Charles Comte
Encyclopedia
Charles Comte (François-Charles-Louis Comte) was a French lawyer, journalist and political writer. In 1814 he founded, with Charles Dunoyer
, Le Censeur, the liberal journal. In 1820, he was found guilty of attacks against the King and went into exile in Switzerland where as professor of natural law, he taught at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. Following comments made by Fredric Jean Witt, a revolutionary, to the Bavarian police, and an intervention by the French police, Comte was forced to leave Switzerland. He took refuge in England for 18 months where he became acquainted with Jeremy Bentham
, and in 1825 he returned to France and began contributing to the Revue Americaine. In 1827 he published Traité de législation (4 volumes, in-8) (A Treaty of law) which outlined laws governing the development of companies and the reasons why development might be held back. The book established his reputation and earned him a Montyon Prize
. As an economist he followed the doctrines of Jean-Baptiste Say
whose daughter he married. He was active in the opposition which led to the July Revolution of 1830 and was elected a deputy in the Sarthe
in 1831 and again in 1834. In 1832 he was elected to the Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques.
“Newspapers could be of great utility, but the great importance which they attach to simple literary discussions, the indifference they have for anything which smacks of legislation, and the habit they have acquired of adulation (of the government), prevents one from hoping that they will busy themselves in enlightening citizens of their true interests. What they do not do, I propose to undertake.” (Journal des économistes, June 1846, vol. XIV, p.271)
“The revolution which brought about in France the fall of the Imperial government, without changing at all the direction of my ideas, forced me to choose a means of publication different from that which I had at first proposed. It seemed to me that in treating in succession questions of politics or legislation which circumstances threw up I would achieve my aim most surely and promptly. Observations applied to those events which one witnesses have greater impact than those observations made from a distance. The freedom to publicly present one's opinions, which the previous government had completely destroyed, was eventually proclaimed and it was imperative to take advantage of it. Because it is the same of liberty and power, one runs the great risk of losing it if one does not seize it the very instant when it appears.” (Traité de législation, 3rd ed, p. xiii)
Charles Dunoyer
Barthélemy-Charles-Pierre-Joseph Dunoyer de Segonzac was a French liberal economist....
, Le Censeur, the liberal journal. In 1820, he was found guilty of attacks against the King and went into exile in Switzerland where as professor of natural law, he taught at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. Following comments made by Fredric Jean Witt, a revolutionary, to the Bavarian police, and an intervention by the French police, Comte was forced to leave Switzerland. He took refuge in England for 18 months where he became acquainted with Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham
Jeremy Bentham was an English jurist, philosopher, and legal and social reformer. He became a leading theorist in Anglo-American philosophy of law, and a political radical whose ideas influenced the development of welfarism...
, and in 1825 he returned to France and began contributing to the Revue Americaine. In 1827 he published Traité de législation (4 volumes, in-8) (A Treaty of law) which outlined laws governing the development of companies and the reasons why development might be held back. The book established his reputation and earned him a Montyon Prize
Montyon Prizes
Montyon Prizes are a series of prizes awarded annually by the Académie Française. They were endowed by the French benefactor Baron de Montyon....
. As an economist he followed the doctrines of Jean-Baptiste Say
Jean-Baptiste Say
Jean-Baptiste Say was a French economist and businessman. He had classically liberal views and argued in favor of competition, free trade, and lifting restraints on business...
whose daughter he married. He was active in the opposition which led to the July Revolution of 1830 and was elected a deputy in the Sarthe
Sarthe
Sarthe is a French department, named after the Sarthe River.- History :The department was created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790, pursuant to the law of December 22, 1789, starting from a part of the province of Maine which was divided into two departments, Sarthe to the east and...
in 1831 and again in 1834. In 1832 he was elected to the Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques.
Quotes
Some quotes give a good feel for his work.“Newspapers could be of great utility, but the great importance which they attach to simple literary discussions, the indifference they have for anything which smacks of legislation, and the habit they have acquired of adulation (of the government), prevents one from hoping that they will busy themselves in enlightening citizens of their true interests. What they do not do, I propose to undertake.” (Journal des économistes, June 1846, vol. XIV, p.271)
“The revolution which brought about in France the fall of the Imperial government, without changing at all the direction of my ideas, forced me to choose a means of publication different from that which I had at first proposed. It seemed to me that in treating in succession questions of politics or legislation which circumstances threw up I would achieve my aim most surely and promptly. Observations applied to those events which one witnesses have greater impact than those observations made from a distance. The freedom to publicly present one's opinions, which the previous government had completely destroyed, was eventually proclaimed and it was imperative to take advantage of it. Because it is the same of liberty and power, one runs the great risk of losing it if one does not seize it the very instant when it appears.” (Traité de législation, 3rd ed, p. xiii)
External links
- http://homepage.mac.com/dmhart/FrenchClassicalLiberals/Comte/Comte-BioBibliography.html