In The Divine Legation of Moses (1738-1741) William Warburton developed a complex theory of writing, suggesting among other things a relationship between hieroglyphic writing and zoolatry. In the same years the abbé Pluche maintained a... more
In The Divine Legation of Moses (1738-1741) William Warburton developed a complex theory of writing, suggesting among other things a relationship between hieroglyphic writing and zoolatry. In the same years the abbé Pluche maintained a singular explanation of the origin of idolatry in his Histoire du ciel (1739). He stated that all pagan religions originally arose from the misinterpretation of hieroglyphics in ancient Egypt. By doing so, he extended the relationship between religion and writing to the entire explanation of idolatry. Warburton's theory of writing was set to obtain a great deal of fortune in France, but also its application to the history of pagan religions by Pluche found some illustrious followers: first among them was Condillac, who reinterpreted it in the light of his own theory of language on the one hand, and of the new Enlightenment's views about the history of religion on the other.
La première partie de l'essai trace l'évolution de la réflexion de Bayle au sujet des religions païennes, à travers un examen lexicographique de ses écrits qui porte sur les mots « idolâtrie » et « polythéisme » : c'est seulement dans les... more
La première partie de l'essai trace l'évolution de la réflexion de Bayle au sujet des religions païennes, à travers un examen lexicographique de ses écrits qui porte sur les mots « idolâtrie » et « polythéisme » : c'est seulement dans les œuvres les plus tardives de Bayle et dans des contextes spécifiques qu'on retrouve la seconde de ce deux notions. L'étude s'interroge donc sur les raisons de ce changement intervenu dans la terminologie philosophique baylienne et, dans la deuxième partie, montre la grande influence que l'introduction d'une réflexion philosophique sur le polythéisme par Bayle a eu sur les écrits des philosophes des Lumières au sujet du paganisme.
Enlightenment approaches to pagan religions are various and complex. Ancient myths are considered like ridiculous fables or fascinating adventures. Some authors look at pagan rites like sad memories of the miserable past of mankind,... more
Enlightenment approaches to pagan religions are various and complex. Ancient myths are considered like ridiculous fables or fascinating adventures. Some authors look at pagan rites like sad memories of the miserable past of mankind, others like a joyful expression of the passions. The nature itself of polytheistic religions is peaceful and tolerant according to some, ferocious and warmongering according to others. This article aims to show some aspects of the modern debate on paganism. In particular, it focuses on the question of polytheism’s supposed tolerance or intolerance to shed light on its theoretical and political issues in Eighteenth-century thought.
Gathering together generations of scholars, The Great Protector of Wits provides a new assessment of baron d'Holbach (1723-1789) and his circle. A challenging gure of the European Enlightenment, Paul-Henri Thiry d'Holbach not only was a... more
Gathering together generations of scholars, The Great Protector of Wits provides a new assessment of baron d'Holbach (1723-1789) and his circle. A challenging gure of the European Enlightenment, Paul-Henri Thiry d'Holbach not only was 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 proli c contributor to the Encyclopédie, but also played a crucial role as an organizer of intellectual networks, a master of disseminating clandestine literature and a consummate strategist in authorial ctions. In this collective volume, for the rst time, all these di ferent threads of d'Holbach's "philosophy in action" are considered and analyzed in their interconnection.
The present essay provides an overview of the images of seventeenth-century philosophy in the "Rivista di storia della filosofia" (then retitled "Rivista critica di storia della filosofia") in the years 1946–1983. Founded in 1946 by Mario... more
The present essay provides an overview of the images of seventeenth-century philosophy in the "Rivista di storia della filosofia" (then retitled "Rivista critica di storia della filosofia") in the years 1946–1983. Founded in 1946 by Mario Dal Pra, the journal promoted a new anti-idealistic approach to the history of philosophy. Based on philological accuracy, this approach enhanced the complexity of history and the interdependence of different fields of knowledge. In particular, the unprecedented emphasis on the connections between science and philosophy entailed a preeminent place for empiricism in the "Rivista". This explains why this essay focuses on empiricist currents in seventeenth-century philosophy and especially on three of their representatives, namely Galileo Galilei, Thomas Hobbes and Francis Bacon.
