Darnton, Robert. “Philosophers Trim
the Tree of Knowledge: The Epistemological Strategy of the Encyclopédie.” The Great Cat Massacre and Other Episodes in French Cultural History, Hachette Book Group, 2009, pp. 191-214,
https://hdl.handle.net/2027/heb.01687.
Looking to explore the connections made in the Encyclopédie between knowledge and power, Darnton investigates the mappemonde, or world map, as drawn out in the front matter of Volume I that deals with the organization of knowledge. He digs into some of the prior attempts to classify knowledge (especially Francis Bacon), comparing them to that of the Encyclopedists noting that the order of knowledge was, in some ways, significantly different in the Encyclopédie which allowed the Encyclopedists to attempt to change the way of thinking. Darnton also mentions specific aspects of the Encyclopedists’ tree of knowledge which pose a particular problem with the belief systems of the day or are an interesting choice such as the placement of religion near superstition.
Basic Information
Country of Publication: United States
Language: English
Decade: 2000s
Main Classification: Tree of Knowledge
Related Sources
*In Progress*
Notes
1. This book chapter includes images of three trees of knowledge: Bacon's, Ephraim Chambers's (Cyclopaedia), and the Encyclopédie's.
Updates
7/9/2020: Created page.