Cet ouvrage présente la vie et l'oeuvre de Claude Adrien Helvétius, un philosophe français du XVIIIe siècle, connu pour ses théories matérialistes et utilitaristes. En revisitant les textes de Helvétius, ainsi que les archives et les témoignages de son temps, l'auteur montre la complexité et la richesse de la pensée de cet auteur, ainsi que son influence sur les mouvements intellectuels et politiques de son époque. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.