Michel Delon's 'Le Principe de délicatesse' Examines 18th-Century Libertine Philosophy

Michel Delon's book 'Le Principe de délicatesse', published by Albin Michel, explores the libertine philosophy of 18th-century France, focusing on the period between 1715 and 1789. Delon argues that the French Enlightenment represented a unique moment where pleasure and philosophy were intertwined, with the body and mind in harmony. Drawing on Nietzsche, he posits that 'freedom without libertinage leads to Terror.' The book examines key concepts such as delicacy, pleasure, and melancholy, citing figures like the Marquis de Sade, Diderot, and Buffon. Delon contends that the 18th century revolutionized 'modes of feeling and being,' and that its legacy remains relevant today. The work is structured around a vocabulary of terms including contre-pied, education, inceste, couleur, variation, promenade, mémoire, humour, effervescence, and saveurs. Delon emphasizes that pleasure is 'irreducible to any norm' and that the century's originality lies in its aesthetic category. The book also discusses melancholy as 'beneficial and inventive' when freed from dogmatic norms, as seen in Diderot's letters to Sophie Volland.