Home Biographie Bibliographie Bilder Texte  von d'Argens  -  elektronisch verfügbare  -  Inhaltsübersichten  -  Briefe über d'Argens  -  elektronisch verfügbare  -  Inhaltsübersichten  -  Rezensionen sonstige Dokumente  -  Geburtsurkunde  -  Stammbaum  -  Testament  -  Nachruf Links Ansprechpartner - Texte über d'Argens - Inhaltsübersichten Newell Richard Bush: The Marquis d'Argens and his Philosophical Correspondence: A Critical Study of d'Argens' Lettres juives, Lettres cabalistiques and Lettres chinoises. Diss. Phil. Columbia University. [S.l.: s.n.], 1953. iv, 248 S. Le Marquis d'Argens: sa vie et ses oeuvres ; essai biographique et critique. - Réimpr. de l'éd. Paris 1928. Genève: Slatkine, 1971. - 212 p.: Ill. Rezensionen / Comptes rendus: The Modern language review (1955), 84-85 (R. Niklaus); French studies 8 (1954), 68-69 (John Lough); Modern language notes 69 (1954), 301-302 (H. C. Lancaster). INTRODUCTION  p. 1 Chapter I THE LIFE OF THE MARQUIS D'ARGENS - Youth: Aix-en-Provence - Sylvie de Tremblai - Algiers and Constantinople-Rome - Military service - Holland: The Mémoires (1735) - novels - the Lettres juives (1736-37) - early friendship with Voltaire - the Philosophie du bon-sens (1737) - the Lettres cabalistiques and chinoises (1737-40) - Wurttemburg (1740-42). Berlin: Appointment as chamberlain at Frederick's court the Sans-Souci group - the Berlin Academy - d'Argens as director of the section of Belles-Lettres - in charge of the Comédie - return to France (1737) - marriage to Barbe Cochois - arrival of Voltaire in Potsdam - d'Argens' superstition and hypochondria - break-up of Sans Souci group - the Seven Years' War - translations by the Marquis (Ocellus, Timaeus, and Emperor Julian) - the building of "Mon Repos" - l'Histoire de l'esprit humain - final break with Frederick and return to Aix - death "en philosophe" in 1771. p. 7 Chapter II THE PHILOSOPHICAL CORRESPONDENCE - Unity of the Lettres juives, cabalistiques, and chinoises; the vogue of foreign traveler letters, Marana, Dufresny, Montesquieu; difference in d'Argens' work from predecessors; the original conception and sources used for each series; method of publication, bi-weekly "demi-feuilles"; the general purpose of whole work, Bayle and Fontenelle as models; Reception and influence: success on the continent, English translations in periodicals, use made by Goldsmith in the Citizen and elsewhere.  p. 52 Chapter III D'ARGENS' ATTACK ON THE CHURCH - Church institutions: ceremonies and sacraments; religious orders, celibacy; Papal authority and infallibility; religious persecution, the Inquisition and the Revocation Church doctrine: the Apostolic Fathers; the cuit of the Saints; the authority of Aristotle.  p. 83 Chapter IV DEISM AND NATURAL ETHICS - Deism: essence of d'Argens' religious beliefs; general statements of his deism; the similarity of all religions; his rejection of atheism; his attack on anthropomorphic conceptions of the Deity; critical deism in the Correspondance philosophique; Natural ethics: based on the "Lumière naturelle"; rejection of innate ethical notions; the Golden Rule and its positive corollary; reward and punishment as an argument for an afterlife; variety of ethical concepts; common sense standard rather than one based on pure reason. p. 115 Chapter V PHYSICS AND METAPHYSICS - Physics: the nature of matter; the "vide" versus "the plein"; finite or infinite; created or co-eternal with God. D'Argens already a Newtonian. Metaphysics: The nature and existence of the Deity; the source of evil and imperfection in the universe; the nature of the soul, material or spiritual? mortal or immortal? p. 148 Chapter VI COSMOPOLITANISM - The revival of intellectual cosmopolitanism; two reasons for d'Argens' interest, the current vogue and his own life; the "philosophe" as a world citizen; the importance of the theme in the Correspondance philosophique; d'Argens' efforts to destroy national prejudice; the importance of travel to either scholar or Prince; d'Argens as a critic of nations; superiority of the Lettres juives in this respect; Italy, England, and the Moslem countries; Holland, Germany, Russia, Spain, and France; the question of d'Argens' patriotism as a Frenchman; conclusions. p. 190 CONCLUSIONS p. 221 APPENDIX p. 229 BIBLIOGRAPHY p. 234 Universitätsbibliothek Trier - D-54286 Trier