Nicolas Antoine Boulanger

Nicolas Antoine Boulanger (Paris 1722 - 1759) was a French philosopher and man of letters during the Age of Enlightenment.

Born the son of a paper merchant, Boulanger studied first mathematics, and later ancient languages. He composed several philosophical works in which he sought to come up with naturalistic explanations for superstitions and religious practices, all of which were published posthumously. His major works were Recherches sur l’origine du despotisme oriental (Research into the origins of oriental despotism - 1761) and l’Antiquité dévoilée par ses usages (Antiquity Unveiled), the latter which was edited and republished by the anti-religious atheist philosopher Baron d'Holbach in 1766. D'Holbach had previously published his own notorious Christianity Unveiled (1761) in Boulanger's name

Boulanger's collected works were published in 1792.