DIDEROT E A GLÓRIA: a história da enciclopédia

Denis Diderot (1713–1782) dedicated twenty-five years to the organization and editing of the Encyclopedia, resulting in seventeen volumes of text containing a total of 71,818 entries, along with eleven volumes of plates, four volumes of text supplements, one volume of plate supplements, and two volumes for the index. Throughout this period, he faced numerous challenges, most of them stemming from persecution and bans imposed by the State and the Church. The Enlightenment thinkers adopted the new stance proposed by the encyclopedists regarding knowledge. It was no longer seen as something definitive and unquestionable but as the product of extensive research, experience, and debate, aimed at spreading knowledge and contributing to the emancipation of individuals and society. However, for this new approach to knowledge to emerge, an epic—and arguably glorious—battle was necessary to publish a work that championed the popularization of knowledge and the encouragement of autonomy and questioning of the existing socioeconomic order. This article revisits the history of the Encyclopedia, with an emphasis on Diderot’s role in the process. His persistence, though reflective of a specific historical moment, has not lost its relevance, as we still uphold the ideal that the philosopher’s vision should be a reality in the 21st century.