Editing Encyclopédie (section)

==Quotations==
* "The goal of an encyclopedia is to assemble all the knowledge scattered on the surface of the earth, to demonstrate the general system to the people with whom we live, & to transmit it to the people who will come after us, so that the works of centuries past is not useless to the centuries which follow, that our descendants, by becoming more learned, may become more virtuous & happier, & that we do not die without having merited being part of the human race." (''Encyclopédie'', Diderot)<ref>Blom, p. 139</ref><ref>"En effet, le but d'une Encyclopédie est de rassembler les connoissances éparses sur la surface de la terre; d'en exposer le système général aux hommes avec qui nous vivons, & de le transmettre aux hommes qui viendront après nous; afin que les travaux des siecles passés n'aient pas été des travaux inutiles pour les siecles qui succéderont; que nos neveux, devenant plus instruits, deviennent en même tems plus vertueux & plus heureux, & que nous ne mourions pas sans avoir bien mérité du genre humain." From [http://artflsrv02.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/philologic/getobject.pl?c.4:1252.encyclopedie0513 uchicago.edu].</ref>
* "Reason is to the philosopher what [[Grace (Christianity)|grace]] is to the Christian...  Other men walk in darkness; the philosopher, who has the same passions, acts only after reflection;  he walks through the night, but it is preceded by a torch.  The philosopher forms his principles on an infinity of particular observations.  He does not confuse truth with plausibility; he takes for truth what is true, for forgery what is false, for doubtful what is doubtful, and probable what is probable.  The philosophical spirit is thus a spirit of observation and accuracy." (''Philosophers'', Dumarsais)
* "If exclusive privileges were not granted, and if the financial system would not tend to concentrate wealth, there would be few great fortunes and no quick wealth.  When the means of growing rich is divided between a greater number of citizens, wealth will also be more evenly distributed; extreme poverty and extreme wealth would be also rare." (''Wealth'', Diderot)
* "[[Urena lobata|Aguaxima]], a plant growing in Brazil and on the islands of South America. This is all that we are told about it; and I would like to know for whom such descriptions are made. It cannot be for the natives of the countries concerned, who are likely to know more about the aguaxima than is contained in this description, and who do not need to learn that the aguaxima grows in their country. It is as if you said to a Frenchman that the pear tree is a tree that grows in France, in Germany, etc. It is not meant for us either, for what do we care that there is a tree in Brazil named aguaxima, if all we know about it is its name? What is the point of giving the name? It leaves the ignorant just as they were and teaches the rest of us nothing. If all the same I mention this plant here, along with several others that are described just as poorly, then it is out of consideration for certain readers who prefer to find nothing in a dictionary article or even to find something stupid than to find no article at all."<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Anderson |first1=Addison |last2=Smith |first2=Patrick |last3=LaRosa |first3=Stephen |date=February 18, 2016 |title=The controversial origins of the Encyclopedia |url=https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-controversial-origins-of-the-encyclopedia-addison-anderson |access-date=December 14, 2024 |website=TEDEd |via=YouTube}}</ref> (''Aguaxima'', Diderot)