Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot (1713-1784) was a major French philosopher of an intellectual movement called the Age of Reason. His work included fiction, drama, art and literary criticism, and satire. Diderot was also a brilliant conversationalist. He spent much of his life compiling, editing, and writing the French Encyclopedie, a reference work that reflected revolutionary political views and antireligious sentiment. Diderot's major philosophical works are Thoughts on the Interpretation of Nature (1754) and d'Alembert's Dream (1769). Today, Diderot is increasingly appreciated for his major literary writings, especially the novels The Nun (1760) and Jacques the Fatalist (1773) and the satirical dialogue Rameau's Nephew (written 1762-1764). Diderot was born in Langres, near Chaumont.
Excerpt adapted from the "Denis Diderot" article, The World Book Encyclopedia © 1999