Money, exchange and division of labour in Rousseau's economic philosophy

Claire Pignol

The European Journal of the History of Economic Thought, 2010, vol. 17, issue 2, 199-228

Abstract: This paper examines the arguments advanced by Rousseau to explain his rejection of monetary exchange. First we show that the rejection of money as mean of exchange expresses a dismissal of any form of exchange, motivated by a need for independence. In Julie, the community of Clarens exemplifies an autarchic, paternalistic economy that is at once unequal and deceptive. To understand why Rousseau chose such a downbeat solution to the problems arising from the organisation of the division of labour, we make a parallel between the economic and amatory themes, showing in each case the dependence upon others produced by the development of amour-propre.

Keywords: Autarchy; happiness; independence; money; needs; Rousseau (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2010
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DOI: 10.1080/09672560903204734

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