Claude-Adrien Helvétius

Claude-Adrien Helvétius (Known as "Helvétius")

Enlightenment Philosopher, Author of De l'esprit, Champion of Universal Education

Born Jan 26, 1715

Paris, France

Passed Away Dec 26, 1771 Paris, Kingdom of France

Lifespan 56 years old

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Notice / Correction

"L'éducation peut tout: difference of minds is not born of nature, but created by circumstance and instruction."

Archival Overview

French Enlightenment philosopher whose sensationalist 1758 treatise De l'esprit was publicly condemned by the Sorbonne and burned by the Parlement of Paris, asserting that human intelligence is shaped solely by education.

Biographical Record

Scion of a line of royal physicians, Helvétius accumulated an immense fortune as Farmer-General (tax collector) before retiring to his estate at Voré to dedicate his life to philanthropic social projects and philosophical writing.

In De l'esprit (1758), he argued that all human actions are driven by self-interest and physical sensation, concluding that all humans possess equal intellectual potential at birth ('l'éducation peut tout'). His radical egalitarianism influenced Jeremy Bentham's utilitarianism and Karl Marx.

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Final Resting Place

Perpetual Memorial

Church of Saint-Roch
Paris, France

                         GPS: 48.8656, 2.3333                    

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