You might not be able to recall much of your learning about the Enlightenment period, but you will see that Cantillon was a very important player in the events of that period. He interacted with all the important players back then including Issac Newton and Montesquieu. At one point, he even worked for the infamous John Law!

Cantillon was the person who discovered the principles of the market economy and especially of what’s called entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurs are responsible for the dramatic upward swing in the standard of living in the West over the last three centuries or so. Entrepreneurs include many of the famous industrial titans and inventors, while most of their names are lost to history, and of course they are ubiquitous around us—giving us jobs, goods, and services.

Such a person did actualy exist! He was at the center of the Enlightenment and the economics of the times. Other people used his theories and practices as the basis for their economic theories and business practices. Tellingly, he died a rich man. What sort of genius do you think he was?