Person Dates Nationality Notes Thomas Abbt 1738–1766 German Author of "Vom Tode für das Vaterland" (On dying for one's nation). Jean le Rond d'Alembert 1717–1783 French Mathematician and physicist, one of the editors of the Encyclopédie.[1] Francis Bacon 1561–1626 English Philosopher who started the revolution in empirical thought that characterized much of the Enlightenment.[2] Pierre Bayle 1647–1706 French Literary critic known for his newsletter "Nouvelles de la république des lettres" and his powerful Dictionnaire historique et critique, and one of the earliest influences on the Enlightenment thinkers to advocate tolerance between the different religious beliefs.