Overview

The Great Protector of Wits provides a new assessment of baron d’Holbach (1723–1789) and his circle. A challenging figure of the European Enlightenment, Paul-Henri Thiry d’Holbach was not only a radically materialistic philosopher, a champion of anticlericalism, the author of the Système de la nature – known as ‘the Bible of atheists’ –, an idéologue, a popularizer of the natural sciences and a prolific contributor to the Encyclopédie, but he also played a crucial role as an organizer of intellectual networks and was a master of disseminating clandestine literature and a consummate strategist in authorial fictions. In this collective volume, for the first time, all these different threads of d’Holbach’s ‘philosophy in action’ are considered and analyzed in their interconnection. Contributors to this volume: Jacopo Agnesina, Nicholas Cronk, Mélanie Éphrème, Enrico Galvagni, Jonathan Israel, Alan Charles Kors, Mladen Kozul, Brunello Lotti, Emilio Mazza, Gianluca Mori, Iryna Mykhailova, Gianni Paganini, Paolo Quintili, Alain Sandrier, Ruggero Sciuto, Maria Susana Seguin, and Gerhardt Stenger.

Full Product Details

Author:   Laura Nicolì
Publisher:   Brill
Imprint:   Brill
Volume:   339
Weight:   0.725kg
ISBN:  

9789004435780

ISBN 10:   9004435786
Pages:   342
Publication Date:   10 June 2022
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Available To Order  
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Table of Contents

Acknowledgements List of Illustrations Abbreviations Notes on Contributors Introduction  Laura Nicolì Part 1: Holbach: Philosopher and Philosophe 1 Holbach’s Skepticism  Alan Charles Kors 2 The Concept of Natural Order in the Système de la Nature  Brunello Lotti 3 An Empire of Lies: Holbach on Vanity and Philosophy  Enrico Galvagni Part 2: Holbach: Strategist of the Enlightenment 4 Holbach traducteur, stratège et philosophe  Mladen Kozul 5 The Role of Prophecies: Baron d’Holbach as a Translator of Anthony Collins  Jacopo Agnesina 6 D’Holbach and the “Spirit of Judaism”  Gianni Paganini 7 The Absent Guest: D’Holbach’s Strategic Use of Voltaire’s Texts  Ruggero Sciuto Part 3: Holbach: Encyclopédiste 8 La critique religieuse du baron d’Holbach dans l’Encyclopédie : une approche méthodique  Alain Sandrier 9 L’autre d’Holbach : l’encyclopédiste traducteur de chimie et d’histoire naturelle  Mélanie Éphrème Part 4: Holbach and His Time 10 How Many Atheists at d’Holbach’s Table?  Emilio Mazza and Gianluca Mori 11 D’Holbach et Diderot : une amitié plus que philosophique  Paolo Quintili 12 Voltaire contre la coterie holbachique  Gerhardt Stenger 13 D’Holbach, les cercles holbachiques et la circulation de la littérature philosophique clandestine  Maria Susana Seguin 14 Who Are D’Holbach’s Readers?  Nicholas Cronk Part 5: Holbach and Revolutionary Consciousnesses 15 D’Holbach’s Political and Social Thought: The Democratic “Revolution” in Western Values Prior to 1789  Jonathan Israel 16 D’Holbach’s Legacy in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union  Iryna Mykhailova Index Nominum

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Author Information

Laura Nicolì is Research Fellow at Fondazione 1563 (Turin) and Voltaire Foundation (Oxford). She holds a PhD in History of Philosophy from “La Sapienza” and EPHE. Her monograph, Les Philosophes et les dieux. Le polythéisme en débat dans la France des Lumières, is in press.

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