''The System of Nature or, the Laws of the Moral and Physical World'' (French: ) is a work of philosophy by Paul-Henri Thiry, Baron d'Holbach (1723–1789).

Overview

The work was originally published under the name of Jean-Baptiste de Mirabaud, a deceased member of the

French Academy of Science The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. It was at t ...

. D'Holbach wrote and published this book – possibly with the assistance of

Denis Diderot Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the '' Encyclopédie'' along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a promi ...

but with the support of

Jacques-André Naigeon Jacques-André Naigeon (15 July 1738, Paris – 28 February 1810, Paris) was a French artist, atheist– materialist philosopher, editor and man of letters best known for his contributions to the ''Encyclopédie'' and for reworking Baron d'Hol ...

– anonymously in 1770, describing the universe in terms of the principles of philosophical materialism: the mind is identified with brain, there is no "soul" without a living body, the world is governed by strict deterministic laws,

free will Free will is the capacity of agents to choose between different possible courses of action unimpeded. Free will is closely linked to the concepts of moral responsibility, praise, culpability, sin, and other judgements which apply only to ac ...

is an illusion, there are no final causes, and whatever happens takes place because it inexorably must. The work explicitly denies the existence of God, arguing that belief in a higher being is the product of fear, lack of understanding, and anthropomorphism. Though not a scientist himself, d'Holbach was scientifically literate and he tried to develop his philosophy in accordance with the known facts of nature and the scientific knowledge of the day, citing, for example, the experiments of

John Needham John Turberville Needham FRS (10 September 1713 – 30 December 1781) was an English biologist and Roman Catholic priest. He was first exposed to natural philosophy while in seminary school and later published a paper which, while the subjec ...

as proof that life could develop autonomously without the intervention of a deity. It makes a critical distinction between

mythology Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narra ...

as a more or less benign way of bringing law ordered thought on society, nature and their powers to

the masses ''The Masses'' was a graphically innovative magazine of socialist politics published monthly in the United States from 1911 until 1917, when federal prosecutors brought charges against its editors for conspiring to obstruct conscription. It was ...

and

theology Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the ...

. Theology which, when it separates from mythology raises the power of nature above nature itself and thus alienates the two (i.e. "nature", all that actually exists, from its power, now personified in a being outside nature), is by contrast a pernicious force in human affairs without parallel. Its principles are summed up in a more popular form in d'Holbach's .''Open Library''
(pdf in French). Amsterdam, 1772

Criticism

The book was considered extremely radical in its day and the list of people writing refutations of the work was long. The prominent

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

theologian

Nicolas-Sylvestre Bergier Nicolas-Sylvestre Bergier (; 31 December 1718 – 9 April 1790) was a French Catholic theologian, known for his engagement with the atheist ''philosophes'' of eighteenth-century France. Life Bergier was born at Darney in Lorraine. After a co ...

wrote a refutation titled '' Examen du matérialisme'' ("Materialism examined").

Voltaire François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778) was a French Enlightenment writer, historian, and philosopher. Known by his ''nom de plume'' M. de Voltaire (; also ; ), he was famous for his wit, and his criticism of Christianity—es ...

, too, seized his pen to refute the philosophy of the in the article "Dieu" in his ''

Dictionnaire philosophique The (''Philosophical Dictionary'') is an encyclopedic dictionary published by the Enlightenment thinker Voltaire in 1764. The alphabetically arranged articles often criticize the Roman Catholic Church, Judaism, Islam, and other institutions. T ...

'', while

Frederick the Great Frederick II (german: Friedrich II.; 24 January 171217 August 1786) was King in Prussia from 1740 until 1772, and King of Prussia from 1772 until his death in 1786. His most significant accomplishments include his military successes in the S ...

also drew up an answer to it. Commenting on the book, Frederick observed: It is speculated that Frederick was motivated to write a criticism of the ''System of Nature'' because the book contained an attack not just on religion, but also on monarchy.

Appreciation and influence

D'Holbach's friend

had enthusiastically endorsed the book: Percy Bysshe Shelley became an ardent atheist after reading ''The System of Nature'', and proceeded to translate the book into English. According to

Will Durant William James Durant (; November 5, 1885 – November 7, 1981) was an American writer, historian, and philosopher. He became best known for his work '' The Story of Civilization'', which contains 11 volumes and details the history of eastern a ...

, the ''System of Nature'' contains the most comprehensive description of materialism and atheism in the entire history of philosophy. In his student days,

Goethe Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as tr ...

had recoiled with revulsion at the contents in the book; in his old age he harbored similar views: "We belong to the laws of nature, even when we rebel against them." According to Voltaire, the book was very popular among the populace, including "scholars, the ignorant, and women".

References

External links

''The System of Nature''--English translation
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:System Of Nature, The 1770 books System of Nature Books critical of religion