The Philosophy of Pleasure and Pain - Decoding the Marquis de Sade

Join Alex and Kelly for a provocative dive into the scandalous life and dark philosophy of Donatien Alphonse François, the Marquis de Sade (1740-1814). This episode cuts through the sensationalism to explore the man behind the infamous term "sadism," examining his revolutionary, and often repulsive, ideas that challenged every moral and social convention of 18th-century France.

Sade's existence was as turbulent as his writings. We trace his aristocratic beginning and the notorious series of sexual offenses that led to decades of imprisonment, including stints in the Bastille and Charenton asylum. It was within the confines of these cells that he penned his most notorious and explicit works, such as The 120 Days of Sodom. These aren't simply erotic novels; they are radical, philosophical treatises that use extreme sexual violence and cruelty to critique religion, government, and the very concept of virtue.

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