Jean-Baptiste-Claude Delisle de Sales

Who was Jean-Baptiste-Claude Delisle de Sales?

Jean-Baptiste-Claude Delisle de Sales or Jean-Baptiste Isoard de Lisle was a French philosopher noted for his multi-edition, multi-volume opus The Philosophy of Nature: Treatise on Human Moral Nature.

The Philosophy of Nature was first published in 1770 and expanded over the years, supposedly going through seven editions and increasing in size to up to a dozen volumes. It has been described as "long-winded and conventional", a "hodgepodge of ideas".

Sales challenged the young earth biblical 6,000 year old date of creation which was popular in his day; he believed the earth was around 140,000 years old and that the earth took 40,062 years to cool down since its formation, and he claimed that he obtained this knowledge from astronomical data. Because of this he was put in jail and most of his books were burned, He however rejected the 3 million year old date of the earth which was taught in India at the time.

Sales was a close friend of Voltaire who in 1777 visited a then imprisoned Sales, giving him 500 pounds towards his release.