An economic philosophy for the republic
Elie Halévy, Alain, André Maurois
pp. 177-197
in: Riccardo Soliani (ed), Economic thought and institutional change in France and Italy, 1789–1914, Berlin, Springer, 2017Abstract
From the end of the 19th century, in coincidence with the establishment of the Republic, political economy recorded a rapid growth in France. The discipline developed in the Faculties of Law and in the School of Engineering, and on the side of sociology too. Economic reflection also progressed in the field of philosophy, especially in the new criticist circle of the Revue de métaphysique et de morale, founded in 1893 by a group of young philosophers. Elie Halévy was the economist of the group, and his work culminated in the article-manifesto "The principles of wealth distribution", that is discussed in the second part of the chapter, after the introduction. A debate ensued and the ideas of the article fueled some of the famous Propos that the philosopher Alain, friend of Halévy, devoted to economy (third part). Then the economic reflections of Alain found an echo in one of his students: the writer André Maurois (fourth part). Finally, in the fifth part some conclusions are proposed.