• Research Paper on:
    Denis Diderot

    Number of Pages: 8

     

    Summary of the research paper:

    An 8 page overview of the life and philosophical contributions of this French philosopher. The author discusses Diderot's preoccupation with resisting the powers of church and government, a preoccupation which resulted in him being regarded in a negative light by the powers that were. Bibliography lists 3 sources.

    Name of Research Paper File: AM2_PPdidert.rtf

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    Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
    Most remember that he was the author of the "Encyclopedie". This is understandable given that the Encyclopedie absorbed most of Diderots energies between 1750 and 1772 (Abbey, 2004).  The "Encyclopedie", however, was really just one chapter of Diderots complex life. Raised as the son of a somewhat eccentric village cutler, Diderot quickly exhibited a distaste for  the status quo. Instead, he pursued a path which would eventually gain him considerable notoriety. He viewed the changes which were unfolding with the French Enlightenment as critical  to humanity as a whole. He saw them as changed which would benefit everyone the world over. Diderot was not a commoner  in any sense. Practically ever one of his life choices were outside the mainstream to a degree. Instead of marrying, for example, he was content in a long  term love affair. He even did a brief stint in the Vincennes prison for the publication of "pornography" (Furbank, 1992). The definition of this "pornography", of course, was  considerably biased. While Diderot contended that he was making contributions which would be important the world over, the powers that were considered his philosophy to be heresy. Abbey  (2004) notes that the work which gained Diderot the charge of disseminating pornography (An Essay on Blindness) actually gained heated resentment because it reflected Diderots atheistic viewpoint. "The Nun"  is yet another reflection of this viewpoint. It tells the tale of a nun that was forced to take the oath and explores the impacts on her life the  covenant takes (Abbey, 2004). To Diderot, however, denouncing the hierarchy of France and the Church was critical in the task of setting the world on the right path into 

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