Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot (1713-1748)
By: Nadya Clark
He was the brightest light of the French Enlightenment. Denis had a lot of intelligence. He spent a lot of times trying to answer these questions: why are we here?...why is there a universe?... why is there anything at all? Diderot strongly supported experimental methods in philosophy and science. He believed that nature was in a state of constant change. He studied history and a developed a great fear that knowledge would continue to destroyed by the Christians, who was know for destroying libraries, burning books, ripping paintings, and torturing anyone who voiced an unorthodox thought. He then made the Encyclopedie, a history of what was known. It took 35 volumes to get it all together. The impact of the Encyclopedie was widespread in France and Europe, more than 25,000 copies. What Diderot did was create the most important books of the Enlightenment time period. " How Diderot imagined this happening was by providing educational materials on technologies for what Proust broke down into three goals: "(a) to reach a large public; (b) to encourage research at all stages of production; and (c) to publish all the secrets of manufacturing." 1
State and church were threatened. They knew that the knowledge could bring problems and they tried to ban the first two volumes. It became the most used resource in all libraries and homes that were fortunate enough to possess it. He never found answers to his questions but he helped lighten his world that was filled with ignorance, slaves, illiteracy, superstition and piety. The Vatican put his books under the Index of Forbidden Books. Diderot went about his way of investigating what really went on in the monasteries and nunneries of France and he made it public. He never found the answers but he did explain the enigma of our existence.
LIFE: "To be born in imbecility, in the midst of pain and crisis to be the plaything of ignorance, error, need, sickness, wickedness, and passions;
By: Nadya Clark
He was the brightest light of the French Enlightenment. Denis had a lot of intelligence. He spent a lot of times trying to answer these questions: why are we here?...why is there a universe?... why is there anything at all? Diderot strongly supported experimental methods in philosophy and science. He believed that nature was in a state of constant change. He studied history and a developed a great fear that knowledge would continue to destroyed by the Christians, who was know for destroying libraries, burning books, ripping paintings, and torturing anyone who voiced an unorthodox thought. He then made the Encyclopedie, a history of what was known. It took 35 volumes to get it all together. The impact of the Encyclopedie was widespread in France and Europe, more than 25,000 copies. What Diderot did was create the most important books of the Enlightenment time period. " How Diderot imagined this happening was by providing educational materials on technologies for what Proust broke down into three goals: "(a) to reach a large public; (b) to encourage research at all stages of production; and (c) to publish all the secrets of manufacturing." 1
State and church were threatened. They knew that the knowledge could bring problems and they tried to ban the first two volumes. It became the most used resource in all libraries and homes that were fortunate enough to possess it. He never found answers to his questions but he helped lighten his world that was filled with ignorance, slaves, illiteracy, superstition and piety. The Vatican put his books under the Index of Forbidden Books. Diderot went about his way of investigating what really went on in the monasteries and nunneries of France and he made it public. He never found the answers but he did explain the enigma of our existence.
LIFE: "To be born in imbecility, in the midst of pain and crisis to be the plaything of ignorance, error, need, sickness, wickedness, and passions;