FESSLER Damien

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The work published in 1838 by Antoine-Augustin Cournot (1801-1877), Recherches sur les principes mathématiques de la théorie des richesses (Research on the mathematical principles of the theory of wealth), is considered to be a precursor of modern economics, particularly through the influence it exerted on marginalist economists from the end of the 19th century. Nevertheless, the approach taken by Cournot in 1838 cannot be understood independently of the intellectual context of its appearance. The aim of this thesis is to shed light on the conditions of the use of mathematics in the Recherches, by placing this approach within the framework of theoretical questions specific to classical political economy and by providing an epistemological perspective. This thesis shows that, far from constituting a break with the dominant economic theory, the approach of the Recherches reflects, on the contrary, Cournot's attachment to the classical concept of value, characterized by the coexistence of several registers of evaluation, hierarchical and articulated between them. This thesis also shows the originality of Cournot's epistemological stance and the way in which he conceived of the intervention of mathematics in knowledge.

The work published in 1838 by Antoine-Augustin Cournot (1801-1877), Recherches sur les principes mathématiques de la théorie des richesses (Research on the mathematical principles of the theory of wealth), is considered to be a precursor of modern economics, particularly through the influence it exerted on marginalist economists from the end of the 19th century. Nevertheless, the approach taken by Cournot in 1838 cannot be understood independently of the intellectual context of its appearance. The purpose of this work is to shed light on the conditions of the use of mathematics in the Recherches, by placing this approach within the framework of theoretical questions specific to classical political economy and by providing an epistemological perspective. This thesis shows that, far from constituting a break with the dominant economic theory, the approach of the Recherches reflects, on the contrary, Cournot's attachment to the classical concept of value, characterized by the coexistence of several registers of evaluation, hierarchical and articulated between them. This thesis also shows the originality of Cournot's epistemological posture and the way in which he conceived of the intervention of mathematics in knowledge.