Does anyone know much about De Sade, specifically his philosophy? I've just obtained a collection of his work including philosophy in the bedroom and Justine but unsure that i'll be able to separate his philosophy from his perversions with ease so a few starting points may help.

From what i've read so far it seems that he believes man is governed false morals which society follows like fashion but that man should allow himself to be governed by his nature. Nihilistic tendencies?

http://www.horrormasters.com/Text/a0293.pdf
This is one of his short stories which I found somewhat profound, but beyond this he was just a sick fuck and I couldnt read more than a paragraph of his other stuff.

I don't think you are going to understand Sade, if you try to separate his philosophy from his perversities. That's all I can say, really. I wish I could be of more help, but I haven't read Sade properly for well over a few years now. Seeing poverty and health problems first hand, I have become somewhat dismissive of his kind of moral philosophy, and find it to be rather juvenile, in all honesty.