Si presenta in questo volume una versione italiana del saggio introduttivo alla prima edizione critica, che sarà pubblicata all’interno del progetto Digital d’Holbach della Voltaire Foundation, dell’opera "La Contagion sacrée, ou Histoire... more
Si presenta in questo volume una versione italiana del saggio introduttivo alla prima edizione critica, che sarà pubblicata all’interno del progetto Digital d’Holbach della Voltaire Foundation, dell’opera "La Contagion sacrée, ou Histoire naturelle de la superstition" del barone Paul-Henri Thiry d’Holbach (1724-1789). Pubblicata nel 1768 in forma anonima e presentata fittiziamente come una traduzione della "Natural History of Superstition" (1709) di John Trenchard, "La Contagion sacrée" è in realtà un’opera originale. Il saggio intende metterne in luce le peculiarità tanto nel quadro della produzione holbachiana quanto in quello più ampio del dibattito settecentesco sull’origine e la natura della religione. "La Contagion" viene collocata nel suo contesto, ne vengono presentati i contenuti e vengono affrontate le questioni preliminari (in parte ancora aperte) della sua attribuzione e data di composizione. Se ne propone quindi un’interpretazione complessiva, esplorando l’uso che d’Holbach fa delle sue fonti e proponendo un confronto con il modo in cui tratta temi analoghi in altre opere. Infine, si offre un repertorio bibliografico inedito in cui si dà notizia dei manoscritti noti, delle edizioni a stampa, delle traduzioni dell’opera e della bibliografia di riferimento.
The following are three online Appendices to my essay ‘“Aussi hardi … qu’aucun philosophe en France”: The Eighteenth-Century French Reception of Hume’s Essays’, in Max Skjönsberg and Felix Waldmann, eds., "Hume’s Essays: A Critical Guide"... more
The following are three online Appendices to my essay ‘“Aussi hardi … qu’aucun philosophe en France”: The Eighteenth-Century French Reception of Hume’s Essays’, in Max Skjönsberg and Felix Waldmann, eds., "Hume’s Essays: A Critical Guide" (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, forthcoming in 2024). Appendix I: Chronology of Eighteenth-Century French Translations of Hume’s "Essays". Appendix II: Hume’s "Essays" in Eighteenth-Century French Periodicals. Appendix III: Some Other French Reuses and Responses to Hume’s "Essays".
L'objectif de ce recueil est d'initier une réflexion sur les implications théoriques et méthodologiques d'une histoire du corps sous l'Ancien Régime. Si le corps constitue une frontière qui délimite l'intériorité des individus, il permet... more
L'objectif de ce recueil est d'initier une réflexion sur les implications théoriques et méthodologiques d'une histoire du corps sous l'Ancien Régime. Si le corps constitue une frontière qui délimite l'intériorité des individus, il permet aussi, comme objet historique, de remettre en question notre manière d'interroger les pratiques anciennes, les modes de représentation des communautés, les particularités exemplaires. C'est donc dans ce double régime historique et historiographique que ce collectif s'est proposé d'aborder cet objet protéiforme et révélateur d'enjeux qui le traversent tout en le définissant. Qu'il soit l'objet d'une instrumentalisation trahissant des intérêts politiques sous-jacents, l'enjeu de "seuils de sensibilité" dont il est le révélateur, qu'il soit le pivot entre deux périodes historiques ou entre une matérialité physique et son idéalisation, le corps d'Ancien Régime apparaît comme un seuil autant les représentations de l'époque que dans la manière dont les historiens tentent de le circonscrire et de l'étudier.
"Parmi toutes les caractéristiques auxquelles Lavater suggérait de porter attention dans l’étude d’un sujet, l’odeur corporelle est peut-être celle qui a le moins retenu l’attention des physiognomonistes. Si de nombreux médecins... more
"Parmi toutes les caractéristiques auxquelles Lavater suggérait de porter attention dans l’étude d’un sujet, l’odeur corporelle est peut-être celle qui a le moins retenu l’attention des physiognomonistes. Si de nombreux médecins appuyaient encore au XVIIIe siècle leurs diagnostiques sur les odeurs émanant de leurs patients, celles-ci ont progressivement disparu, chassées par le grand mouvement hygiéniste à l’œuvre au XIXe siècle à l’issue duquel, désormais, c’était l’absence d’odeurs qui garantissait non seulement le statut social du sujet, mais aussi sa bonne moralité. C’est en observant l’instauration de normes, désodorisation des corps et usages des parfums, qui jalonnent ce cheminement entre le discours médical et le discours social que cet article fait apparaître l’évolution des conceptions et des interprétations de l’identité olfactive au cours du siècle.
While many doctors in the 18th century still based their diagnoses on odours emanating from their patients, this reliance on odours gradually disappeared in the 19th century, thanks to the hygienist movement which lent credence to the absence of odours as assurance not only of social status but also the person’s moral character. By observing the development of standards that linked medical and social discourses, such as odour control and use of perfumes, this paper traces the evolution and interpretations of identity olfactory throughout the century."
