Booknote: Diderot and the Art of Thinking Freely

Andrew S. Curran, Diderot and the Art of Thinking Freely. New York: Other Press, 2019. ISBN: 978-159051-670-6.

Genre: nonfiction
Subgenre: biography, history, intellectual history
Format: hardcover
Source: Berea branch  of the Madison County (KY) Public Library 

I picked this  book up out of curiosity. I knew of Denis Diderot, but it was not much. This book will definitely give you a good look at the man and his  time. Philosopher, thinker, dramatist, encyclopedist, art critic, and even sexologist, Diderot thought about many things; he studies and learned a lot in various topics and dared to ask questions during very repressive times. In fact, some of his skeptical writings got him sent to prison. When he was released,  he decided to keep on writing, but he would leave his most daring and risky writings for posterity. Meanwhile, he continued his other works such as plays and his encyclopedia, though even his encyclopedia got him in trouble at times from ecclesiastical authorities. As he hoped, Diderot's genius was truly recognized by the French and eventually the world after his death.

Curran presents a pretty comprehensive look at Diderot's life. In addition, Curran discusses Diderot's major works, his thinking and  theories, and how they fit into or more often challenged the mores of his time. In a time when the Roman Catholic Church was in full power, Diderot dared to be an atheist and outright criticize the Church, Christianity, and religion in general. Diderot had many interests, and Curran presents them well.

A strength of the book is that Curran takes time to explain the thinking and theories of the time. We can truly get very close to Diderot's mind, the thoughts and ideas, and why they were significant and even dangerous at times given the era. It does make for a book that can be a bit dense at times but it is worth the effort.

The book is arranged in two major parts. Part One has five chapters covering his early life including his time in prison. Part Two covers his later life, mainly looking at this works, writings and thoughts. Part Two is more a look at the topics he took interest in and explored. Additional features include a chronology, a cast of characters, notes, and works cited.

Overall, a very good and solid book. A bit more scholarly than popular reading but still accessible. I really liked this one.

4 out of 5 stars.

* * * * * 

Additional reading notes:

Diderot was more than a philosopher:

"The man was a pantophile, according to Voltaire: the type of thinker who falls desperately in love with every subject he studies, be it mathematics, sciences, medicine, philosophy, politics, classical antiquity, drama, literature, musicology, or the fine arts. This passion for learning made him seem like an ancient truth-seeker, a simple and 'honest soul' who was 'born without ambition'" (8).

As a librarian now, I aspire to be a pantophile, but this is not likely to happen. I tried to have a love affair with mathematics. Math did not love me back. I do try to get as close to being an honest and fair truth-seeker as I can.

Note that Diderot was also a great conversationalist; this was another way in which he shared ideas and arguments, with close friends and associates in homes and small salons.

On leaving religion, an insight that should be applicable today:

"Perhaps the most critical insight that he had by the time he left the Sorbonne was that reasonable people had the right to subject religion to the same scrutiny as any other human tradition or practice. Seen from the critical angle, the Catholic faith itself could be rationalized, improved, and perhaps even discarded" (49).

Diderot's aphorisms, which also show the spirit of the Enlightenment:

"The first became Diderot's mantra: 'Skepticism is the first step toward truth.' The second is a logical clarification of this point: 'What has never been called into question has never been proven.' And the third is a forceful declaration of the right to think freely: 'One can demand of me that I seek truth, but not that I must find it.'" (73). 

Diderot was contemporary to men like Voltaire and Rousseau. In fact, Diderot often was first reader for Rousseau. One of the topics Rousseau was concerned with was inequality. Rousseau, in his Discourse on Sciences and Arts (link to PDF copy, if you are interested) 1750, explored the topic. Curran explains:

"Rousseau's message was simple and compelling: the more we advance technically and intellectually, the more we regress morally. Progress is not only a mirage that humankind is foolishly chasing; it is our downfall" (97). 

Certainly makes you wonder given the times we live in, specially in the United States. It is also worth noting that some of the U.S. Founders read authors like Rousseau; what they learned or not from them is another question.

Still, despite being a skeptic, Diderot kept on believing in the goodness of humanity. I admit in this he may have been more patient than I would be given humanity today. Still the overall point is good. Curran writes:

"People become virtuous, he believed, not because someone had scribbled down some guidelines on a scroll some two thousand years before, but because moral actions themselves were beautiful, a natural extension of the secular trinity of truth, beauty, and the good" (193).