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Good Sense by [Baron D'Holbach, Paul Henri Thiry]

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baron d' Paul Henri Thiry Holbach

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Good Sense Kindle Edition

by Baron D'Holbach (Author), Paul Henri Thiry (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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117 pages
Language

English
Publication date

17 May 2012
File size

458 KB
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Synopsis

Published in 1772 this discourse by Paul Henri Thiry challenges religion. His atheistic views on the nature of God, the existence of a soul, miracles, priests, heaven and hell, and the divine right of kings are discussed in detail. Good Sense is a comprehensive study of atheism. --This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

About the Author

Paul Henri Thiry, Baron d'Holbach, was born in December 1723, in Edesheim, Rhine Palatinate but was raised in Paris by his uncle Franciscus Adam d'Holbach. Paul Henri attended the University of Leyden, Holland, from 1744 till about 1749. In that year he married his cousin Basile-Genevieve d'Aine. Around 1754 his uncle Franciscus and his father-in-law both died, leaving Paul Henri the barony of d'Holbach and a large fortune. D'Holbach used his wealth to establish a coterie in Paris for which he became famous. This group included noted intellectuals of the day such as Denis Diderot, Claude-Adrien Helvetius, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Benjamin Franklin, Edward Gibbon, David Hume, and Adam Smith, as well as French nobles and ambassadors from European countries. D'Holbach contributed articles on chemistry and allied scientific topics to Diderot's ENCYCLOPEDIE. A vigorous opponent of Christianity, he escaped public and political ridicule by publishing his critical views using the names of deceased friends or employing pseudonyms. In 1761 he published LE CHRISTIANISME DEVOILE (Christianity Unveiled) using the name of his deceased friend N.A. Boulanger. His most famous book, SYSTEME DE LA NATURE (The System of Nature), published in 1770 under the name of J.B. Mirabaud, derided religion. LE BON-SENS (Good Sense) was published in 1772 under the name of Jean Meslier. D'Holbach's 1773 SYSTEME SOCIAL (Social System) placed morality and politics in a utilitarian framework. THE SYSTEM OF NATURE and GOOD SENSE were condemned by the Paris parliament and publicly burned. D'Holbach died on June 21, 1789, in Paris. --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0084AWPIS
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 458 KB
Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
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Print length ‏ : ‎ 117 pages

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Simon Perry

Feels contemporary

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 July 2015

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This has to be among the primary texts for atheist thinkers. D'Holbach's writing is a high point in the history of atheism, and I believe there is nothing to better it until Bertrand Russell (interestingly, another highly privileged individual) began to address the subject in the twentieth century. Sometimes D'Holbach's arguments are just beautifully worded assertions, but often he is making strong arguments that have echoed through modernity and can still be heard from today's more militant atheists. What makes D'Holbach stand out, however, is that he was writing at a time when it was actually dangerous to be an atheist - I mean, seriously dangerous. It is also noteworthy that his canons are usually zeroed on the church's abuse of power - moreso than on the substructures of Christian theology.

Reading this piece left me desperate to hear what he would say about our current climate now that, at least here in Europe, the church is slowly but surely losing its grip altogether on culture and society. Yes, it is a dated book, but translates well, is easy to read and is properly entertaining. It's worth spending time with this - you'll know very early on if it's not for you.

