Philosophical Thoughts

📖 The Scoop

A new translation of Denis Diderot's early 1746 work Philosophical Thoughts, his entry into a Philosophic life which would lead him to brush shoulders with the likes of Voltaire and Rousseau. This edition contains an afterword by the translator on Diderot's philosophy, a timeline of his life and works, and a glossary of the philosophic topics which recur in his works. "Pensées philosophiques" (Philosophical Thoughts) is a work that explores various philosophical ideas and reflects on the fundamental questions of human existence. Here he expresses a type of Deism, but later his opinions evolve. In this collection of thoughts, Diderot delves into topics such as the nature of God, the origin of the universe, the existence of evil, and the limitations of human knowledge. He engages the topic of critical thinking, challenging traditional religious and philosophical beliefs of his time but also, like Voltaire and Dostoevsky, understanding Atheism as a type of religion. Here he sees Deism as an answer, but later in his life be begins to understand Deism, non-Theism and likeminded philosophies as being a form of spiritual cowardice. Diderot's "Pensées philosophiques" demonstrates his intellectual curiosity and skepticism, laying the foundation for his later works and his role as a prominent Enlightenment thinker.

Genre: Philosophy / Metaphysics (fancy, right?)