20/12/2016 ClaudeAdrienHelvtiusWikipedia

ClaudeAdrienHelvtius
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ClaudeAdrienHelvtius(/hlvis/[1]French:[lvesjys]
26Januaryor26February1715(sourcesdiffer)26
ClaudeAdrienHelvtius
December1771)wasaFrenchphilosopher,freemason[2]and
littrateur.

Contents
1 Life
2 Philosophy
2.1 Del'espritanditsreception
2.2 Psychologicalegoism
2.3 Naturalequalityofintelligences
2.4 Omnipotenceofeducation
2.5 Influence
2.6 Criticism
Born 26January1715
3 Poetry
4 Bibliography Paris,France
5 References Died 26December1771(aged56)
6 Externallinks Paris,France

Era 18thcenturyphilosophy

Life Region WesternPhilosophy

School UtilitarianismFrenchmaterialism
ClaudeAdrienHelvtiuswasborninParis,France,andwas Maininterests EthicsPoliticalphilosophy
descendedfromafamilyofphysicians,originallysurnamed
Schweitzer(meaning"Swiss"inGermanLatinizedas Influences
Helvtius).HisgrandfatherAdriaanHelvetiusintroducedthe Influenced
[3]
useofipecacuanha hisfatherJeanClaudeAdrien
HelvtiuswasfirstphysiciantoMarieLeszczyska,queenofFrance.ClaudeAdrienwastrainedforafinancial
career,apprenticedtohismaternaluncleinCaen,[4]butheoccupiedhissparetimewithpoetry.Agedtwenty
three,atthequeen'srequest,hewasappointedasafarmergeneral,ataxcollectingpostworth100,000crowns
ayear.Thusprovidedfor,heproceededtoenjoylifetotheutmost,withthehelpofhiswealthandliberality,his
literaryandartistictastesheattended,forexample,theprogressiveClubdel'Entresol.Ashegrewolder,he
begantoseekmorelastingdistinctions,stimulatedbythesuccessofPierreLouisMaupertuisasa
mathematician,ofVoltaireasapoet,andofMontesquieuasaphilosopher.Hiswife,AnneCatherinede
Ligniville,MadameHelvtius,maintainedasalonattendedbytheleadingfiguresoftheEnlightenmentforover
fivedecades.

In1758,Helvtiuspublishedhisphilosophicalmagnumopus,aworkcalledDel'esprit(OnMind).Itsatheistic,
utilitarianandegalitariandoctrinesraisedapublicoutcryandHelvtiuswasforcedtoissueseveralretractions.

Aftertenyears,whenhethoughthisfortunesufficient,hegaveupthepostoffarmergeneral,andretiredtoa
countryestate,whereheemployedhisfortuneinthereliefofthepoor,theencouragementofagricultureand
thedevelopmentofindustries.Forthishewontheadmirationofmanyofthephilosophers.

HelvetiusfamilylivedalternatelyonChteaudeVor(CollinesdesPerches,LoiretCher)andtheirParisian
townhouseattherueSainteAnne.

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In1764,HelvtiusvisitedEngland,andthenextyear,attheinvitation
ofFrederickII,wenttoBerlin,wherethekingpaidhimmuchattention.
Hethenreturnedtohiscountryestateandpassedtheremainderofhis
lifepeacefully.

Philosophy
Del'espritanditsreception

Helvtius'philosophicalstudiesendedintheproductionofhisfamous
bookDel'esprit(OnMind).Itwasfirstpublishedin1758andwas
intendedtobetherivalofMontesquieu'sSpiritoftheLaws,with
HelvtiusarguingstronglyagainstMontesquieu'stheorythatclimate
influencedthecharacterofnations.
HelvtiuswasoneofseveralFrench
Theworkattractedimmediateattentionandarousedthemost
philosopheswhospenttimeatthe
formidableopposition,especiallyfromthedauphinLouis,sonofKing
courtofFredericktheGreatof
LouisXV.TheAdvocateGeneralJolydeFleurycondemneditinthe
Prussia(depictedabove)
ParlementofParisinJanuary1759.TheSorbonnecondemnedthebook,
whilethepriestspersuadedthecourtthatitwasfull
ofthemostdangerousdoctrines.Thebookwas
declaredtobehereticalsoatheisticthatitwas
condemnedbyChurchandStateandwasburned.
Helvtius,terrifiedatthestormhehadraised,wrote
threeseparateandhumiliatingretractions.Inspite
ofhisprotestationsoforthodoxy,thebookwas
publiclyburnedbytheParishangman.

