Abstract: The subject of this research is the biography of the English thinker, pamphleteer and politician Charles Davenant (1656-1714). The author examines Davenant’s life and activity, as well as factors that affected his career and determined the peculiarities of his writings. Different stages of his biography, particularly participation in the political struggle of England of the late XVII – early XVIII centuries are reviewed. Special attention is paid to the role of Davenant as the author of pamphlets and political treatises. The evolution of his views throughout a lifetime is being traced. In the course of this research, the author applies historical-biographical method, reconstructs his life circumstances, specifics and results of activity of the thinker in the context of his era. The novelty is defined by the relevance of studying C. Davenant’s heritage within the framework of English culture of the turn of XVII – XVIII centuries. The biography of Charles Davenant is still not covered within the Russian literature; as well as foreign authors did not give due attention to his career. The conclusion is made that Davenant’s career significantly influences the content and theme of his works. The acquired knowledge and experience from working in the departments of commerce and finances led him to development of the technique of “political arithmetic”. It is also noteworthy that Davenant’s political alignment shifted in accordance with his career pursuits, which should be taken into account in further analysis of his views.

Abstract: In the late XVII century in England has establishes the school of “political arithmetic”, which goal consisted in the analysis of social phenomena on the basis of quantitative indicators. Its main representatives became William Petty, John Graunt and Charles Davenant (1656-1714). The latter left a mark in the history of England as a philosopher, politician and publicist, who made a significant contribution to the development and implementation of the methods of “political arithmetic”. The object of this research is the views of the English thinker, reflected in his pamphlets and treatises of the 1690’s. The subject is the Davenant’s views on the principles and tasks of “political arithmetic” in the context of his political theory. Special attention is given to correlation between Davenant’s views on the development of “political arithmetic’ and his concept of public administration. The scientific novelty lies in the comprehensive examination of the political and economic views of Charles Davenant within the framework of his attitude on the method of “political arithmetic”. The author delivers a thesis on the importance of the political and epistemological context, which formed Davenant’s views on the quantitative indicators. Grasp of quantitative data Davenant correlated directly with the practice of administration. According to the philosopher, a public official having the capacity for “evaluation” and proper interpretation of data could avoid many mistakes in decision-making and reliance on “bad” advices. The thinker suggested that possession of quantitative data and their competent interpretation could increase the efficiency of administration.

Abstract: The research subject of this study is the foreign historiography dealing with the heritage of Charles Davenant (1656-1714) - an English politician, philosopher, historian, and publicist. The research object of this study is the change in the direction of examining the views and work of this English thinker in foreign historiography. The aim of this article is to identify the features in the study of the views and work of C. Devenant which were characteristic of various periods in the development of historiography. In order to achieve this, it is necessary to consider the history of studying the writings of the thinker, to identify the particularities in covering the political activity and the views of the publicist in foreign (mainly British) historiography.
The article's research methodology is based on a systematic approach to the analysis of foreign historical science. The examination of other scholars' study of the English thinker's views required the application of the historical-genetic and historical-comparative methods. The novelty of this research lies in the fact that neither in Russian nor in foreign historiography have the views and work of C. Davenant been made the subject of a separate study The author identifies three main trends in the history of studying the views and work of C. Devenant.Thus, some scholars focused on reconstructing the political biography of Davenant and assessing his role in the party struggle at the turn of the 17th - 18th centuries. This approach can be called "political." At the same time, another direction was developed, which studied the economic views of the publicist and his role in the formation of economic science within its framework. In the last decades of the 20th century, up to today, a third direction has dominated, where Davenant is considered as a thinker and philosopher, and scholars focus their attention primarily on his political ideas and “political language”.