ABSTRACT
Summary Bastiat was at once a man of science and a man of action. We retrace here the major milestones of his life as they relate to his background, his intellectual concerns, and his principal works. Along the way we will discover an original author who expresses himself in a distinctive, witty style, and one who is eager to contribute to the advancement of political economy. It will quickly become clear that he was far from being a simple defender of free trade or a crass pamphleteer, and that he was, above all, a brilliant liberal theorist. This chapter provides an initial overview.
