Baron d'Holbach: A Study of Eighteenth Century Radicalism in France

Cushing, Max Pearson, 1886-1951Project Gutenberg · United StatesDec 2019

Rating 3.2

Word count: 201K words
Chapters: 21

Summary

Project Gutenberg was the first provider of free electronic books, or eBooks. Michael Hart, founder of Project Gutenberg, invented eBooks in 1971 and his memory continues to inspire the creation of eBooks and related technologies today.Baron d'Holbach : a Study of Eighteenth Century Radicalism in France by CushingAuthor: Cushing, Max Pearson, 1886-1951,Language: English, Class: B: Philosophy, Psychology, Religion, Release Date: May 1, 2004

Editor's review

This book is a focused study of Baron d’Holbach and his radical thought in eighteenth-century France, an academic work in intellectual history and the history of philosophy. Max Pearson Cushing examines Holbach’s place in the French Enlightenment, discussing his materialism, atheism, and political criticism, and presents the polemical environment in which radical ideas of the period took shape. The book emphasizes historical context and conceptual analysis rather than popular biography, and is suited to understanding the more radical wing of the Enlightenment’s intellectual spectrum. Reading it helps clarify the complex relationship between eighteenth-century French philosophy and religious criticism, but requires some background in the history of philosophy and a tolerance for the argumentative pace of academic writing.

Who it's for

A good fit for

Students and researchers in the history of philosophy and intellectual history
Readers interested in the French Enlightenment and radicalism
Advanced readers seeking background on Holbach’s thought
Upper-level students writing course papers or topical reports

Not a good fit for

General readers hoping for Holbach’s original works or a light biography
Beginners without a foundation in Western philosophy who want only a general overview of the Enlightenment
Readers who prefer literary narrative and personal stories

Reading tips

First review the basic outlines of the French Enlightenment, then move on to the book’s specific discussion of Holbach.
As you read, note how the author defines radicalism and record the historical contexts and polemical targets cited.
You may read selected passages from Holbach’s own works alongside the book, but need not aim for completeness; focus on understanding the connections between ideas.
After finishing, summarize the book’s line of argument on a single page to check whether you have grasped the core questions.

About the publisher

Project Gutenberg United States · Founded in 1971

Project Gutenberg is a digital publishing project focused on public-domain ebooks. Its publishing direction centers on classic literary works whose copyright has expired, covering genres such as poetry, drama, fiction, and epic. Representative books include Lyrical Ballads by Wordsworth and Coleridge, Proust's Du côté de chez Swann, Shakespeare's Macbeth and The Complete Works of William Shakespeare, Homer's The Iliad, Dante's La Divina Comèdia: Purgatòri, Cervantes's The History of Don Quixote, Volume 2, and Grahame's The Wind in the Willows. Its author resources consist mainly of classic Western writers such as Wordsworth, Proust, Shakespeare, Homer, Dante, Cervantes, Grahame, and Tolstoy. Its publishing feature is the provision of freely accessible ebooks in EPUB and Kindle formats; it is not a traditional publisher, and publicly available information is limited.

FAQ

Is this book a biography of Holbach?

No. It is a research work on Holbach and the eighteenth-century French radicalism to which he belonged, focusing on the analysis of ideas and historical context rather than a complete record of biographical details. For his life, you will need separate biographical materials; this book is better suited to understanding his intellectual position and the debates of his time.

Can I understand this book without a background in the history of philosophy?

It will be quite difficult. The book deals with issues such as materialism, atheism, and religious criticism in the Enlightenment, and assumes a basic familiarity with Western philosophy. Without background knowledge, you may remember names but miss the arguments. It is advisable to read an introductory book on the Enlightenment or modern philosophy first.

Is this book suitable as a reference for a course paper?

It can serve as a reference, especially for topics on radical thought, religious criticism, or Holbach’s intellectual position in the French Enlightenment. However, it is an older specialized study; when using it, compare it with more recent scholarship and distinguish the author’s views from primary sources, avoiding reliance on it alone.

This site is an index: you start “Search all sources” in your browser, and the entries it lists all point to third-party sites; please judge their availability yourself.

About the author

Cushing, Max Pearson, 1886-1951 Author · 1886–1951

Max Pearson Cushing (1886–1951) is an English-language author about whom little biographical information survives; publicly available sources are limited, and his nationality, education, and career cannot be reliably established. The only work of his held in this collection is Baron d'Holbach: a Study of Eighteenth Century Radicalism in France, a focused study of the eighteenth-century French thinker Baron d'Holbach. Judging by its subject, Cushing was concerned with the radical currents of Enlightenment France, examining d'Holbach within the political and religious controversies of his time in a manner marked by scholarly rigor. This book is the main basis for understanding Cushing as a writer and links his name to the study of eighteenth-century French radicalism; further details of his other writings and influence await additional sources.