Man a Machine

This work opens with a detailed preface that explains how a 1748 French edition—originally riddled with typographical errors—was carefully restored and translated by a team of scholars. The editors note their commitment to preserving La Mettrie’s precise ideas, even when English phrasing must bend to the original meaning. Readers also receive a concise set of philosophical and historical notes drawn from a graduate thesis, framing the treatise within its Enlightenment context.

The narrative then shifts to a vivid portrait of the author’s early life, tracing his upbringing in Saint‑Malo, his education in rhetoric and logic, and his reluctant turn to medicine under family pressure. It highlights his rapid rise as a physician, his studies with the famed Boerhaave, and the early controversies that marked his career. These biographical sketches set the stage for the bold argument that follows: humanity, in all its complexity, may be understood as a sophisticated machine.