Sampson, R. V. “The French
Encyclopedia of 1751.” History Today, vol. 2, no. 4, History Today Ltd., Apr. 1952, pp. 274–280 https://www.proquest.com/docview/1299033400/10208A3DD5FE4D96PQ/1.
Although Sampson’s article is not a complete summary of the Encyclopédie’s history, it provides information of the story of its suppression(s) and touches onthe relationships between a few key contributors. Sampson claims that the French government made a mistake in suppressing radical ideas and then dives into each instance where the Encyclopédie (and its radical ideas) were censored. He spends a decent amount of time on D’Alembert’s article “Geneve” (“Geneva”) and its effects on the Encyclopédie production then moves to briefly discuss Diderot and the unfortunate events against him such as the abandonment of his closest contributions and trickery of Le Breton later on. Closing with contributor relationships, Sampson posits that not all of the Encyclopédie’s contributors were agreed on every subject, but they concurred that the Catholic Church was their enemy due to its dogma and restriction of what is considered “science.”
Basic Information
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Language: English
Decade: 1950s
Main Classification: Suppression, Relationships
Related Sources
*In Progress*
Notes
1. Encyclopédie and other French works are quoted in English.
Updates
12/14/2020: Created page.