Alex’s Heresies - embracing a physical reality

Relatively unknown today baron d’Holbach, Paul-Henri Thiry, was a popular Parisian author and philosopher renowned for hosting dinner parties with intellectuals and politicians from around Europe and beyond. Educated in classics and law and having financial support from his uncle, Holbach pursued many intellectual endeavours including translating German and English scientific and philosophical works into French as well as writing polemics critical of the Roman Catholic Church.

Holbach was born in Edesheim, Germany in 1723 but spent most of his life in France where he died in 1789. Over his lifetime he authored or co-authored 50 books and over 400 articles.

Being fluent in German and English, Holbach translated German chemistry and mineralogy works into French. He also translated philosophical works from English including Hobbe’s Human Nature. Holbach contributed some 400 articles to Denis Diderot’s Encyclopédie. Diderot was a close friend and a regular guest at Holbach’s dinner parties. David Hume, Benjamin Franklin and Jean-Jacques Rousseau were also on his guest list.

Holbach advocated a strongly materialistic view of nature – consisting of matter and motion only - and was a very harsh critic of the church. He published anonymously to avoid prosecution such as attributing Christianity Unveiled (published 1767) to Nicholas Boulanger, who died in 1759. However Holbach’s major work was The System of Nature (1770), which was later summarised in Common Sense, (1772) – available from Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page

From Common Sense:

“There is a vast empire, governed by a monarch, whose strange conduct is to confound the minds of his subjects. He wishes to be known, loved, respected, obeyed; but never shows himself to his subjects, and everything conspires to render uncertain the ideas formed of his character.

The people, subjected to his power, have, of the character and laws of their invisible sovereign, such ideas only, as his ministers give them. They, however, confess that they have no idea of their master; that his ways are impenetrable; his views and nature totally incomprehensible. These ministers, likewise, disagree upon the commands which they pretend have been issued by the sovereign, whose servants they call themselves. They defame one another, and mutually treat each other as impostors and false teachers. The decrees and ordinances, they take upon themselves to promulgate, are obscure; they are enigmas, little calculated to be understood, or even divined, by the subjects, for whose instruction they were intended. The laws of the concealed monarch require interpreters; but the interpreters are always disputing upon the true manner of understanding them. Besides, they are not consistent with themselves; all they relate of their concealed prince is only a string of contradictions. They utter concerning him not a single word that does not immediately confute itself. They call him supremely good; yet many complain of his decrees. They suppose him infinitely wise; and under his administration everything appears to contradict reason. They extol his justice; and the best of his subjects are generally the least favoured. They assert, he sees everything; yet his presence avails nothing. He is, say they, the friend of order; yet throughout his dominions, all is in confusion and disorder. He makes all for himself; and the events seldom answer his designs. He foresees everything; but cannot prevent anything. He impatiently suffers offence, yet gives everyone the power of offending him. Men admire the wisdom and perfection of his works; yet his works, full of imperfection, are of short duration. He is continually doing and undoing; repairing what he has made; but is never pleased with his work. In all his undertakings, he proposes only his own glory; yet is never glorified. His only end is the happiness of his subjects; and his subjects, for the most part want necessaries. Those, whom he seems to favour are generally least satisfied with their fate; almost all appear in perpetual revolt against a master, whose greatness they never cease to admire, whose wisdom to extol, whose goodness to adore, whose justice to fear, and whose laws to reverence, though never obeyed!

This EMPIRE is the WORLD; this MONARCH GOD; his MINISTERS are the PRIESTS; his SUBJECTS MANKIND.”

Highlights:

• French author, encyclopaedist, philosophy during the French enlightenment
• Born in Edesheim, Germany but brought to Paris by his rich uncle and educated in the classics and then law at University of Leiden in Netherlands
• Famed for his dinner parties in his Paris home entertaining such people as Denis Diderot, David Hume, Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Benjamin Franklin. These meetings appeared to be more than the meeting of atheists and materialists with members of the clergy frequently attending.
• Contributed some 400 articles to Diderot’s Encyclopédie; also translated German works on chemistry and mineralogy as well as philosophical works from English.
• Published anonymously to avoid persecution as well as attributed his works to other authors e.g. Christianity Unveiled (1767) to Nicholas Boulanger who died in 1759.
• Three early works were The Holy Disease, A Critical History of Jesus Christ and Table of Saints
• His major work was The System of Nature (1770) where he argues that science, experience and reason explain all things in the universe and that all things must conform to the laws of physics. Hence there is no need for supernatural causes including god.
• Wrote a more concise version, Common Sense, and is available from Project Gutenberg http://www.gutenberg.org/wiki/Main_Page.
• Later translated Hobbes’s Human Nature to French
• Advocated a reversal of special church privileges and separation of church and state. Also saw a moral society without the need for superstition and religion.
• Considered by some to have laid the foundation for the French Revolution.

 Another atheist to consider is French priest Jean Meslier (1664-1729). He was an extreme critic of the church.

© 2008 Alex McCullie