History of the Origins of World Philosophy, French Enlightenment No. 7: Erdre

French Enlightenment No. 7: Aier Maintenance

　　Alves is a member of the French Encyclopedia. He was no less different from La Metelli. Although Rameteli was also a major member of the French Enlightenment, he unfortunately died young and had little to do with the Encyclopédie school. Elvesy's life experience was also far smoother and more peaceful than Thattelli's, although his philosophical work had also been banned, and he had never tasted the taste of prison worms through various connections.

　　It should be said that he was the best of all the French Enlightenment thinkers, and the most educated. He had many friends and few opponents. He was by no means as annoying as Rousseau, nor was he like Voltaire and Ramétry, who lived at risk of wanted and arrested.

　　Alves was born in 1715 in Paris, France. His father was a royal physician and had a good social status. His family was well-off and his living and studying conditions were excellent. He had a lot of personality and wasn't a good student in school. But his talent and good looks, coupled with his father's connections, he was very popular with the Queen of France at a young age. In 1738, at the age of 23, he was appointed by the government at the suggestion of the queen as a general tax collector, a position that could earn him 300,000 Livres a year.

　　From 1749 onwards, he became the Queen's Bodyguard, a messenger who earned him a better income and the ability to do great good deeds, as well as to help his friends and poor people he was happy to help. In 1751, he married, bought a manor house in Warrey, and began a life of seclusion. He had a lot of income, was kind, and with a lifelong eagerness to learn, he had a strong desire to read all kinds of philosophical and literary works.

　　Thus he had a good popularity and prestige in the French upper class, in the Encyclopædia circles, and in and in his place of residence. It is said that he went in and out of his manor, and was often able to do some good deeds, so he was deeply loved by the poor people. Sometimes when he went out for a walk, old men, women and children greeted him, but it was such a kind and knowledgeable young student who in 1758 attracted the criticism of the Church for publishing his only philosophical work, On the Spirit. Pope XIII of Rome issued an order to Catholics all over the world to forbade this "terrible work" absolutely. The Paris parliament, too, showed a look of impatience and went so far as to pass a resolution ordering the book to be burned. Thanks to the help of his powerful friends, he was able to escape his arrest.

　　The encounter of Elvision also gave people a kind of enlightenment, that is, the french Enlightenment achieved such a social effect, on the one hand, it conformed to the needs of history, on the other hand, it did achieve outstanding achievements, and on the other hand, the stupid rulers helped them a lot - because they only acted perversely, exaggerated, regarded several articles as flood beasts, and panicked in the face of several pamphlets, such as mourning, so that the enlightenment movement achieved double the social effect. Just as two armies fight each other to decide life and death, not only the wisdom and bravery of the victorious side, but also the stupidity and miscalculation of the defeated side. The rulers of France at that time were such a class of thoughtless fools.

　　Erdvig's philosophical ideas basically followed the path of English empiricism, but his formulation seemed to be more decisive, not as systematic and deliberate as his English counterparts, thus appearing more decisive. He continued the empiric principles of Locke's philosophy, but disagreed with Locke's interpretation of the experience of introspection. In his view, the so-called introspective experience does not actually exist, and all knowledge can only come from feelings.

　　He said: "The whole activity of the spirit lies in the fact that we have the ability to perceive similarities or differences, similarities or contradictions between different objects. However, this ability is nothing more than the sensuality of the body itself, so that all sensations can be reduced to sensations. The similarity between El repair and Lametley is that they can apply their philosophical ideas to specialized areas that they are familiar with. Ramethelli was a doctor, so he followed the vine and applied his philosophical theories to his medical profession. He wrote Man as a Machine, which is the inevitable result of the development of his ideas.

Elvis never engaged in specialized scientific research in his lifetime, but he was obviously very familiar with administrative affairs, had considerable contact with all social classes, and was also an avid lover of literature, familiar with the works of playwrights such as Corneille and Racine. As a result, his philosophy is human-centered and focused on ethical studies, thus embodying the unique style of Ersch's philosophy.

