Diderot: Political Writings Political Writings

This volume presents a selection of the political writings of one of the most significant figures of the French enlightenment.

Denis Diderot (1713-1784) was one of the most significant figures of the French enlightenment. His political writings cover the period from the first volume of the Encyclopedie (1751), of which he was principal editor, to the third edition of Raynal's Histoire des Deux Indes (1780), one of the most widely read books of the pre-revolutionary period. This volume contains the most important of Diderot's articles for the Encyclopedie, a substantial number of his contributions to the Histoire, the complete texts of his Supplement au Voyage de Bougainville, one of his most visionary works, and his Observations sur le Nakaz, a precise and detailed political work translated here into English for the first time. The editors' introduction sets these works in their context and shows the underlying coherence of Diderot's thought. A chronology of events and a bibliography are included as further aids to the reader.

Acknowledgements; Introduction; Chronology; Bibliography; Articles from the Encyclopedie; Supplement to Bougainville's 'Voyage' Observations on the Nakaz; Extracts from the Histoire des Deux Indes; Index.

This volume presents a selection of the political writings of one of the most significant figures of the French enlightenment. It contains the most important articles which Diderot contributed to the Encyclopedie, of which he was principal editor, the complete texts of his Supplement au Voyage de Bougainville and Observations sur le Nakaz (translated into English here for the first time), and a substantial number of his contributions to Raynal's Histoire des Deux Indes. The editors' introduction puts these works in context, showing their essential features and underlying coherence.