About
Paul-Henri Thiry, Baron d'Holbach, was a French philosopher of German origin, a major figure of the Enlightenment. Born in 1723 in the Rhenish Palatinate, he settled in Paris and inherited the title and fortune of his uncle. He hosted a famous salon attended by Diderot, Rousseau, Hume, and others. He contributed to the Encyclopédie and published under pseudonyms materialist and atheist works, including The System of Nature (1770), which earned him the nickname 'Bible of atheism.' He advocated strict determinism and an ethics based on general welfare.
* 1723-12-08 — † 1789-01-21
Major works
- Le Christianisme dévoilé (1761)essay
- Système de la nature (1770)philosophical treatise
- Le Bon Sens (1772)essay
- Système social (1773)treatise
- La Morale universelle (1776)treatise
Key milestones
- 1749Naturalized French after inheriting his uncle's title and fortune.
- 1770Publication of The System of Nature, a foundational work of atheistic materialism.
- 1789Died in Paris on January 21.
Themes
AtheismMaterialismDeterminismCritique of religionEthics and politics
Sources: plato.stanford.edu · britannica.com · voltaire.ox.ac.uk