Critical Miscellanies (Vol. 2 of 3), Essay 2: Turgot

"Critical Miscellanies (Vol. 2 of 3), Essay 2: Turgot" by John Morley is a look into the life and mind of Anne-Robert-Jacques Turgot, a forward-thinking French figure during the buildup to the French Revolution. The story begins by introducing Turgot's birth in Paris in 1727, setting him against the backdrop of a society on the verge of dramatic change, and then presents him as a man of great intellect and strong morals who questioned the ways of the world around him and tried to fix its problems. Readers discover that Turgot's upbringing and learning at the Sorbonne, plus his relationships with other thinkers, shaped his groundbreaking ideas, and it also suggests his kind nature, his quiet personality, and his dedication to truth over personal gain, paving the way for a close examination of his lasting effects on thought, the economy, and government.