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B. Gillie

An atheist's bible

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 28 January 2010

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Baron d'Holbach was clearly a well travelled and highly educated man, who seems to have gone to some effort to introduce the works and ideas of his native Germany to his adopted France, and vice versa, (as did the poet Heinrich Heine).
This work was published from Amsterdam, under a pseudonym - so strong was the dogma and power of the Church that any challenge was highly risky.
I read it in December 2009, at a time when my national newspaper had a headline :"Church recruiting drive targets 2-year-olds", and felt acutely how little progress there has been since 1772. Indeed, as a former secondary school teacher, I feel this book should be read by teenagers, to give them an alternative view of religion. As stated in the preface "its clearness of expression, facility, and precision of style, render it most suitable for the average student".
In essence the book sets out the reasons for believing there is no God, no after-life, and no reason to be sad on these accounts. About 130 pages in length, there is some repetition, and the Baron does seem to be seeking out all possible aspects of religious belief to nullify their validity, so there are times when he is erecting Aunt Sallies, but there are also many lucid moments, which deserve to be known and quoted, for example :
"Can any sensible man, delighted with the sciences and attached to the welfare of his fellow-creatures, reflect, without vexation and anguish, how many profound, laborious, and subtle brains have been for ages foolishly occupied in the study of absurdities? What a treasure of knowledge might have been diffused by many celebrated thinkers, if instead of engaging in the impertinent disputes of vain theology, they had devoted their attention to intelligible objects really important to mankind?"
The 21st Century has so far been dominated by conflict in the name of religion, and we seem no nearer unveiling the hypocrisy of those who so abuse it, nor considering the views of those who reject it. Holbach's "Good Sense" will remain unread and unknown except by a few, while "religious debate" centres on such issues as the BBC rejecting the suitability of Humanism for an occasional turn in "Thought for the Day".
But YOU could borrow or buy it, and read something of the alternative viewpoint.

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Michael D. Reynolds

A still unsurpassed manifesto of non-theism

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 11 December 2012

In 1770 Louis XV was nearing the end of his long and despotic reign in France. The law there called for execution of those who preached a religion other than Roman Catholicism. It was in this setting that Paul Thiry (Baron d'Holbach) published his "System of Nature." Two years later "Good Sense" appeared, expounding in 206 articles Thiry's opinions about religion previously expressed in the "System." It was printed anonymously and in a foreign country to forestall persecution of the writer.
The Author's Preface summarizes his argument. The incomprehensibility of the concept of God results in the elaboration of speculations about this being, and the perplexity arising from attempts to "solve an insolvable problem" leads to fanaticism and violence. The servants of religion have promoted ignorance, fear, and submissiveness, which "make men wicked and unhappy. Knowledge, Reason, and Liberty can alone reform and make men happier."
Thiry criticizes the concept of God from the standpoints of epistemology, logic, and ethics. He addresses the cosmological and teleological arguments for the existence of God, the allegation that all people possess an "inward sense" of a deity, and the historical prevalence of theistic beliefs as evidence of their correctness. The concept of faith, and the notion of "truths above reason," are analyzed and criticized.
The author demonstrates the absence of a plausible motive for divine creation of the universe. He notes that "chance" means "ignorance of true causes" and criticizes the theological argument that the alternative to divine creation is "chance"--an argument that theologians have continued to make despite its invalidity. He points out the absence of any plausible concept of how an immaterial spirit can affect matter. Intellection, he writes, "depends upon a certain disposition of the material organs of the body" and not some incorporeal entity.
Thiry notes that the non-factual nature of all ideas about God leads to a proliferation of religions and sects that quarrel incessantly because none of their beliefs can be demonstrated to be correct, nor can competing beliefs be shown to be false. He remarks, "If religion were necessary at all, it ought to be intelligible to all."
The effects of religion, the author states, have been negative: "Ignorance and fear are the two hinges of all religion." Fanaticism has persistently led to persecution and violence. The union of church and state serves to prevent freedom; rulers whom religion declares to be agents of God are not thereby rendered benevolent.
The allegation that religion is a source of morality is refuted. On the contrary, Thiry avers, religion is a principal cause of immorality. If human beings are enlightened and free, they will behave well because they perceive that doing so benefits them and avoids negative consequences in the real world. Notions of reward and punishment in a hypothetical post-mortem existence are not an effective basis of morality.
Finally, Thiry addresses the subject of atheism. He notes that children have no innate idea of God: "Religion...passes...from parents to children." He refutes the allegation that atheism results only from unworthy motives and that it leads to wickedness.
"Good Sense" is arguably the best statement of non-theism ever written, in view of its rationality, comprehensiveness, clarity and power. Reprinting of English translations by several publishers during the past decade makes this landmark work readily available to a new generation of readers.

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