Trust Society -- Contemporary French Thought and Culture Translation Series

Author: (French) Perroux
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-10-01
Features: French thought and culture have had a profound impact on the world. Descartes' rationalism, Montesquieu's legal philosophy, and Rousseau's political theory are important pillars in constructing Western modern thought and political culture. The doctrines of figures like Foucault, Derrida, and Deleuze laid the foundation for postmodern thought and political culture. Their revolutionary approach transformed human minds and societies. Our institution has always attached great importance to introducing Western learning and enlightening the masses by translating French thought and cultural works. In 1906, we published Yan Fu's translation of Montesquieu's De l'esprit des lois, setting a precedent. In 1918, we compiled and published the Shangzhi Society Series, which included many such works. Since then, numerous new translations have emerged, and over a century of translations have become a magnificent collection, greatly benefiting the development of Chinese thought and culture. Our institution's past translations of French works focused primarily on classical texts, mostly published as standalone volumes. To facilitate a comprehensive understanding of French thought and culture among scholars, we have now compiled this Contemporary French Thought and Culture Translation Series, systematically translating the major works of contemporary French thinkers.
Stances and viewpoints are not confined to a single school; any works that contribute to the development of thought and culture, whether modern or postmodern, are included. Disciplines are not limited to one field, such as philosophy, political science, history, religious studies, sociology, and anthropology, all of which are embraced. We hope to receive strong support from the academic community to make this series increasingly perfect.
What is development? What has driven modernity, progress, and economic growth? From Adam Smith, Karl Marx, and Max Weber to Fernand Braudel, people have continuously explored the roots of national wealth or poverty. Most thinkers emphasize material causes: capital, labor, natural resources, and climate. Could it be that ideas and attitudes are elements of development or underdevelopment? To test this highly promising hypothesis, Alain Perroux proposes a fresh look at the history of Western Christian nations from the 15th to the 18th centuries. He particularly demonstrates that Europe's development stemmed from what he calls the "virtue of trust"—a quality that broke traditional taboos, fostering innovation, mobility, competition, and a rational yet responsible entrepreneurial spirit. Isn't it precisely this trust that we need to reclaim today? How can we do so?