Editing Encyclopédie (section)

== Contents and controversies ==

===Structure===
[[File:ENC SYSTEME FIGURE.jpeg|upright=1.35|thumb|Fig. 3: "[[Figurative system of human knowledge]]", the structure that the ''Encyclopédie'' organised knowledge into. It had three main branches: memory, reason, and imagination.]] Like most encyclopedias, the ''Encyclopédie'' attempted to collect and summarize human knowledge in a variety of fields and topics, ranging from philosophy to theology to science and the arts. The ''Encyclopédie'' was controversial for reorganizing knowledge based on [[humanism|human]] [[rationalism|reason]] instead of by nature or theology.<ref>Darnton, pp. 7,  539</ref> Knowledge and intellect branched from the three categories of human thought, whereas all other perceived aspects of knowledge, including theology, were simply branches or components of these human-made categories.<ref>Brewer 1993, pp. 18–23</ref> The introduction to the ''Encyclopédie'', D'Alembert's "[[Preliminary Discourse]]", is considered an important exposition of Enlightenment ideals. Among other things, it presents a [[Figurative system of human knowledge|taxonomy of human knowledge]] (see Fig. 3), which was inspired by [[Francis Bacon]]'s ''[[The Advancement of Learning]]''. The three main branches of knowledge are: "Memory"/History, "Reason"/Philosophy, and "Imagination"/Poetry. This tree of knowledge was created to help readers evaluate the usefulness of the content within the ''Encyclopédie'', and to organize its content.<ref>Brewer 2011, p. 54</ref> Notable is the fact that theology is ordered under "philosophy" and that "Knowledge of God" is only a few nodes away from "[[divination]]" and "[[black magic]]".

===Religious and political controversies===
The authors of the ''Encyclopédie'' challenged religious authority. The authors, especially Diderot and d'Alembert, located religion within a system of reason and philosophy. They did not reject all religious claims, but believed theology and notions of [[God]] must be proven. [[Louis de Jaucourt]] therefore harshly criticized superstition as an intellectual error in his article on the topic.<ref>{{Cite book | last = Josephson-Storm | first = Jason | title = The Myth of Disenchantment: Magic, Modernity, and the Birth of the Human Sciences | location = Chicago | publisher = University of Chicago Press | date = 2017 |pages = 51–2 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=xZ5yDgAAQBAJ | isbn = 978-0-226-40336-6 }}</ref> The writers further doubted the authenticity of presupposed historical events cited in the Bible and questioned the validity of miracles, such as the Resurrection.<ref>{{cite book|last=Lyons|first=Martyn|title=Books: A Living story|date=2011|publisher=Getty Publications|location=Los Angeles|isbn=978-1-60606-083-4|page=106}}</ref> However, some contemporary scholars argue the skeptical view of miracles in the ''Encyclopédie'' may be interpreted in terms of "[[Protestant]] debates about the cessation of the [[Charismatic Christianity|charismata]]."<ref>Josephson-Storm (2017), p. 55</ref>

These challenges led to suppression from church and state authorities. The ''Encyclopédie'' and its contributors endured many attacks and attempts at censorship by the clergy or other censors, which threatened the publication of the project as well as the authors themselves. The [[Curia regis#France|King's Council]] suppressed the ''Encyclopédie'' in 1759.<ref>[http://historicaltextarchive.com/sections.php?action=read&artid=780 "Diderot's Encyclopedia"]. Historical Text Archive.</ref> The [[Catholic Church]], under [[Pope Clement XIII]], placed it on its [[Index Librorum Prohibitorum|list of banned books]]. Prominent intellectuals criticized it, most famously [[Jean-Jacques Lefranc, Marquis de Pompignan|Lefranc de Pompignan]] at the [[Académie française|French Academy]]. A playwright, [[Charles Palissot de Montenoy]], wrote a play called ''Les Philosophes'' to criticize the ''Encyclopédie''.<ref>Andrew S. Curran, Diderot and the Art of Thinking Freely, Other Press, 2019, ISBN 9781590516706, p. 183-6</ref> When Abbé [[André Morellet]], one of the contributors to the ''Encyclopédie'', wrote a mock preface for it, he was sent to the [[Bastille]] due to allegations of libel.<ref>{{cite book|last=Aldridge|first=Alfred Owen|title=Voltaire and the Century of Light|year=2015|publisher=Princeton Legacy Library|pages=266|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bEl9BgAAQBAJ&pg=PA266|isbn=9781400866953}}</ref>

To defend themselves from controversy, the encyclopedia's articles wrote of theological topics in a mixed manner. Some articles supported orthodoxy, and some included overt criticisms of Christianity. To avoid direct retribution from censors, writers often hid criticism in obscure articles or expressed it in ironic terms.<ref>Lough, p. 236</ref> Nonetheless, the contributors still openly attacked the Catholic Church in certain articles with examples including criticizing excess festivals, monasteries, and celibacy of the clergy.<ref>Lough, pp. 258–66</ref>

===Politics and society===
The ''Encyclopédie'' is often seen as an influence for the [[French Revolution]] because of its emphasis on Enlightenment political theories. Diderot and other authors, in famous articles such as "Political Authority", emphasized the shift of the origin of political authority from divinity or heritage to the people. This Enlightenment ideal, espoused by Rousseau and others, advocated that people have the right to consent to their government in a form of social contract.<ref>Roche, p. 190</ref>

Another major, contentious component of political issues in the ''Encyclopédie'' was personal or natural rights. Articles such as "Natural Rights" by Diderot explained the relationship between individuals and the [[general will]]. The natural state of humanity, according to the authors, is barbaric and unorganized. To balance the desires of individuals and the needs of the general will, humanity requires civil society and laws that benefit all persons. Writers, to varying degrees, criticized [[Thomas Hobbes]]' notions of a selfish humanity that requires a sovereign to rule over it.<ref>Roche, pp. 191–92</ref>

In terms of economics, the ''Encyclopédie'' expressed favor for [[laissez-faire]] ideals or principles of economic liberalism. Articles concerning economics or markets, such as "Economic Politics", generally favored free competition and denounced monopolies. Articles often criticized guilds as creating monopolies and approved of state intervention to remove such monopolies. The writers advocated extending laissez-faire principles of liberalism from the market to the individual level, such as with privatization of education and opening of careers to all levels of wealth.<ref>Lough, pp. 331–35</ref>

===Science and technology===
At the same time, the ''Encyclopédie'' was a vast compendium of knowledge, notably on the technologies of the period, describing the traditional craft tools and processes. Much information was taken from the ''[[Descriptions des Arts et Métiers]]''. These articles applied a scientific approach to understanding the mechanical and production processes, and offered new ways to improve machines to make them more efficient.<ref>Brewer 2011, p. 55</ref> Diderot felt that people should have access to "useful knowledge" that they can apply to their everyday life.<ref>Burke, p. 17</ref>