Jacques-André Naigeon
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Jacques-André Naigeon (15 July 1738,
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...
– 28 February 1810, Paris) was a French artist, atheistmaterialist philosopher, editor and man of letters best known for his contributions to the ''
Encyclopédie ''Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers'' (English: ''Encyclopedia, or a Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts, and Crafts''), better known as ''Encyclopédie'', was a general encyclopedia publis ...
'' and for reworking Baron d'Holbach's and Diderot's manuscripts.Kafker, Frank A.: ''Notices sur les auteurs des 17 volumes de « discours » de l'Encyclopédie (suite et fin).'' Recherches sur Diderot et sur l'Encyclopédie Année (1990) Volume 8 Numéro 8 p. 106-107
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Biography

After trying his hand at painting and sculpture, Naigeon became a friend and associate of
Denis Diderot Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the '' Encyclopédie'' along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a promi ...
, whom he helped to work on the ''Encyclopédie''. He soon became involved with the '' Coterie Holbachique'', a group of radical
French Enlightenment French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with France ...
thinkers centered on the Paris salon of Baron d'Holbach. Naigeon quickly adopted the Baron's atheist principles and collaborated with him on his works, overseeing their clandestine printing in
Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the capital and most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population of 907,976 within the city proper, 1,558,755 in the urban ar ...
and editing d'Holbach's ''Morale Universelle'' and his ''Essai sur les préjugés''. Priding himself on a thorough knowledge of the classics, Naigeon would also edit a French translation of the works of
Seneca Seneca may refer to: People and language * Seneca (name), a list of people with either the given name or surname * Seneca people, one of the six Iroquois tribes of North America ** Seneca language, the language of the Seneca people Places Extrat ...
begun by Nicolas La Grange, publishing it along with Diderot's ''Essai sur les régnes de Claude et de Néron'' (Paris, 1778). Other editorial work included the ''
Essays An essay is, generally, a piece of writing that gives the author's own argument, but the definition is vague, overlapping with those of a letter, a paper, an article, a pamphlet, and a short story. Essays have been sub-classified as formal a ...
'' of Montaigne and a translation of Toland's philosophical letters. Naigeon became the editor, compiler and commentator of Diderot's works after the latter made him his literary executor. He published an incomplete edition of Diderot's works in 1798 after writing ''Mémoires historiques et philosophiques sur la vie et les ouvrages de Diderot'', an unfinished commentary on his life and works. Naigeon's only original stand-alone work was ''Le militaire philosophe, ou Difficultés sur la religion, proposées au Père Malebranche'' (London and Amsterdam, 1768), which was based on an earlier anonymous manuscript and whose final chapter was written by d'Holbach. This work mostly repeated the atheist, anti-Christian, determinist materialist arguments found in the radical literature of the second half of the 18th century. Naigeon continued his attacks on religion in his ''Dictionary of Ancient and Modern Philosophy'' in the ''
Encyclopédie méthodique The ''Encyclopédie méthodique par ordre des matières'' ("Methodical Encyclopedia by Order of Subject Matter") was published between 1782 and 1832 by the French publisher Charles Joseph Panckoucke, his son-in-law Henri Agasse, and the latter's ...
'' (1791–1794). In his address to the
National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the rep ...
in 1790 (') he called for absolute freedom of the press, asking the Assembly to withhold the name of God and religion from their declaration of the rights of man.


Bibliography


Naigeon's works

* ''Les Chinois'', a comedy written with
Charles Simon Favart Charles Simon Favart (13 November 1710 – 12 May 1792) was a French playwright and theatre director. The Salle Favart in Paris is named after him. Biography Born in Paris, the son of a pastry-cook, he was educated at the Lycée Louis-le-Grand, a ...
(1756) * ''Le Militaire philosophe ou, Difficultés sur la religion proposées au R.P. Malebranche'' (London and Amsterdam, 1768) ; * ''Éloge de La Fontaine'' (1775) * ' (1790) * ''Dictionnaire de philosophie ancienne et moderne'' 3 vol. (1791-1794) * ''Mémoire sur la vie et les œuvres de Diderot'' (1821)


Secondary literature

* Alan Charles Kors, "The Atheism of D'Holbach and Naigeon," ''Atheism from the Reformation to the Enlightenment'' (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1992) * Mario Cosenza, "All'ombra dei Lumi. Jacques-André Naigeon philosophe", (Fedoa - Napoli University Press, Napoli, 2020).


References


External links

*
''Le militaire philosophe''
- online text in French {{DEFAULTSORT:Naigeon, Jacques-Andre 1723 births 1810 deaths Writers from Paris Philosophes French materialists Determinists Contributors to the Encyclopédie (1751–1772) Atheist philosophers French atheism activists French atheists French philosophers Enlightenment philosophers 18th-century philosophers 18th-century French writers 18th-century French male writers French translators Denis Diderot French male writers 18th-century atheists 19th-century atheists