Doux commerce

Doux commerce, the idea that commerce could make social relations gentler, appears in the book as an Enlightenment faith in commerce’s civilizing effects. Its treatment is signposted through Albert O. Hirschman’s account, which the book singles out as an especially rich discussion of the subject.

Meaning and Context

The expression names a hopeful view of commerce: exchange is understood not only as economic activity but also as a possible influence on how people relate to one another. The evidence locates this belief in the Enlightenment, but does not specify the mechanisms by which commerce was thought to temper social conduct or identify particular advocates beyond the cited discussion.

Hirschman’s Account

The book directs readers to Albert O. Hirschman’s The Passions and the Interests for an especially rich treatment of the Enlightenment faith that commerce was “sweet.” The reference establishes Hirschman’s work as the central interpretive resource offered here; the evidence itself does not summarize his argument or set out its examples.

Scope in the Book

Doux commerce is presented as a historically situated belief about commerce’s social effects, rather than as a claim demonstrated in detail in this passage. The book’s concise pointer preserves the distinction between the idea and the fuller discussion available in Hirschman’s study, without supplying further historical particulars.