Ithadfarreachingnegativeeffectsontherestof
thephilosophes,inparticular,DenisDiderot,and
thegreatworkhewasdoingontheEncyclopedie.
Thereligiousauthorities,particularlytheJesuits
andthenewpopebegantofearthespreadof
atheismandwantedtoclampdownonthe'modern ChteaudeVor(CollinesdesPerches,LoiretCher)
thought'hardandquickly.Del'espritbecame
almostascapegoatforthis.[4]

ThisgreatpublicityresultedinthebookbeingtranslatedintoalmostallthelanguagesofEurope.Voltairesaid
thatitlackedoriginality.Rousseaudeclaredthattheverybenevolenceoftheauthorgavethelietohis
principles.GrimmthoughtthatalltheideasinthebookwereborrowedfromDiderot.MadameduDeffandfelt
thatHelvtiushadraisedsuchastormbysayingopenlywhateveryonethoughtinsecret.Madamede
Graffignyclaimedthatallthegoodthingsinthebookhadbeenpickedupinherownsalon.

Psychologicalegoism

Helvtius'philosophybelongstotheEgoistschool:

1.Allman'sfacultiesmaybereducedtophysicalsensation,evenmemory,comparison,judgment.Ouronly
differencefromtheloweranimalsliesinourexternalorganization.
2.Selfinterest,foundedontheloveofpleasureandthefearofpain,isthesolespringofjudgment,action,
andaffection.Humanbeingsaremotivatedsolelybythepursuitofpleasureandtheavoidanceofpain.
"Thesetwo,"hesays,"are,andalwayswillbe,theonlyprinciplesofactioninman."[5]Selfsacrificeis
promptedbythefactthatthesensationofpleasureoutweighstheaccompanyingpainandisthusthe
resultofdeliberatecalculation.

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3.Wehavenofreedomofchoicebetweengoodandevil.Thereisno
suchthingasabsoluterightideasofjusticeandinjusticechange
accordingtocustoms.

ThisviewofmanwaslargelyHobbesianmanisasystem
deterministicallycontrollablebyasuitablecombinationofrewardand
punishment,andtheendsofgovernmentaretoensurethemaximization
ofpleasure.

Naturalequalityofintelligences

"Allmen,"Helvtiusmaintained,"haveanequaldispositionfor
understanding."[6]AsoneoftheFrenchEnlightenment'smanyLockean
disciples,heregardedthehumanmindasablankslate,butfreenotonly
frominnateideasbutalsofrominnatenaturaldispositionsand
propensities.Physiologicalconstitutionwasatmostaperipheralfactor
inmen'scharactersorcapabilities.Anyapparentinequalitieswere
independentofnaturalorganization,andhadtheircauseintheunequal
desireforinstruction.Thisdesirespringsfrompassions,ofwhichall
Coverpageofa1759English
mencommonlywellorganizedaresusceptibletothesamedegree.We
translationofDel'Esprit
thusoweeverythingtoeducation.Socialengineeringisthereforean
enterpriseunconstrainedbythenaturalabilitiesofmen.

Thisnaturalequalityappliedtoallmeninallnations,andthusthedifferencesinnationalcharacteristicswere
nottheresultofinnatedifferencesbetweenthepeopletherein,butratherabyproductofthesystemeducation
andgovernment."Nonation,"wroteHelvtius,"hasreasontoregarditselfsuperiortoothersbyvirtueofits
innateendowment."[7]

ThisradicallyegalitarianaspectofHelvtius'philosophycausedDiderottoremarkthatifitweretrue,De
l'espritmightjustaswellhavebeenwrittenbyHelvtius'dogkeeper.

Omnipotenceofeducation

Sinceallmenhavethesamenaturalpotential,Helvtiusargued,theyallhavethesameabilitytolearn.Thus,
educationisthemethodbywhichtoreformsociety,andtherearefewlimitstothedrasticsocialimprovements
thatcouldbebroughtaboutbytheappropriatedistributionofeducation.Althoughpeopleseemtopossess
certainqualitiesingreaterabundancethantheirneighbours,theexplanationforthiscomes'fromabove'itis
causedbyeducation,lawandgovernment."IfwecommonlymeetinLondon,withknowingmen,whoarewith
muchmoredifficultyfoundinFrance,"thisisbecauseitisacountrywhere"everycitizenhasashareinthe
managementofaffairsingeneral."[8]"Theartofformingmen,"heconcludes,"isinallcountries[...]strictly
connectedtotheformofthegovernment",andthuseducationviagovernmentalinterventionisthemethodof
reform.[9]

Thecruxofhisthoughtwasthatpublicethicshasautilitarianbasis,andheinsistedstronglyontheimportance
ofcultureandeducationinnationaldevelopment.Histhinkingcanbedescribedasunsystematic.

Influence

Theoriginalideasinhissystemarethoseofthenaturalequalityofintelligencesandtheomnipotenceof
education,neitherofwhichgainedgeneralacceptance,thoughbothwereprominentinthesystemofJohn
StuartMill.CesareBeccariastatesthathewaslargelyinspiredbyHelvtiusinhisattempttomodifypenal
laws.HelvtiusalsoexertedsomeinfluenceontheutilitarianJeremyBentham.

