著者

後藤 浩子

出版者

法政大学経済学部学会

雑誌

経済志林 (ISSN:00229741)

巻号頁・発行日

vol.80, no.1, pp.1-31, 2012-09

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In the research field of Irish history, William Petty (1623-87) has been seen as an English absentee who was granted land in Ireland during the Cromwellian era as a result of the Down Survey he carried out. Also, in the history of economic thought, he has been recognized as a founder of political arithmetic. Only scant attention has been paid to the relationship between his writings and his background. Recent research on Petty, however, has not only created an awareness of the importance of his concern to have Ireland improve and progress but has also given considerable attention to the context of his writings. In broad terms, his writings can be understood as a politico-economic theory of settlements for the purpose of the governance of the British Empire. This paper principally aims to analyze the formation of governmental reason (raison gouvernementale) in Petty's writings. To begin with, we define Michel Foucault's concept of governmentality (gouvernementalité) and his view on the formation of politico-economic thought in Great Britain, and compare this with the opinions of J. G. A. Pocock. Then, we analyze the influence of Francis Bacon and Thomas Hobbes on Petty, and, finally, we describe him as a founder of the Irish tradition of governmental reason.