"Materialism is not a new doctrine. Apart from the schools of antiquity, no one is unaware of the materialistic attitude of many Renaissance thinkers. The philosophical literature that preceded and prepared the French Revolution was, so to speak, imbued with materialist philosophy: suffice it to mention the famous “System of Nature”, which was the standard work in the 18th century, and the works, not yet entirely outdated, of the famous Baron Holbach."