“Demon of Laplace: A portrait of Holbach” oil on Wood 30x25(2024)

On this work, we see Holbach (1723-1789) making a rock-and-roll hand sign— but why?

Holbach was not a typical French materialist; he was a militant atheist who published many forbidden works that attacked not just prophets and beliefs but religious ideas themselves. His most important work, System of Nature (considered the Bible of Atheism), presents a clear, determined system that governs and organizes everything in nature, including humanity. From this perspective, all our actions are predetermined, and everything we have done, are doing, or will do is a necessity, similar to the regular motion of a machine.

Laplace (1749-1827), another significant French materialist and atheist, accepted the concept of an ultimate materialist model of everything. He claimed that one day, a scientist would be able to observe everything, at any time and in any place. This genius is referred to as the “Demon of Laplace”—a demon who can foresee the future hidden within a simple atom in an eternal universe that appear in a certain way.

Finally, I enjoyed creating a portrait of one of the most famous atheist Holbach while merging him with Laplace’s visionary idea. All conveyed through a simple hand sign. Clearly, Holbach’s ideas cannot be associated with any satanic thoughts. However, we must accept that for theistic and metaphysical concepts, both Holbach and Laplace could be seen as philosophers who serve the “demon.”