Claude Adrien Helvétius

French philosopher; (1715-1771) · France · Academics · Died at 56

Claude Adrien Helvétius is read about 130 times a day, in 46 languages.

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An 18th-century French philosopher whose ideas stirred enough trouble that the church and state both took notice - not for what he destroyed, but for what he dared to print about human nature.

Academics Academic Philosophy Literature Poetry France Europe Early Modern Era

A life in dates

1771Died26 December 17711758“All men have an equal disposition for understanding.”In their wordsp. 286Read the whole statement

“No nation has reason to regard itself superior to others by virtue of its innate endowment.”In their wordsp. 21Read the whole statement

“Discipline is, in a manner, nothing else but the art of inspiring the soldiers with greater fear of their officers than of the enemy.”In their wordsEnglish translation by William Mudford, 1807Read the whole statement

“…there are men whom a happy disposition, a strong desire of glory and esteem, inspire with the same love for justice and virtue, which men in general have for riches and honours.”In their wordsEnglish translation by William Mudford, 1807Read the whole statement

“The degree of genius necessary to please us is pretty nearly the same proportion that we ourselves have.”In their wordsEssay II, Chapter X, note.Read the whole statement

1715Born26 January 1715

Also in Deutsch

Photos 1

Portrait de Claude Adrien Helvetius, Collection des Grands Hommes, G.4189(3)

In their own words 5

Claude Adrien Helvétius

5 statements, newest first

All men have an equal disposition for understanding.
1758, p. 286, Own words
No nation has reason to regard itself superior to others by virtue of its innate endowment.
1758, p. 21, Own words
Discipline is, in a manner, nothing else but the art of inspiring the soldiers with greater fear of their officers than of the enemy.
1758, English translation by William Mudford, 1807, Own words

Wikiquote, CC BY-SA 4.0

Family

Father Jean Claude Adrian Helvetius

Claude Adrien Helvétius

Partners

Spouse Anne-Catherine de Ligniville, Madame Helvétius

Children

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About this person

Born in Paris in January 1715, Helvétius moved through the salons and lodges of Enlightenment France as philosopher, Freemason, and man of letters. His writing pushed at the boundaries of what could be said about morality and the mind in an age when those boundaries had teeth. He died in December 1771, leaving behind a body of work that outlasted the controversy it provoked.

Country

France

Academics from France 6

Pierre Teilhard de Chardin58.9

François Arago58.8

Alain Finkielkraut59.1

François Quesnay58.6

Thomas Piketty59.2

Rashi58.5

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