Kafker, Frank A. “Diderot’s
Encyclopedia: A Call to Reason or to Arms.” The Historian,
vol. 25, no. 2, Phi Alpha Theta, Feb. 1963, pp. 151-171, http://search.proquest.com/docview/1296509990?accountid=39473.
Kafker, in this article on the Encyclopédie, investigates the motives of the Encyclopedists and whether they were trying to coerce people into joining their ranks or if they were simply reformers pushing for change while avoiding intense violence. Starting with a thorough background of the Encyclopédie containing some of its defining characteristics, Kafker includes quotes from popular and lesser known articles to prove that the Encyclopedists were just trying to rectify wrongs and not provoke outrage and extreme change; for instance, the political articles, according to Kafker, show that the Encyclopedists wished to modify the Old Regime, not completely destroy it. The ultimate purpose of the Encyclopédie was to enlighten its audience and promote different ideas in order to invite and instigate reform in multiple areas of life.
Basic Information
Country of Publication: United States
Language: English
Decade: 1960s
Main Classification: Motives
Related Sources
*In Progress*
Notes
None
Updates
7/13/2020: Created page.