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Perrens’ book helped establish the libertines as a topic of study. He recognized the continuity and logical coherence that this form of free thought possessed, treated accusations of atheism with caution, admired those who faced persecution, and took a nuanced position on the question of moral libertinism. He sketched a sociology of the diffusion of ideas and discussed how these are situated in history. Perrens thereby helped construct a complex historical category, one he enriched more than any other foundational author of the field.