　　The human-centered and starting point of Erti's philosophical system inevitably challenged the religious forces of the time. Although his articles are not as sharp as Voltaire's articles, nor are they as sharp and literary as Holbach's, they are also very aggressive and penetrating. He agreed with Hobbes that all religions were nothing more than fables. If these fables are recognized by the state, then they can be called religions, and conversely, they are nothing more than superstitions. However, calling it a religion, or a superstition, is also without a rational basis. He said, "What did the priests persecute?" science. ...... The enemies of scientists are monks, imams, brahmins, and all priests of any religion. "

From the perspective of his philosophical system, since he decided: "In the final analysis, the human spirit is nothing more than sensory ability, and sensory ability is a material property with a certain structure, so there can be no independent spiritual entity without the human body." It was in this logic that he easily rejected the theological conception of the existence of God and the immortality of the soul.

　　The most famous ideas in The philosophy of Ertius are his "principle of self-love," rational egoism, and the idea that man is a product of circumstance.

　　The so-called "principle of self-love" stems from his theory of human nature. He believed that self-interest was the immutable nature of man. He said, "Pain and pleasure are the only motivators of the moral bottom, and the feeling of self-love is the only basis on which a useful moral bottom can be built." "Seek pleasure and avoid suffering, and so do everyone. Elvis views all phenomena in the world from this standpoint, and uses this as a principle to determine good and evil and people's values.

　　He advocated rational egoism and the idea that all men are created equal. But his concept of equality is not the equality of wealth enjoyment, but the recognition of individual power and the equality of opportunity to obtain wealth. His concept of equality is not divorced from egoism or the principle of competition. He insisted that rational egoism was the highest human virtue. "Interests are our only driving force," he said. People seem to be sacrificing, but never sacrificing their own happiness for the happiness of others. The river does not flow backwards to its source, and people do not disobey their interests. "

Proceeding from his ethical concepts and the principle of man's self-love, he appreciated pleasure and resolutely opposed asceticism. He believed that lust was the most beautiful and precious content of life, and asceticism was the most immoral and rational act. Life has desires, so why forbid them. Just as life needs to breathe, you don't let it breathe, but it makes sense. Since he believes that the pursuit of pleasure and avoidance of suffering is an instinctive reflection of human nature, he must conclude that man's various materialistic pursuits should not be opposed, cannot be opposed, and cannot be resisted. He argues that lust–self-love–is also the driving force behind social development and evolution. Extremely complex social phenomena such as the rise and fall of nations, the change of institutions, the transformation of fashions, and even the emergence of new nations can be found in the roots of human self-love and lust.

　　Elvier was also an educational determinist. He believed that there is no good or evil in human nature, and that a good education can be good, and vice versa. In his theory, man is a product of the environment. From this point of view, he has the idea that "the goodness of men is the product of law", the idea that "opinions dominate the world", and the idea that "some great kings summon geniuses there, and geniuses summon happiness". However, although these statements are concise and clear, they are somewhat contradictory and difficult to justify. Since they are the product of the environment, opinions cannot dominate the world; genius can summon happiness, and man should not be a product of the environment. The paradox is that we don't know whether we should rely on the environment or turn to genius.

But in Aier Repair, there may not be such a bitter pursuit. As Marx said: "There is a materialist doctrine that holds that man is the product of the environment and education, because he who has changed is the product of another environment and of changed education,—— forgetting that the environment is changed by man, and that the educator himself must be educated." Thus this doctrine necessarily divides society into two parts, one of which is above it. "

In short, Elvis was an ideological rebel who grew up in a family very close to the royal family, opposing despotism and supporting the idea that private property could not be infringed upon and that all men were created equal. His ideas were at odds with the French ruling class of the time. Therefore, it can be said that he is a lotus flower born in the mud of decay, a young eagle that soars above the flock.

　　In his lifetime, he wrote many works, in addition to "On the Spirit", "On the Intellectual Ability and Education of Man", "On Pleasure", "On handicrafts", and "On the Arrogance and Laziness of Reason", as well as several unfinished works.

　　Alves died in 1771 at the age of 56.

【For more wonderful articles, please pay attention to the WeChat public account "History of World Nations and Civilizations"】