Baron Holbach, the system of nature - Two volumes PDF
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| Baron Holbach |
Baron Holbach was a great free thinker he wrote various books under pseudo names,most famous works are the the systems of Nature and petition superstition in all ages. He wrote many books. Some exist and most Lost. He was just destroyer of Superstitions but a builder of new logical humane system.
From introduction
To expose superstition, the ignorance and credulity on which it is based, and to ameliorate
the condition of the human race, is the ardent desire of every philanthropic mind.
Mankind are unhappy, in proportion as they are deluded by imaginary systems of theology.
Taught to attach much importance to belief in religious doctrines, and to mere forms and
ceremonies of religious worship,
the slightest disagreement among theological dogmatists
is oftentimes sufficient to inflame their minds, already excited by bigotry, and to lead them
to anathematize and destroy each other without pity, mercy, or remorse.
The various theological systems in which mankind have been misled to have faith, are but
fables and falsehoods imposed by visionaries and fanatics on the ignorant, the weak, and the
credulous, as historical truths; and for unbelief of which, millions have perished at the stake,
or pined in gloomy dungeons: and such will ever be the case, until the mists of superstition,
and the influence of priestcraft, are exposed by the light of knowledge and the power of truth.
Many honest and talented philanthropists have directed their powerful intellects against the
religious dogmas which have caused so much misery and persecution among mankind.
Owing, however, to the combined power and influence of kings and priests, many of those
learned and liberal works have been either destroyed or buried in oblivion, and the characters of the writers assailed by the unsparing and relentless rancour of pious abuse.
To counteract and destroy, if possible, these sources of mischief and misery, is the intention
of the publishers of the Free Enquirer’s Family Library. It is proposed to publish in a form
which shall unite the various advantages of neatness of typography and cheapness of price,
the works of those celebrated authors whose writings, owing to religious intolerance, have
been kept in obscurity.
We have commenced the library with a translation of Baron d’Holbach’s System of Nature,
because it is estimated as one of the most able expositions of theological absurdities which
has ever been written. It is in reality a System of Nature. Man is here considered in all his
relations both to his own species and those spiritual beings which are supposed to exist in the
imaginary Utopia of religious devotees. This great work strikes at the root of all the errours
and evil consequences of religious superstition and intolerance. It inculcates the purest
morality; instructing us to be kind one to another, in order to live happily in each other’s
society — to be tolerant and forbearing, because belief is involuntary, and mankind are so
organized that all cannot think alike — to be indulgent and benevolent, because kindness
begets kindness, and hence each individual becomes interested for the happiness of every
other, and thus all contribute to human felicity.
Let those who declare the immorality of sceptical writings, read the System of Nature, and
they will be undeceived.
They will then learn that the calumniated sceptics are incited by no
other motives than the most praiseworthy benevolence; that far from endeavouring to
increase that misery which is incidental to human life, they only wish to heal the animosities
caused by religious dissensions, and to show men that their true polar star is to be happy, and
endeavour to render others so. But above all, let those read this work who seek to come at
a “knowledge of the truth;” — let those read it whose minds are harassed by the fear of death
Some contents
Author’s Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Chapter I: Of Nature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Chapter II: Of Motion, and its Origin. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Chapter III: Of Matter: — Of its various Combinations; Of its diversified Motion;
or, of the Course of Nature. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
Chapter IV: Of the Laws of Motion common to all the Beings of Nature — Of
Attraction and Repulsion — Of inert Force — Of Necessity. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Chapter V: Of Order and Confusion — Of Intelligence — Of Chance. . . . . . . 36
Chapter VI: Of Man — Of his Distinction into Moral and Physical — Of his Origin.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Chapter VII: Of the Soul, and of the Spiritual System. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Chapter VIII: Of the Intellectual Faculties; they are all derived from the Faculty of
Feeling. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57
Chapter IX: Of the Diversity of the Intellectual Faculties; they depend on Physical
Causes, as do their Moral Qualities. The Natural Principles of Society. — Of
Morals. — Of Politics. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Chapter X: The Soul does not derive its Ideas from itself. It has no innate Ideas.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
Chapter XI: Of the System of Man’s Free Agency. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
Chapter XII: An Examination of the Opinion which pretends that the System of
Fatalism is Dangerous. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Chapter XIII: Of the Immortality of the Soul, — Of the Doctrine of a future State;
— Of the Fear of Death. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132
Chapter XIV: Education, Morals, and the Laws, suffice to restrain Man. — Of the
Desire of Immortality. — Of Suicide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 146
Chapter XV: Of Man’s true Interest, or of the Ideas he forms to himself of
Happiness. — Man cannot be Happy without Virtue. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Chapter XVI: The Errours of Man, upon what constitutes Happiness, the true
Source of his Evil. — Remedies that may be applied. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 168
Chapter XVII: Those Ideas which are true, or founded upon Nature, are the only
Remedies for the Evils of Man. — Recapitulation. — Conclusion of the First Part.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 177
Chapter XVIII: The Origin of Man’s Ideas upon the Divinity. . . . . . . . . . . . 185
Chapter XIX: Of Mythology, and Theology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197
Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
I merged The Two volumes in One PDF file
