Category: History - European
(1) _The Conversations of a Father with his Children_ 1 Remarks upon it. (2) _The Inconsistency of Public Judgment on Private Actions_ 8 Observations. (3) _Supplement to Bougainville's Travels_ 14 Philosophical qualities of the discussion not satisfactory 19 Nothing gained by...
In the region of science itself, again, Diderot foresees as great a change as in the relations between science and philosophy. "We touch the moment of a great revolution in the...
15. Chapter 15The _System of Nature_ was published in 1770, eight years before the death of Voltaire and of Rousseau, and it gathered up all the scattered explosives of the criticism of the c...
12. Chapter 12In 1759 Diderot wrote for Grimm the first of his criticisms on the exhibition of paintings in the Salon. At the beginning of the reign of Lewis XV. these exhibitions took place...
13. Chapter 13"What would you say of the owner of an immense palace, who should spend all his life in going up from the cellars to the attics, and going down from attics to cellar, instead of...
14. Chapter 14Before proceeding to the closing chapter of Diderot's life, I propose to give a short account of three remarkable books, of all of which he was commonly regarded as the inspirer...
17. Chapter 17At the end of a long series of notes and questions on points in anatomy and physiology, which he had been collecting for many years, Diderot wound up with a strange outburst:
16. Chapter 16"Since Montesquieu's _Esprit des Lois_," says Grimm in his chronicle, "our literature has perhaps produced no monument that is worthier to pass to the remotest posterity, and to...
10. Chapter 10We may now pass to performances that are nearer to the accepted surface of things. A short but charming example of Diderot's taste for putting questions of morals in an interest...
11. Chapter 11The President de Brosses on a visit to Paris, in 1754, was anxious to make the acquaintance of that "furious metaphysical head," as he styled Diderot. Buffon introduced him. "He...
18. Chapter 18A few more pages must be given to one or two of Diderot's writings which have not hitherto been mentioned. An exhaustive survey of his works is out of the question, nor would an...
6. Chapter 6Publication of the _System of Nature_ (1770) 155 Its startling effect 156 Voltaire's alarm 158 He never understood Holbach's position 159 Account of Holbach 160 Disregard of his...
4. Chapter 4Diderot's resolution to visit the Empress of Russia 84 The Princess Dashkow 84 Prince Galitzin 85 Diderot in Holland (1773) 86 St. Petersburg and Russian civilisation 89 The Emp...
5. Chapter 5Three works of which Diderot was regarded as the inspirer 123 Helvétius's _L'Esprit_ 123 Contemporary protests against it 123 Turgot's weighty criticism 124 Real drift of the bo...
3. Chapter 3The _Salons_ 45 Qualities of their criticism 45 Deep foundation of Diderot's critical quality 46 French art-criticism 48 Dufresnoy, Dubos, Webb, André, Batteux 48, 49 Travellers...
9. Chapter 9(1) _Thoughts on the Interpretation of Nature_ 262 Maupertuis's _Loi d'Epargne_ 262 General scope of Diderot's aphorisms 263 Prophecy about geometry 264 Utility made to prescrib...
8. Chapter 8Diderot's meditation on life and death 232 Age overtakes him on his return from Russia 233 Writes his life of Seneca 235 Its quality 236 Interest to Diderot of Seneca's career 2...
7. Chapter 7Contemporary estimate of _The History of the Indies_ 204 Account of Raynal 205 Composition of the book 207 Its varied popularity 209 Frederick the Great dislikes it 210 Signal m...
2. Chapter 2Digression inevitable in dealing with Diderot 24 Richardson's influence in Europe 26 Diderot's _Éloge_ upon him 28 Rousseau and Richardson 29 Diderot writes _The Nun_ (1796) 31...
1. Chapter 1(1) _The Conversations of a Father with his Children_ 1 Remarks upon it. (2) _The Inconsistency of Public Judgment on Private Actions_ 8 Observations. (3) _Supplement to Bougain...