Lévesque de Pouilly, a “true philosopher with a tender heart”

After starting out in a heterodox environment and having made his mark at the Académie through his work on Roman history, Lévesque de Pouilly wrote the Théorie des sentiments agréables between 1735 and 1749. In this work he criticizes Bayle and Epicurus, but, based on physiological observations, he brings out a physics of feeling that resonates even in the Encyclopédie. Through references and allusions, we are able to recognize the author’s secret thoughts in this “compendium of philosophical happiness.”