Paul Thiry, Baron d’Holbach was among the most prominent philosophers of the eighteenth century. His numerous texts, which put forward a thorough-going materialistic, atheistic, and in many ways radical philosophy, were widely read and quoted during the French Revolution as well as, more recently, in Positivist and Marxist circles. Most importantly, d’Holbach’s works can still speak to modern readers as they engage very closely with notions such as freedom of thought or social equality, that are still very relevant today.
Begun in October 2018, Digital d’Holbach aims to provide the public with a born-digital scholarly edition d’Holbach’s complete works. Directed by Dr Ruggero Sciuto, the project brings together scholars in the UK as well as in Europe, and hopes to grow quickly with the support of the many colleagues worldwide who share our interest in the works of the Baron. When accomplished, the edition will represent a major contribution to the field of eighteenth-century studies: to create a scholarly edition of d’Holbach’s publications is to offer a more nuanced idea of the so-called ‘Radical Enlightenment’ and to gain a much better understanding of some of the main (philosophical) debates taking place in the second half of the eighteenth century not only in France, but in the whole of Europe.
