Analyzed Encyclopedia Exerpts
Denis Diderot also contributed many individual articles to The Encyclopedia. Diderot was quite subversive in getting his point across. In one of his entries on Art, this is very apparent and effective. In this entry, Diderot argues that art is not limited to a canvas; art could be any productive skill or activity. Also it was another means to educate people. Diderot believed that art should not be restricted by rules of tradition, which was another way to connect art to the Enlightenment (Harrison, Wood, and Gaiger, 581 and 587).
Another example of Diderot’s subversive writing comes from a simple botany entry. In this article on apricot jam, Diderot uses a series of references to related articles (like pre-Internet hyperlinks) to connect apricot jam to a plea for the abolishment of slavery. The jam article explains the ingredients in apricot jam, which leads the reader to an entry on sugar production. This article on sugar production includes references to articles on slave management and then to slavery, where the rant on slavery is to be found. The article on slavery analyzes slavery and highlights the immorality of the practice (Werth paragraph 10-16).
Another, rather short article, explains liberty. “Liberty consists in the power that an intelligent being has to make what he wants according to his own determination” (Werth). In short, liberty means being able to make decisions for your self and by your self. At this time the French people were starting to think about what this concept meant for them. They wanted to obtain more rights and stop being abused by the government. This radical new concept of personal liberty threw philosophers for a loop! If the French people were going to get liberty, they would have to go against the government. This and other reasons explain why King Louis XV intervened and revoked Diderot’s license to sell The Encyclopedia in 1759 (Wernick, paragraph 25). Diderot’s concept of liberty undermined the King’s authority. Liberty would put more power into individual rights and made the King’s divine right to rule his subjects obsolete. The Encyclopedia also fueled the French Revolution by promoting the idea that the bourgeoisie class was as significant as the aristocratic class (Tarabra, 91).
Another example of Diderot’s subversive writing comes from a simple botany entry. In this article on apricot jam, Diderot uses a series of references to related articles (like pre-Internet hyperlinks) to connect apricot jam to a plea for the abolishment of slavery. The jam article explains the ingredients in apricot jam, which leads the reader to an entry on sugar production. This article on sugar production includes references to articles on slave management and then to slavery, where the rant on slavery is to be found. The article on slavery analyzes slavery and highlights the immorality of the practice (Werth paragraph 10-16).
Another, rather short article, explains liberty. “Liberty consists in the power that an intelligent being has to make what he wants according to his own determination” (Werth). In short, liberty means being able to make decisions for your self and by your self. At this time the French people were starting to think about what this concept meant for them. They wanted to obtain more rights and stop being abused by the government. This radical new concept of personal liberty threw philosophers for a loop! If the French people were going to get liberty, they would have to go against the government. This and other reasons explain why King Louis XV intervened and revoked Diderot’s license to sell The Encyclopedia in 1759 (Wernick, paragraph 25). Diderot’s concept of liberty undermined the King’s authority. Liberty would put more power into individual rights and made the King’s divine right to rule his subjects obsolete. The Encyclopedia also fueled the French Revolution by promoting the idea that the bourgeoisie class was as significant as the aristocratic class (Tarabra, 91).