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ThematerialisticaspectsofHelvtius,alongwithBarond'Holbach,hadaninfluenceonKarlMarx,thetheorist
ofhistoricalmaterialismandcommunism,whostudiedtheideasofHelvtiusinParisandlatercalledthe
materialismofHelvtiusandd'Holbach"thesocialbasisofcommunism".[10]

Criticism

GermanphilosopherJohannGeorgHamannvigorouslyopposedHelvtius'srationalisticdoctrines.[11]

BritishphilosopherIsaiahBerlinlistedHelvtius,alongwithHegel,Fichte,Rousseau,SaintSimonandMaistre
asoneofthesix"enemiesoffreedom"whoconstitutedtheideologicalbasisformodernauthoritarianism,inhis
bookFreedomandBetrayal:SixEnemiesofHumanLiberty.[12]

Poetry
HispoeticambitionsresultedinthepoemcalledLeBonheur(publishedposthumously,withanaccountof
Helvtius'slifeandworks,byJeanFranoisdeSaintLambert,1773),inwhichhedevelopstheideathattrue
happinessisonlytobefoundinmakingtheinterestofonepersonthatofall.

Bibliography
AworkcalledDel'homme,desesfacultsintellectuellesetdesonducation,foundamonghismanuscripts,
waspublishedafterhisdeath.ThereisacompleteeditionoftheworksofHelvtius,publishedatParis,1818.

Foranestimateofhisworkandhisplaceamongthephilosophersofthe18thcenturyseeVictorCousin's
Philosophiesensualiste(1863)PLLezaud,Rsumsphilosophiques(1853)FDMaurice,inhisModern
Philosophy(1862),pp.537seq.JMorley,DiderotandtheEncyclopaedists(London,1878)DGMostratos,
DiePdagogikdesHelvtius(Berlin,1891)AGuillois,LeSalondeMadameHelvtius(1894)APiazzi,Le
ideefilosofichespecialmentepedagogichedeC.A.Helvtius(Milan,1889)GeorgiPlekhanov,Beitrgezur
GeschichtedesMaterialismus(Stuttgart,1896)LLimentani,LeteoriepsicologichedeC.A.Helvtius
(Verona,1902)AKeim,Helvtius,savieetsonuvre(1907)IsaiahBerlin,"Helvtius"inFreedomandIts
Betrayal:SixEnemiesofLiberty,ed.HenryHardy,(Oxford,2002),pp.1126.

References
1."Helvtius"(http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/c+helvetius).RandomHouseWebster'sUnabridgedDictionary.
2.IanCumming,Helvetius:HisLifeandPlaceintheHistoryofEducationalThought(https://books.google.gr/books?id
=HQ9SxWkIBcC&dq=),Routledge,2013,pp.115132.
3.Helvetius,Adriaan(https://books.google.com/books?id=FZk5AAAAcAAJ&pg=PA509)inBiographischwoordenboek
derNederlanden,vol8,(1867),p.509.
4.Helvetius:AStudyinPersecutionbyDavidWarnerSmith,ClarendonPressOxford,1965.
5.Helvtius,ClaudeAdrien,TreatiseonMan:HisIntellectualFacultiesandhisEducation,transl.W.Hooper,M.D.,
(London:AlbionPress,1810),p.146
6.Helvtius,ClaudeAdrien,Del'espritor,EssaysontheMind,andItsSeveralFaculties,(London:1759),p.286
7.Helvtius,Del'esprit,p.21
8.Helvtius,Del'esprit,p.100.
9.Helvtius,Del'esprit,p.325
10.Mehring,Franz,KarlMarx:TheStoryofHisLife(Routledge,2003)pg.75
11.RobertAlanSparling,JohannGeorgHamannandtheEnlightenmentProject,UniversityofTorontoPress,2011,p.
34.
12.Berlin,Isaiah,FreedomandBetrayal:SixEnemiesofHumanLiberty(PrincetonUniversityPress,2003)

Thisarticleincorporatestextfromapublicationnowinthepublicdomain:Chisholm,Hugh,ed.
(1911)."articlenameneeded".EncyclopdiaBritannica(11thed.).CambridgeUniversityPress.

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Externallinks
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e:software%29)atInternetArchive
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ooks?id=hKxBsaR2hEC)EnglishtranslationbyW.Hooper,1777,GoogleBooks
Del'Esprit,orEssaysontheMindandItsSeveralFacultiesbyHelvtius(https://books.google.com/boo
ks?id=5UAAAAAAQAAJ)EnglishtranslationbyWilliamMudford,1807,GoogleBooks

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Categories: WritersfromParis 1715births 1771deaths 18thcenturyFrenchwriters

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