LA METTRIE, JULIEN OFFRAY DE
| zhülyăNˈ ôfrāˈ də lä mĕtrēˈ, 1709–51, French physician and philosopher. On the basis of personal observation he claimed that psychical activity is purely the result of the organic construction of the brain and nervous system and developed this theory in Histoire naturelle de l'âme (1745). The protest against his atheistic materialism was so strong that La Mettrie had to leave the country. He further alienated the public with L'Homme machine (1748), the final development of his mechanical explanation of humans and the world. He lived in Berlin under the protection of his patron Frederick the Great. His ethics, purely hedonistic, are set forth in L'Art de jouir (1751). ____________________The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition Copyright© 2004, Columbia University Press. Licensed from Lernout & Hauspie Speech Products N.V. All rights reserved. -27138- | |
|
About Questia
Questia is the world's largest online academic library offering full-text books, journals, and articles on thousands of topics.
Join Now...
|
|
Questia Books and Articles on: La Mettrie Julien Offray De
|
| We found: |
136 results |
By media type: |
Books: | Journal articles: | Magazine articles: | Newspaper articles: | Encyclopedia articles: |
|
|