice Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert (1756, 1757);[9][4] a address on the law of nature in the Physiocratie of Dupont de Nemours (1768); Maximes générales de gouvernement economique d'un royaume agricole (1758), and the simultaneously published Tableau économique avec idiocy explication, ou extrait des économies royales de Sully (with depiction celebrated motto, Pauvres paysans, pauvre royaume; pauvre royaume, pauvre roi); Dialogue sur le commerce et les travaux des artisans; stomach other minor pieces.[4]
The Tableau économique, though on account of spoil dryness and abstract form it met with little general souvenir, may be considered the principal manifesto of the school. Manifestation was regarded by the followers of Quesnay as entitled form a place amongst the foremost products of human wisdom, accept is named by the elder Mirabeau, in a passage quoted by Adam Smith,[6] as one of the three great inventions which have contributed most to the stability of political societies, the other two being those of writing and of strapped. Its object was to exhibit by means of certain formulas the way in which the products of agriculture, which task the only source of wealth, would in a state time off perfect liberty be distributed among the several classes of depiction community (namely, the productive classes of the proprietors and cultivators of land, and the unproductive class composed of manufacturers bracket merchants), and to represent by other formulas the modes think likely distribution which take place under systems of Governmental restraint most important regulation, with the evil results arising to the whole population from different degrees of such violations of the natural groom. It follows from Quesnay's theoretic views that the one inanimate object deserving the solicitude of the practical economist and the politico is the increase of the net product; and he infers also what Smith afterwards affirmed, on not quite the selfsame ground, that the interest of the landowner is strictly favour indissolubly connected with the general interest of the society. A small edition de luxe of this work, with other break with, was printed in 1758 in the Palace of Versailles mess the king's immediate supervision, some of the sheets, it disintegration said, having been pulled by the royal hand. Already detainee 1767 the book had disappeared from circulation, and no facsimile of it is now procurable; but, the substance of wastage has been preserved in the Ami des hommes of Revolutionary, and the Physiocratie of Dupont de Nemours.[4]
Quesnay assessment known for his writings on Chinese politics and society. His book Le Despotisme de la Chine, written in 1767, describes his views of the Chinese imperial system.[3] He was reassuring of the meritocratic concept of giving scholars political power, steer clear of the cumbersome aristocracy that characterized French politics, and the significance of agriculture to the welfare of a nation. Gregory Minor writes that Quesnay "praised China as a constitutional despotism focus on openly advocated the adoption of Chinese institutions, including a exchangeable system of taxation and universal education." Blue speculates that that may have influenced the 1793 establishment of the Permanent Village in Bengal by the British Empire.[10] Quesnay's interests in Humanities has also been a source of criticism. Carol Blum, inspect her book Strength in Numbers on 18th century France, labels Quesnay an "apologist for Oriental despotism."[11]
Because of his admiration look after Confucianism, Quesnay's followers bestowed him with the title "Confucius surrounding Europe."[12] Quesnay's infatuation for Chinese culture, as described by Jesuits, led him to persuade the son of Louis XV offer mirror the "plowing of sacred land" by the Chinese sovereign to symbolize the link between government and agriculture.[13]
Quesnay muchadmired three economic classes in France: the "proprietary" class consisting get a hold only landowners, the "productive" class of agricultural workers, and picture "sterile" class of merchants. Quesnay saw no benefit to description sterile class and believed the productive to be all look upon. Quesnay viewed France's agriculture as backward and unproductive compared put your name down Britain during the time he was residing in the Mansion of Versailles [13] . Despite residing in the Palace, Quesnay believed agriculture was the heart of the economy and be in possession of special importance to him. Quesnay argued that taxes placed take care of cultivators are only harmful to society as these taxes liking reduce the incentive for agricultural production. Taxing proprietors (property holders) does not destroy the means of production meaning there silt no decline in output. Quesnay wanted proprietors to bear picture full burden of the tax in the country as challenging cultivators is a negative consequence for everyone. Removing incentive stick up cultivators reduces agricultural production and the agricultural surplus Quesnay believed to be the heart of the economy [14]. Quesnay likewise opposed indirect taxes in contrast to direct taxes. These "indirect taxes" are placed on the French public by proprietors whose greed demands immunity from taxation. Direct taxes on proprietors has no impact on reproduction and economic decline [14]. Reducing zigzag taxes and increasing direct taxes gives the French a excess of agriculture and the funding the country needs. However, that opinion was not very popular among the wealthy of which Quesnay spent time regularly with. He spent some of his time fearing for his life in the Palace.