Determinism and Enlightenment

This book reassesses Diderot's and d'Holbach's theory of determinism. It examines the way in which both thinkers engaged with the Christian philosophical tradition and problematises our understanding of the 'Radical Enlightenment'. It offers a re-interpretation of Diderot's and d'Holbach's place in the history of philosophy, provides a fresh interpretation of crucial eighteenth-century texts such as the Système de la nature and Jacques le fataliste et son maître, and unveils a key web of concepts that will help researchers to better understand Enlightenment philosophy and literature as a whole.