Description
Book SynopsisThe 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.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements 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
