François-Xavier-Joseph Droz
Encyclopedia
François-Xavier-Joseph Droz (dro; December 31, 1773 – November 9, 1850) was a French
writer on ethics
, political science and political economy.
He was born at Besançon
, where his family had supplied many notable members of the legal profession. Droz's own legal studies led him to Paris
in 1792; he arrived the day after the dethronement of King Louis XVI of France
, and was present during the massacres of September. On the declaration of war he joined the volunteer battalion of the Doubs, and for the next three years served in the Army of the Rhine.
Discharged on health grounds, he obtained a much more congenial post in the newly-founded école centrale of Besançon; and in 1799 he made his first appearance as an author by an Essai sur l'art oratoire (Paris, Fructidor, An VII.), in which he acknowledges his indebtedness more especially to Hugh Blair
.
Moving to Paris in 1803, he became friendly not only with the like-minded Ducis
, but also with the sceptical Cabanis
; and it was on this philosopher's advice that, in order to catch the public ear, he produced the romance of Lina, which Sainte-Beuve
has characterized as a mingled echo of Florian and Werther.
Like several other literary men of the time, he obtained a post in the revenue office known as the Droits runis; but from 1814 he devoted himself exclusively to literature and became a contributor to various journals. Already favorably known by his Essai sur l'art d'être heureux (Paris, 1806), his Éloge de Montaigne (1812), and his Essai sur le beau dans les arts (1815), he not only gained the Montyon Prize
in 1823 by his work De la philosophie morale ou des différents systèmes sur la science de la vie, but also in 1824 obtained admission to the Académie Française
.
The main doctrine that this treatise seeks to inculcate is that society will never be in a proper state until men have been educated to think of their duties and not of their rights. It was followed in 1825 by Application de la morale à la politique, and in 1829 by L'économie politique ou principes de la science des richesses, a methodical and clearly written treatise, which was edited by Michel Chevalier
in 1854. His next and greatest work was a Histoire du règne de Louix XVI in three volumes (Paris, 1839 1842). As he advanced in life, Droz became more and more decidedly religious, and the last work of his prolific pen was Pensées sur le christianisme (1842). In the words of Sainte-Beuve, "he was born and he remained all his life of the race of the good and the just."
He died in Paris.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
writer on ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
, political science and political economy.
He was born at Besançon
Besançon
Besançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...
, where his family had supplied many notable members of the legal profession. Droz's own legal studies led him to Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
in 1792; he arrived the day after the dethronement of King Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI of France
Louis XVI was a Bourbon monarch who ruled as King of France and Navarre until 1791, and then as King of the French from 1791 to 1792, before being executed in 1793....
, and was present during the massacres of September. On the declaration of war he joined the volunteer battalion of the Doubs, and for the next three years served in the Army of the Rhine.
Discharged on health grounds, he obtained a much more congenial post in the newly-founded école centrale of Besançon; and in 1799 he made his first appearance as an author by an Essai sur l'art oratoire (Paris, Fructidor, An VII.), in which he acknowledges his indebtedness more especially to Hugh Blair
Hugh Blair
Hugh Blair FRSE was a Scottish minister of religion, author and rhetorician, considered one of the first great theorists of written discourse....
.
Moving to Paris in 1803, he became friendly not only with the like-minded Ducis
Jean-François Ducis
Jean-François Ducis was a French dramatist and adapter of Shakespeare.-Biography:Ducis was born at Versailles....
, but also with the sceptical Cabanis
Pierre Jean George Cabanis
-Further reading:- Further reading :----...
; and it was on this philosopher's advice that, in order to catch the public ear, he produced the romance of Lina, which Sainte-Beuve
Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve
Charles Augustin Sainte-Beuve was a literary critic and one of the major figures of French literary history.-Early years:...
has characterized as a mingled echo of Florian and Werther.
Like several other literary men of the time, he obtained a post in the revenue office known as the Droits runis; but from 1814 he devoted himself exclusively to literature and became a contributor to various journals. Already favorably known by his Essai sur l'art d'être heureux (Paris, 1806), his Éloge de Montaigne (1812), and his Essai sur le beau dans les arts (1815), he not only gained the Montyon Prize
Montyon Prizes
Montyon Prizes are a series of prizes awarded annually by the Académie Française. They were endowed by the French benefactor Baron de Montyon....
in 1823 by his work De la philosophie morale ou des différents systèmes sur la science de la vie, but also in 1824 obtained admission to the Académie Française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
.
The main doctrine that this treatise seeks to inculcate is that society will never be in a proper state until men have been educated to think of their duties and not of their rights. It was followed in 1825 by Application de la morale à la politique, and in 1829 by L'économie politique ou principes de la science des richesses, a methodical and clearly written treatise, which was edited by Michel Chevalier
Michel Chevalier
Michel Chevalier was a French engineer, statesman, economist and free market liberal.-Biography:Born in Limoges, Haute-Vienne, Chevalier studied at the École Polytechnique, obtaining an engineering degree at the Paris École des mines in 1829.In 1830, after the July Revolution, he became a...
in 1854. His next and greatest work was a Histoire du règne de Louix XVI in three volumes (Paris, 1839 1842). As he advanced in life, Droz became more and more decidedly religious, and the last work of his prolific pen was Pensées sur le christianisme (1842). In the words of Sainte-Beuve, "he was born and he remained all his life of the race of the good and the just."
He died in Paris.