Julien Offray de La Mettrie (1709-51), author of Man a Machine (1747), was the most uncompromising of the materialists of the eighteenth century, and the provocative title of his work ensured it a succès de scandale in his own time. This fully annotated edition presents a new English translation of the text together with the most important of La Mettrie's other philosophical works, translated into English for the first time. Ann Thomson's introduction examines his aims and the scandalous moral consequences which he drew from his materialism. "This is an excellent primary source text that should be included in any university library. It may easily be incorporated into any teaching context and is a valuable resource in French Enlightenment research." Jean-Pierre Schachter, Philosophy in Review "The collection...well served by useful scholarly apparatus, such as a chronology of the life of La Mettrie, a listing of other works to consult, and a short history of the publication of each text. This collection okf La Mettrie's texts, which presents them to the English reading public in a clear and accessible form, is valuable to both the teacher and the scholar of the eighteenth century." Kathleen Wellman, Journal of the History of the Behavioral Sciences "The appearance of Ann Thomson's splendid English translation of La Mettrie's major philosophical writings is timely. More than ever, various forms of naturalism and materialism dominate our thinking about the mind, and worries about reductionism are hotly debated." Dialogue A fully annotated edition and translation of this important eighteenth-century materialist treatise. The main objective of Cambridge Texts in the History of Philosophy is to expand the range, variety and quality of texts in the history of philosophy which are available in English. The series includes texts by familiar names and also by less well-known authors. Wherever possible, texts are published in complete and unabridged form, and translations are specially commissioned for the series. Each volume contains a critical introduction together with a guide to further reading and any necessary glossaries and textual apparatus. Used Book in Good Condition