Wk. 6 Encyclopedia, or Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts and Crafts (1751-1772)

Question 1

Encyclopedia, or Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts and Crafts (1751-1772)

Answer 1

Encyclopedia, or Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts and Crafts (1751-1772) Edited by Denis Diderot and Jean d’Alembert. – The Encyclopedia, published in twenty-eight volumes between 1751 and 1772 was the quintessential Enlightenment project. It’s goal, according to Diderot, was “to collect all the knowledge scattered over the face of the earth, to present its general outlines and structure to the men with whom we live, and to transmit this to those who will come after us.”

Think about how these goals were accomplished in this entry on Architecture and the accompanying plates on Masonry. What was the point of listing so many prominent books on architecture?

• Besides providing a breif overview and history of architecture, the listing of prior books and sources provied a compendium of the knowledge base available from the past and present in an attempt to consolidate all the primary known knowledge at the time, providing a solid foundation for future generations to add to.

What would a reader have used this article for?

• A reader would use this as a guide to further reading, an outline for more in depth learning and research.

Other Notes:

• The editors made sure to focus on the strengths and contributions of the Romans and particularly the Greeks. This made sense as the Enlightenment was a reach back to the sophistication, science, art, beauty, and intellectual inquiry of the “Classics” which focused on Rome and Greece.
  
  • “rediscover the simplicity, beauty, and proportions fundamental to ancient architecture”
  • “we have been unable to develop orders that approach those of the Greeks and Romans”