Helvetius - De L'esprit - 1777

Published in 1758 (and notably reissued in 1777), De l’esprit is a major work of the Enlightenment. Helvétius there defends a central and provocative idea: all human faculties originate from sensations and self-interest. According to him, there is no innate genius nor fundamental natural inequalities among minds; it is education, circumstances, and the environment that shape individuals.

Aligned with the Enlightenment movement, Helvétius drew inspiration from John Locke's empiricism and adopted a materialist stance. He seeks to explain human behavior without recourse to religious or metaphysical principles, grounding morality in well-understood self-interest and social utility.

The philosophical contribution of the work is considerable: it asserts the decisive power of education in transforming society and challenges privileges based on birth or the so-called natural talent. Regarded as dangerous to the established order, the book is condemned and burned shortly after its publication, but it will exert a lasting influence on modern political, moral, and pedagogical thought.



HELVETIUS - Complete Works, On the Spirit.

Paris, 1777.

Complete, 2 volumes, 12mo (425 pp. 428 pp.)

Half-bound calf leather bindings in good condition. Smooth spines with title and volume pieces. Wear from use at the corners and headcaps. Rubs on the boards. Interior well preserved.

A fine copy of this major work of Enlightenment philosophy.