Le montant total des richesses d'une nation est-il une grandeur constante? Le paradoxe de Graslin

• Published in: Revue économique 1956-07, Vol.7 (4), p.605-613
• Main Author: Bousquet, G.-H
• Format: Article
• Language: eng ; fre
• ISSN: 0035-2764; 1950-6694
• DOI: 10.2307/3497293

The author wishes to discuss the affirmation of a 18th century French economist - Graslin - for whom the total amount of a nation's wealth is a constant value. It is not a question of an objective monetary or technical evaluation of wealth, which has very little significance, but of a subjective evaluation alluding to the idea " of a total sum of needs, which is nothing but the love of well-being ". Consequently, the absolute sum of the riches is composed of the sum of loves of well-being and does not vary. To understand this paradox, it is necessary to set forth some postulates - not explicit in Graslin's theory - which form the basis of this reasoning. But these postulates are very debatable, and they come up against decisive objections. Nevertheless, the author recognizes an underlying element of truth in Graslin's reasoning. The love of well-being has its limits. Consequently, if we want to measure wealth according to the amount of satisfaction procured from it, the total sum of wealth evaluated is necessarily limited. In his conclusion the author takes Graslin's theory up again, but under a different form: the total satisfaction that humanity draws from its riches undoubtedly varies very little, and it is very independant of its total amount.