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Article: Holbach, Paul Thiry, Baron D' (1723–1789)
- Article from:
- Europe, 1450 to 1789: Encyclopedia of the Early Modern World
- Author:
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HOLBACH, PAUL THIRY, BARON D' (1723
–
1789)
HOLBACH, PAUL THIRY, BARON D'
(1723
–
1789), French philosopher, scientist, man of letters, founder of a salon, and critic of the
ancien r
é
gime.
Holbach's life and literary career are somewhat shadowy because he published his books clandestinely to avoid persecution and did not write a memoir, diary, or a great number of letters.
Holbach was born in the village of Edesheim in the Palatinate, a German-speaking area close to France and its culture. His parents, non-noble landowners, raised him as a Catholic. In childhood, he was influenced greatly by his uncle Fran
ç
ois-Adam d'Holbach, a rich financier ennobled in Vienna in ...