Audiobook A history of economic doctrines : from the time of the physiocrats to the present day

This work provides a comprehensive survey of the history of economic thought, beginning with the Physiocrats and their concept of the natural order and the net product. It explores the foundational contributions of Adam Smith, particularly the division of labour and the spontaneous coordination of economic life through personal interest. The text then examines the pessimistic turns taken by Malthus with his population theory and Ricardo with the law of rent, which shifted focus toward the complexities and conflicts of distribution. Subsequent sections address the antagonists of classical liberalism, including Sismondi, Saint-Simon, Fourier, List, and Proudhon, who highlighted crises, the flaws of competition, and the necessity of national or collective systems. The narrative moves through the apogee of liberalism under John Stuart Mill and Bastiat, followed by the significant schisms of the later nineteenth century: the Historical school, State Socialism, Marxism, and Christian Socialism. Finally, it surveys the modern or recent doctrines at the turn of the twentieth century, including hedonistic and mathematical economics, solidarism, and anarchism, illustrating the continuous struggle and synthesis within economic science.