Claude-Adrien Helvétius was an influential French philosopher, Freemason, and man of letters during the Age of Enlightenment. His major work, "De l'esprit" (On Mind), argued that all human faculties are attributes of physical sensation and that self-interest is the sole motive for all human actions. The book's radical materialistic and utilitarian doctrines caused an immediate and widespread scandal, leading to its condemnation by the Sorbonne and the Parliament of Paris. Despite the controversy, his ideas profoundly influenced later thinkers, including Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill, contributing significantly to the development of utilitarianism.