Gabriel Bonnot de Mably

Born in Grenoble in 1709, Gabriel Bonnot de Mably—often known as Abbé de Mably—was a French philosopher, historian, and writer. He studied for the church but was never ordained, and for a time he also worked in the diplomatic world.

Mably became known for writing on moral philosophy, politics, and history. His work argued that private property and social inequality had corrupted human society, ideas that made him an important voice in late Enlightenment thought and later drew the attention of readers interested in the intellectual roots of the French Revolution.

He died in Paris in 1785. He is also remembered as the brother of the philosopher Étienne Bonnot de Condillac, though his own books gave him a distinct place in eighteenth-century political thought.