Nicolas Antoine Boulanger
Encyclopedia
Nicolas Antoine Boulanger (Paris 1722 - 1759) was a French
philosopher and man of letters during the Age of Enlightenment
.
Born the son of a paper merchant, Boulanger studied first mathematics, and later ancient languages. He composed several philosophical works in which he sought to come up with naturalistic explanations for superstitions and religious practices, all of which were published posthumously. His major works were Recherches sur l’origine du despotisme oriental (Research into the origins of oriental despotism - 1761) and l’Antiquité dévoilée par ses usages (Antiquity Unveiled), the latter which was edited and republished by the anti-religious atheist philosopher Baron d'Holbach
in 1766. D'Holbach had previously published his own notorious Christianity Unveiled (1761) in Boulanger's name
Boulanger's collected works were published in 1792.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
philosopher and man of letters during the Age of Enlightenment
Age of Enlightenment
The Age of Enlightenment was an elite cultural movement of intellectuals in 18th century Europe that sought to mobilize the power of reason in order to reform society and advance knowledge. It promoted intellectual interchange and opposed intolerance and abuses in church and state...
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Born the son of a paper merchant, Boulanger studied first mathematics, and later ancient languages. He composed several philosophical works in which he sought to come up with naturalistic explanations for superstitions and religious practices, all of which were published posthumously. His major works were Recherches sur l’origine du despotisme oriental (Research into the origins of oriental despotism - 1761) and l’Antiquité dévoilée par ses usages (Antiquity Unveiled), the latter which was edited and republished by the anti-religious atheist philosopher Baron d'Holbach
Baron d'Holbach
Paul-Henri Thiry, Baron d'Holbach was a French-German author, philosopher, encyclopedist and a prominent figure in the French Enlightenment. He was born Paul Heinrich Dietrich in Edesheim, near Landau in the Rhenish Palatinate, but lived and worked mainly in Paris, where he kept a salon...
in 1766. D'Holbach had previously published his own notorious Christianity Unveiled (1761) in Boulanger's name
Boulanger's collected works were published in 1792.