A master of skeptical philosophy who served as a bridge between the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, royal preceptor and rebel, whose works, now forgotten, were European best sellers. His "petits traites" are exercises in wit and erudition on topics such as: what it is to belong to a country? Are friends a necessity? Why are we obsessed by color?  Cuisine varies, mankind too, so what does it mean? Why do we trade? Held as an atheist, his first book, published under a nom de plume was banned, and his last book, considered obscene, placed on the Vatican Index. He gave Molière the idea for his play "Tartuffe" that raised the wrath of the Church.