Le Trosne, Guillaume François

Le Trosne, Guillaume François 

Born Oct. 13, 1728, in Orleans; died May 26, 1780, in Paris. French economist; Physiocrat.

Le Trosne systematically expounded the doctrines of the Physiocrats. He criticized mercantilism, proving that wealth is created in the sphere of production and not in the sphere of circulation and that the circulation of money is the result of the circulation of goods whose value it measures. Le Trosne understood the distinction between value and use value and advanced propositions that anticipated the labor theory of value. He was one of the first to use the term “capital.” K. Marx often referred to his works. Le Trosne also wrote books on legal problems.

WORKS

De l’intérêt social, par rapport a la valeur, a la circulation, à l’industrie et au commerce intérieur et extérieur. Paris, 1777.