Barbon versus Locke sobre o valor da moeda

Abstract

The paper contrasts Nicholas Barbon's and John Locke's positions, in the 1690's English monetary debates about raising the money. Although Barbon's and Locke's arguments were referred to the English monetary setting of the 1690's, it can be argued that the issues pointed at and the theoretical achievements of the debates were instrumental to the constitution of monetary economics and of economic theory itself, a process unfolded in the late seventeenth century and eighteenth century. Locke's theory, in special, stood as a benchmark to monetary theory for a 150 years long period. The text follows Barbon's review of Locke's position on monetary issues, and tries to make an assessment of both authors contributions to monetary economics.