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[[File:Marquis d'Argens 2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Marquis d'Argens]]
'''Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens''' (June 24, 1704 - January 11, 1771) was a [[France|French]] philosopher and writer.
==Life==
[[File:Marquis d'Argens 2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Marquis d'Argens]]
'''Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens''' (June 24, 1704 - January 11, 1771) was a [[France|French]] philosopher and writer who made a substantial contribution to the [[Enlightenment]].
==Life==
D'Argens was born in [[Aix-en-Provence]], the eldest son of a magistrate who was made a marquis in 1720. He was given an intensive Catholic and classical education at the hands of the Jesuits, but became a skeptic and eventually a Deist. An arch-opponent of the Catholic Church, intolerance and religious oppression, his books were frequently denounced by the [[Inquisition]]. In 1724 he accompanied the French ambassador on a journey to [[Constantinople]], where he lived for a year. After an adventurous youth, he was disinherited by his father. He then settled for a time in [[Amsterdam]], where he wrote his Memoirs and the celebrated ''[[Jewish Letters (novel)|Lettres juives]]'' (The Hague, 6 vols, 1738-1742). It was followed by ''Lettres chinoises'' (The Hague, 6 vols, 1739-1742), and ''Lettres cabalistiques'' (2nd ed., 7 vols, 1769). Next came the ''Mémoires Secrets de la République des Lettres'' (7 vols, 1743-1478), afterwards revised and augmented as ''Histoire de l'esprit humain'' (Berlin, 14 vols, 1765-1768). He also wrote six novels, which are entertaining, witty and delightful.
D'Argens' writings are extremely wide-ranging and include works on philosophy, such as ''La Philosophie du Bon-Sens'', along with French literature and drama, aesthetics, psychology and art criticism. He was an enthusiast of music, theater, opera and painting.
Although he is widely regarded as the author of the novel [[Thérèse Philosophe]] (1748) this is a spurious attribution that has been rejected in the most authoritative modern study of d'Argens. <ref> Julia Gasper, ''The Marquis d’Argens: A Philosophical Life,'' Lexington Books, Lanham USA, 2013</ref>
<ref>Julia Gasper, "The Marquis d'Argens and the Authorship of Therese Philosophe" https://www.academia.edu/5337042/The_Marquis_d_Argens_and_the_Authorship_of_Th%C3%A9r%C3%A8se_Philosophe</ref>
After the success of ''Lettres Juives'' made him famous, d'Argens was invited by [[Frederick the Great]] of Prussia to his court where he spent the greater part of his career. He was appointed a Royal [[Chamberlain (office)|Chamberlain]] and Director of the Belles-Lettres section of the Academy. He married a [[Berlin]] actress, Barbe Cochois and had one daughter. D'Argens returned to France in 1769, and died near [[Toulon]] on the 11th of January 1771, aged 66.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}
His epitaph was written by Voltaire: Erroris Inimicvs, Veritatis Amator (''The enemy of error, the lover of truth'')
He was a friend of Voltaire, [[Algarotti]], [[Pierre-Louis de Maupertuis]], [[Leonhard Euler]], [[Samuel Formey]], [[Andreas Sigismund Marggraf]], [[Charles-Louis de Beausobre]], the [[Jean-Martin de Prades|Abbé de Prades]], [[C.P.E.Bach]] [[Friedrich Nicolai]] and [[Moses Mendelssohn]].
== References ==
{{reflist}}
;Attribution
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Argens, Jean Baptiste de Boyer|volume=2}}
== External links ==
{{commons category|Jean-Baptiste Boyer d'Argens}}
* {{Gutenberg author |id=Argens,+Jean-Baptiste+de+Boyer,+marquis+d'}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d’Argens}}
* [http://openlibrary.org/authors/OL494198A/Argens_Jean-Baptiste_de_Boyer_marquis_d' Works by d'Argens] at [[Open Library]]
*[http://ub-dok.uni-trier.de/argens/ Marquis d'Argens (German and French)]
*[http://friedrich.uni-trier.de/oeuvres/19/ Correspondence with Frederick the Great (French)]
== References ==
{{reflist}}
;Attribution
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Argens, Jean Baptiste de Boyer|volume=2}}
== External links ==
{{commons category|Jean-Baptiste Boyer d'Argens}}
* {{Gutenberg author |id=Argens,+Jean-Baptiste+de+Boyer,+marquis+d'}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d’Argens}}
* [http://openlibrary.org/authors/OL494198A/Argens_Jean-Baptiste_de_Boyer_marquis_d' Works by d'Argens] at [[Open Library]]
*[http://ub-dok.uni-trier.de/argens/ Marquis d'Argens (German and French)]
*[http://friedrich.uni-trier.de/oeuvres/19/ Correspondence with Frederick the Great (French)]
{{Authority control}}
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Argens, Jean-Baptiste
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = French writer
| DATE OF BIRTH = June 24, 1704
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH = January 11, 1771
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Argens, Jean-Baptiste}}
[[Category:philosophers]]
[[Category:Members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:18th-century French writers]]
[[Category:18th-century philosophers]]
[[Category:18th-century French novelists]]
[[Category:French authors]]
'''Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens''' (June 24, 1704 - January 11, 1771) was a [[France|French]] philosopher and writer.
