The System of Nature (Myth and Romanticism Series)

by Paul-Henri Thiry, Robert D. Richardson Jr., Burton Feldman

English, French (translation)

Genres: Philosophy, Religion, Atheism, Nonfiction, Science, Classics

946 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1770

About the author

Paul-Henri Thiry, Baron d'Holbach (born Paul Heinrich Dietrich), was a philosopher, encyclopedist, and prominent figure in the French Enlightenment well known for his atheism and voluminous writings against religion.

Reviews

[Can Inelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great work of philosophy that every human being must read. It is the most comprehensive description of Atheism in the history of philosophy.

[Zlatko Dimitrioski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant dismantling of religion and superstition. As I read the book, I felt how the Middle Ages died.

[Людмил Люцканов · Rating 4 out of 5]

Истински ценна според мен е втората, полемичната част на книгата, в която барон Холбах с охладено от опита и разсъждението въображение пространно разсъждава за вредите от религията, не и за ползите, тъй като въпреки безкрайната си добронамереност ползи от нея всъщност не е открил.:) Но "умовете на хората, способни да се възпламеняват от чудото и изстъпителния възторг, упорито се съпротивяват на най-простите истини и съвсем не се разпалват от учения, които изискват продължителни размисли и разсъждения." Религията пречи на изучаването на природата. Тя руши нравствеността. Ако човек се надява на леко изкупване на греховете, той лесно им се предава. Но и самото понятие "грях" има смисъл само по отношение на другия човек, не и по отношение на бога. "Човек дължи нещо на човека не защото би оскърбил някакъв бог, ако навреди на себеподобния си, а защото, обиждайки го, той би оскърбил човек и би нарушил законите на справедливостта, от запазването на които е заинтересовано всяко човешко същество." Една наистина революционна за времето си книга.

[the halfblade in my wallet · Rating 4 out of 5]

“The book was considered extremely radical in its day and the list of people writing refutations of the work was long. The Catholic theologian Nicolas-Sylvestre Bergier wrote a refutation titled Examen du matérialisme ("Materialism examined"). Voltaire, too, seized his pen to refute the philosophy of the Système in the article "Dieu" in his Dictionnaire philosophique, while Frederick the Great also drew up an answer to it.”

Open Library (pdf in French). Amsterdam, 1772

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

[Daniel Bueno · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revelación. Reconocimiento. Fidelización

[Thjodbjorn · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the first (if not THE first) book to be published in the west that was openly and avowedly atheistic.

While a great deal of the particulars of science are very out-dated, the reasoning from the ground up based on observation and experience to arrive at a worldview that posits no gods, no supernatural forces, is very impressive.

[Farrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another school reading for Philosophy. I found this interesting actually. The argument of not having free will was interesting. Do we not have free will because all of our actions have some sort of motivation behind it?