Claude Adrian Helvetius: biography, pedagogical ideas, photo

Claude Adrian Helvetius was a material philosopher and a French writer. In his main works, the factors that shape the person are revealed. His books contributed to the development of pedagogy.

Who was the philosopher before his transformation? What happened to one of his main creations? What views did the French enlightener have, including in the pedagogical sphere? This can be found in the article.

Biography briefly

Claude Adrian Helvetius (date of birth 31.01.1715) was born in Paris. His father was a court physician. The family could provide the son with education, so he studied at the College of Louis the Great. There he felt disgust for scholasticism, preserved by him for the rest of his life.

He was prepared for the work of a financial employee. He even served as an assistant to his uncle, who was a tax collector in Qana. At the age of twenty-three, Claude Adrian Helvetius, whose photo is only in the form of a picture, received the post of tax collector. His father took care of this. He became a rich Parisian.

In 1751, Claude married Anne Catherine and resigned his position as a general farmer. The family spent time in the Chateau Vora, as well as in their own mansion in Paris. In the capital of France, the philosopher communicated with Diderot, Holbach, Montesquieu, Voltaire. His salon was known for being able to freely express his thoughts at this place.

From the age of thirty-six, Claude decided to devote himself to scientific and literary works. During his life, the philosopher visited England (1764) and Prussia (1765). During his lifetime, his main works were condemned by the Catholic Church and banned. In France, a complete collection of works will be released only in 1818.

Helvetius died on 26.12.1771 in Paris, suffering for a long time a severe form of gout. Before his death, he refused to reconcile with the church.

The views of the philosopher

The works of the Enlightener influenced the most famous thinkers of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Claude Adrian Helvetius had the following views:

• The world is endless and material;
• Matter moves all the time;
• Thinking is a property of matter;
• Rejected the idea of the divine origin of the world;
• Believed that self-love is the main impulse of all human actions;
• A decisive role in the formation of personality is played by the environment;
• Advocated enlightened absolutism without feudal relations.

Proceedings

Claude Adrian Helvetius very closely communicated with Voltaire. However, he did not agree with all the ideas of a great contemporary. For example, in politics and philosophy Claude took a more radical position.

One of the first literary works was the "Message about the love of knowledge," which he wrote in 1738. In it the author sings the love of reason, which has unlimited creative possibilities.

In the same year, the "Message of Pleasure" was published. In it, the author expresses his thoughts on the correct combination of personal interest with the public. He also condemns feudal property.

In 1740, the "Message on the arrogance and laziness of the mind" comes out, in which the author criticizes the religious worldview. Mocking the idea of a creative God, he compares it to a spider creating a material world from his substance.

From 1741 to 1751 the philosopher worked on the poem "Happiness", which the world saw only after the death of the French genius. In the work he rejected the understanding of happiness, which is inspired by the feudal estate. He was also against the ascetic attitude to life. He believed that luckily he could bring knowledge. Although this idea was not at all innovative and original.

"On the mind" (1758)

Claude Adrian Helvetius, whose biography is associated with the great enlighteners of France, created a work that was destined to become one of the significant creations of French materialism.

The book came out with the approval of the censor, however, after the attacks on the author from the side of the defenders of the old life began. The tone of many articles was so menacing that the author even thought about leaving the country. In the end, he renounced his book, which was anathematized and burned.

«About the Man» (1769)

A few years after the scandal with difficulty "On Mind", Claude Adrian Helvetius began work on the next book, which became no less famous. At first he wanted to publish a new work under a pseudonym. So did many enlighteners of that time. Later, he decided that it would be safer to postpone the publication until his death.

Both books revealed the main ideas of the philosopher and made a great contribution to the development of pedagogical thought.

Contribution to the history of pedagogy

Claude Adrian Helvetius, whose pedagogical ideas were innovative, first uncovered the factors shaping man. The most important of them he called the influence of the environment. According to him, a person is a product of circumstances and upbringing. However, he mistakenly perceived upbringing as a means for the reconstruction of public life.

The single goal of education for all he considered as a desire for the good of society. He argued that education is omnipotent, but at the same time did not accept the individual differences of each child.

Being an opponent of scholasticism, which he heard in a Jesuit college, Helvetius demanded that public education be secular. He was also against the dominance of Latin in schools.

Subjects that were to be studied in schools, the philosopher believed:

• native language;
• History;
• Policy;
• morality;
• Poetry.

At the same time, the training should have been visual and based on the personal experience of the student. He advocated for equal rights in obtaining education for men and women. Teachers were supposed to be enlightened people. He insisted that they be provided financially and surrounded by universal respect in society.