==Life==
[[File:Marquis d'Argens 2.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Marquis d'Argens]]
'''Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d'Argens''' (June 24, 1704 - January 11, 1771) was a [[France|French]] philosopher and writer who made a substantial contribution to the [[Enlightenment]].
==Life==
D'Argens was born in [[Aix-en-Provence]], the eldest son of a magistrate who was made a marquis in 1720. He was given an intensive Catholic and classical education at the hands of the Jesuits, but became a skeptic and eventually a Deist. An arch-opponent of the Catholic Church, intolerance and religious oppression, his books were frequently denounced by the [[Inquisition]]. In 1724 he accompanied the French ambassador on a journey to [[Constantinople]], where he lived for a year. After an adventurous youth, he was disinherited by his father. He then settled for a time in [[Amsterdam]], where he wrote his Memoirs and the celebrated ''[[Jewish Letters (novel)|Lettres juives]]'' (The Hague, 6 vols, 1738-1742). It was followed by ''Lettres chinoises'' (The Hague, 6 vols, 1739-1742), and ''Lettres cabalistiques'' (2nd ed., 7 vols, 1769). Next came the ''Mémoires Secrets de la République des Lettres'' (7 vols, 1743-1478), afterwards revised and augmented as ''Histoire de l'esprit humain'' (Berlin, 14 vols, 1765-1768). He also wrote six novels, which are entertaining, witty and delightful.
D'Argens' writings are extremely wide-ranging and include works on philosophy, such as ''La Philosophie du Bon-Sens'', along with French literature and drama, aesthetics, psychology and art criticism. He was an enthusiast of music, theater, opera and painting.
Although he is widely regarded as the author of the novel [[Thérèse Philosophe]] (1748) this is a spurious attribution that has been rejected in the most authoritative modern study of d'Argens. <ref> Julia Gasper, ''The Marquis d’Argens: A Philosophical Life,'' Lexington Books, Lanham USA, 2013</ref>
<ref>Julia Gasper, "The Marquis d'Argens and the Authorship of Therese Philosophe" https://www.academia.edu/5337042/The_Marquis_d_Argens_and_the_Authorship_of_Th%C3%A9r%C3%A8se_Philosophe</ref>
After the success of ''Lettres Juives'' made him famous, d'Argens was invited by [[Frederick the Great]] of Prussia to his court where he spent the greater part of his career. He was appointed a Royal [[Chamberlain (office)|Chamberlain]] and Director of the Belles-Lettres section of the Academy. He married a [[Berlin]] actress, Barbe Cochois and had one daughter. D'Argens returned to France in 1769, and died near [[Toulon]] on the 11th of January 1771, aged 66.{{sfn|Chisholm|1911}}
His epitaph was written by Voltaire: Erroris Inimicvs, Veritatis Amator (''The enemy of error, the lover of truth'')
He was a friend of Voltaire, [[Algarotti]], [[Pierre-Louis de Maupertuis]], [[Leonhard Euler]], [[Samuel Formey]], [[Andreas Sigismund Marggraf]], [[Charles-Louis de Beausobre]], the [[Jean-Martin de Prades|Abbé de Prades]], [[C.P.E.Bach]] [[Friedrich Nicolai]] and [[Moses Mendelssohn]].
== References ==
{{reflist}}
;Attribution
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Argens, Jean Baptiste de Boyer|volume=2}}
== External links ==
{{commons category|Jean-Baptiste Boyer d'Argens}}
* {{Gutenberg author |id=Argens,+Jean-Baptiste+de+Boyer,+marquis+d'}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d’Argens}}
* [http://openlibrary.org/authors/OL494198A/Argens_Jean-Baptiste_de_Boyer_marquis_d' Works by d'Argens] at [[Open Library]]
*[http://ub-dok.uni-trier.de/argens/ Marquis d'Argens (German and French)]
*[http://friedrich.uni-trier.de/oeuvres/19/ Correspondence with Frederick the Great (French)]
== References ==
{{reflist}}
;Attribution
*{{EB1911|wstitle=Argens, Jean Baptiste de Boyer|volume=2}}
== External links ==
{{commons category|Jean-Baptiste Boyer d'Argens}}
* {{Gutenberg author |id=Argens,+Jean-Baptiste+de+Boyer,+marquis+d'}}
* {{Internet Archive author |sname=Jean-Baptiste de Boyer, Marquis d’Argens}}
* [http://openlibrary.org/authors/OL494198A/Argens_Jean-Baptiste_de_Boyer_marquis_d' Works by d'Argens] at [[Open Library]]
*[http://ub-dok.uni-trier.de/argens/ Marquis d'Argens (German and French)]
*[http://friedrich.uni-trier.de/oeuvres/19/ Correspondence with Frederick the Great (French)]
{{Authority control}}
{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME = Argens, Jean-Baptiste
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION = French writer
| DATE OF BIRTH = June 24, 1704
| PLACE OF BIRTH =
| DATE OF DEATH = January 11, 1771
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Argens, Jean-Baptiste}}
[[Category:philosophers]]
[[Category:Members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences]]
[[Category:18th-century French writers]]
[[Category:18th-century philosophers]]
[[Category:18th-century French novelists]]
[[Category:French authors]]