LE PANTOPHILE DIDEROT

 (Pantophile Diderot was the nickname given to the subject of this entry by none other than Voltaire. A true Encyclopedist at heart, Diderot was terribly interested in practically everything worth being interested in, hence the nickname (Pantophile=lover of everything). Being one of the creators (with the great mathematician D’Alembert) of the historically celebrated Encyclopédie, he has thus earned the title Encyclopedist in both literal and figurative senses.

Ironically, but understandably, my dearly beloved Bertrand Russell makes no mention of him in his History of Western Philosophy, but my other frequent prince of reference sources, Webster’s Biographical Dictionary, has a comparatively large entry on him, which is equally understandable:

“Diderot, Denis. Nicknamed Pantophile Diderot. 1713-1784. French encyclopedist and philosopher, born at Langres. Educated by the Jesuits; published first philosophical work of importance, Lettre sur les Aveugles (1749); thrown into prison because of certain parts of this work. Released to work with d’Alembert on the Encyclopédie (see Ephraim Chambers); labored 20 years (1751-1772) at this task; aided by Voltaire, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Buffon, Turgot, Quesnay and others; work published as Encyclopédie, ou Dictionnaire Raisonné des Sciences, des Arts et des Métiers (in 28 volumes, increased by a 6-volume supplement, 1776-1777, and by 2 volumes of tables, 1780), a work of practical value, and an active force during the period of the Enlightenment. Simultaneously aided friends (see Melchior Grimm) in literary work, composed 2 plays, Le Fils Naturel (1757) and Le Pere de Famille (1758), and wrote Les Salons (1759-79), in which criticism of pictorial art was elevated and given greater scope. Sold library to Catherine II of Russia to raise dowry for his daughter; visited St. Petersburg (1773-1774); spent last years in literary pursuits. Several works including the novels Jacques le Fataliste and Le Neveu de Rameau, were published posthumously.”

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Denis Diderot (1713-1784) is a sentimental favorite among the Russians, and the reason for this will present itself in good time. But before we get to these informalities, let us have a brief formal introduction to him.

He received his initial education in philosophy, and then rejected the idea of entering the clergy or pursuing the legal profession. Instead, he became a writer with a penchant for philosophizing. His first philosophical work of lasting importance was the iconoclastic Lettre sur les aveugles à l’usage de ceux qui voient, where he showed a particular daring as an original thinker, attacking certain religious dogmas and perceptions, and as a result was imprisoned, but later released on the condition of never publishing anything prejudicial again. Having been released, he joined forces with the great French mathematician philosopher D’Alembert in their biggest and most ambitious project, which was, of course, the incomparable Encyclopédie, ou Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers, par une société de gens de lettres, mis en ordre par M. Diderot de l’Académie des Sciences et Belles-Lettres de Prusse, et quant à la partie mathématique, par M. d’Alembert de l’Académie royale des Sciences de Paris, de celle de Prusse et de la Société royale de Londres. (Observe that, because of his lack of interest in pursuing academic formalities, Diderot was not a member of the French Académie, but he had nevertheless been elected to the Prussian Academy!)

In the preparation of their monumental work, the two men were aided by the greatest minds of France, such as Voltaire, Montesquieu, Rousseau, Buffon, Turgot, Quesnay, and others, who contributed learned articles to the effort. The initial twenty-eight volumes were published between 1751 and 1772, followed by six supplementary volumes in 1776-1777, and by two volumes of tables in 1780.

And now comes the informal, or rather, more personal, but no less relevant in the formal sort of way, part. It concerns the relationship between Diderot and the Russian Empress Catherine the Great. The Empress was a great connoisseuse (feminine of connoisseur!) of genius, and, being a true Russian by spirit (although she was German by birth), she realized that by becoming a patron of the European genius, she was working ad maiorem Russiae gloriam. To make a long story short, she entered into a copious correspondence with the greatest minds of Europe, such as Voltaire (famously) and, of course, the renowned Encyclopedist Diderot. Having learned that Diderot was in financial trouble (he earned virtually nothing from the publication of his Encyclopédie) and resorted to the desperate act of selling his famous library, to provide for his daughter, the Russian Empress bought the whole library from Diderot on the condition, set by her herself, that the library was to stay with Diderot until his death, and he would even be paid for keeping it, as its official caretaker!

Diderot did not fail to appreciate the generosity of Catherine’s offer, and he decided to go to Russia, to thank her personally. He stayed in Russia for five whole months, having frequent regular meetings with Catherine, in which he shared with her his outrageous revolutionary political ideas. The Empress, wisely, did not argue with the great thinker. Instead, she told him the following: “M. Diderot, I have listened with great pleasure to everything that your brilliant mind has engendered. Your lofty ides can wonderfully fill books, but they can hardly be fulfilled in practice. You labor on paper, which can suffer just about anything, whereas this poor Empress before you has to work for common mortals, whose sensibilities are fragile to the extreme…”

Diderot left Russia in February 1774, and lived the rest of his life in France in welcome leisure, working on his most cherished projects without concerning himself about his own or his family’s subsistence, thanks to the generous Russian allowance. This deal worked perfectly for both parties. While increasing the stature of Diderot all over Europe, it would give a big boost to Russia’s international image as a citadel of European progress, the preeminent sponsor of free thought and liberalism in the world. A very unexpected, and rather disconcerting image, for Russia’s numerous ill-wishers and habitual detractors.