| It is generally believed that economics as an independent discipline was marked by the publication of Smith’s Wealth of Nations in 1776,but before Smith,there were already numerous economists who thought rationally about the laws of human economy and society,Cantillon being one of the lesser known of the many forefathers of economics.Before the Wealth of Nations was written,economic thought in modern Europe had been greatly contributed to by the mercantilists of Britain and France.Cantillon himself was deeply influenced by British mercantilism and brought the British mercantilist economic theory to the French theoretical community in his own way.This paper explores the background of Cantillon’s economic thought,analyzing the reasons for his economic thought from his biography and the background of the time he lived in,especially focusing on Cantillon’s transnational life experience and the two financial bubbles he personally experienced,both of which had an important impact on his economic thought.Second,Cantillon’s theory of land value and its derivatives,social class theory and labor value theory,are analyzed,with particular attention to Cantillon’s view of land as the source of all social wealth,with the cost of goods determined by the land required.This definition of wealth by Cantillon is a natural consequence of his theory of land value.Subsequently,Cantillon’s view of wealth is analyzed.Cantillon’s view of wealth was influenced by the mercantilist ideology prevalent at the time,and Cantillon,as a successful multinational financial banker at the time,naturally had his unique views on the operation and views of the financial industry,such as his belief that banks were more useful to small countries than to large ones,as well as his adherence to the gold standard and his opposition to credit money,all of which theories were the the result of practical experience.Cantillon applied his view of wealth to nation building and proposed ways to make the country rich and strong,which is why he was once classified as a so-called "mercantilist".Finally,he analyzes and summarizes the position of Cantillon’s economic thought in the history of Western economic thought,and evaluates Cantillon’s economic thought.Cantillon’s life experience and economic thought show that social consciousness is profoundly influenced by social existence,and Cantillon’s life experience has an important influence on his economic thought. |