Denis Diderot
Denis Diderot
Denis Diderotʁo]; 5 October 1713 – 31 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer. He was a prominent figure during the Enlightenment and is best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the Encyclopédie along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert...
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth5 October 1713
disorder gaiety genius ordinary quality
Gaiety - a quality of ordinary men. Genius always presupposes some disorder in the machine.
novelty genius forging-ahead
Only God and some few rare geniuses can keep forging ahead into novelty.
evil genius world
Evil always turns up in this world through some genius or other.
freedom might genius
The general interest of the masses might take the place of the insight of genius if it were allowed freedom of action.
men genius madness
Oh! how near are genius and madness! Men imprison them and chain them, or raise statues to them.
men age genius
Genius is present in every age, but the men carrying it within them remain benumbed unless extraordinary events occur to heat up and melt the mass so that it flows forth.
acquiring available collects creative geniuses knowledge means nature principal rarely reflection result three
There are three principal means of acquiring knowledge available to us: observation of nature, reflection, and experimentation. Observation collects facts; reflection combines them; experimentation verifies the result of that combination. Our observation of nature must be diligent, our reflection profound, and our experiments exact. We rarely see these three means combined; and for this reason, creative geniuses are not common.
earth schools temples theology
See this egg. It is with this that all the schools of theology and all the temples of the earth are to be overturned.
force quotes sentences sharp truth
Sentences are like sharp nails, which force truth upon our memories.
duty speak
To do his duty somehow, always to speak well of the Prior, and let the world go its own way.
people lovers sexuality
The best mannered people make the most absurd lovers.
capable claims conclusion draw matter order organized prefer takes therefore wants
Descartes said: "I think, therefore I am." Helvetius wants to say: "I feel, therefore I want to feel pleasantly." I prefer Hobbes who claims that in order to draw a conclusion which takes us somewhere, we must say, "I feel, I think, I judge; therefore, a part of organized matter like me is capable of feeling, thinking, and judging.
best doctor run
The best doctor is the one you run for and can't find
art business chief close move touch
it is the chief business of art to touch and to move and to do this by getting close to 'nature.'