Goals of The Encyclpedia
The Encyclopedia had many goals. One of which was to systematically arrange knowledge. It grouped certain subjects with others, sometimes angering people. In one instance, Diderot grouped Religion with Black Magic, Divination, and Superstition under the topic of Metaphysics. This made the Church enraged. The encyclopedia also threatened the king’s power by supplying and making knowledge accessible to the common people. The king was worried because knowledge is power. In an attempt to preserve his power, the king banned the first two volumes in 1752 and revoked Diderot’s license to sell in 1759 (Wernick, paragraph 10).
In his own words, Dennis Diderot wrote about the intentions of his Encyclopedia:
“to collect all the knowledge scattered over the face of the earth, to present its general outlines and structure to the men with whom we live, and to transmit this to those who will come after us, so that the work of past centuries may be useful to the following centuries, that our children, by becoming more educated, may at the same time become more virtuous and happier, and that we may not die without
having deserved the well of the human race.” (Harrison, Wood, and Gaiger 581)
This quote perfectly sums up the Enlightenment in its positive outlook on learning and the “power of knowledge.” Education was seen as a means to happiness, morality, and as a way to “counter dogma (Harrison, Wood, and Gaiger, 581).” The Encyclopedia perfectly embodies all principles of the Enlightenment in that people can find happiness and morality through learning and knowledge (Bystom, Chapman, Gilligan, and Hiskes, paragraph 2). Related ideas are scattered throughout all twenty-eight volumes so that the project itself promotes learning.
In his own words, Dennis Diderot wrote about the intentions of his Encyclopedia:
“to collect all the knowledge scattered over the face of the earth, to present its general outlines and structure to the men with whom we live, and to transmit this to those who will come after us, so that the work of past centuries may be useful to the following centuries, that our children, by becoming more educated, may at the same time become more virtuous and happier, and that we may not die without
having deserved the well of the human race.” (Harrison, Wood, and Gaiger 581)
This quote perfectly sums up the Enlightenment in its positive outlook on learning and the “power of knowledge.” Education was seen as a means to happiness, morality, and as a way to “counter dogma (Harrison, Wood, and Gaiger, 581).” The Encyclopedia perfectly embodies all principles of the Enlightenment in that people can find happiness and morality through learning and knowledge (Bystom, Chapman, Gilligan, and Hiskes, paragraph 2). Related ideas are scattered throughout all twenty-eight volumes so that the project itself promotes learning.