Ferdinando Galiani, (born December 2, 1728, Chieti, Italy—died October 30, 1787, Naples), Italian economist whose studies in value theory anticipated much later work.
Galiani served in Paris as secretary to the Neapolitan ambassador (1759–69). Thereafter, he performed government service in Naples, where he helped to formulate and administer economic policy.
Galiani wrote in both French and Italian, and his letters are valuable for their depiction of economic, social, and political life in 18th-century Europe. His correspondents included Denis Diderot, Voltaire, and Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot. He also carried on a spirited intellectual debate with Abbé André Morellet, the spokesman of the Physiocrats.
Galiani published two treatises, Della moneta (1750; “On Money”) and Dialogues sur le commerce des blés (1770; “Dialogues on the Grain Trade”), both of which display clarity of methodological presentation, despite his basic eclecticism. In the first work, he evolved a theory of value based on utility and scarcity; this depth of thinking on economic value would not be seen again until discussions of marginal utility developed in the 1870s. Galiani’s second treatise stressed the necessity for the regulation of commerce—an argument that opposed the physiocrats, who advocated complete freedom.
Learn More in these related Britannica articles:
Denis Diderot, French man of letters and philosopher who, from 1745 to 1772, served as chief editor of the Encyclopédie, one of the principal works of the Age of Enlightenment.…
Voltaire, one of the greatest of all French writers. Although only a few of his works are still read, he continues to be held in worldwide repute as a courageous crusader against tyranny, bigotry, and cruelty.…
Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot, baron de l'Aulne
Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot, baron de l’Aulne, French economist who was an administrator under Louis XV and served as the comptroller general of finance (1774–76) under Louis XVI. His efforts at instituting financial reform were blocked by the privileged classes.…
André Morellet, French economist and miscellaneous writer, an associate of the Philosophes and a contributor to the Encyclopédie.Educated by the Jesuits in Lyon and at the Sorbonne, Morellet took holy orders, but his designation of abbé was the chief thing clerical…
Social scienceSocial science, any discipline or branch of science that deals with human behaviour in its social and cultural aspects. The social sciences include cultural (or social) anthropology, sociology, social psychology, political science, and economics. Also frequently included are social and economic…