A Materialist History of Philosophy in the 18th Century

In this project, we will examine how the history of philosophy was practised in the 18th century, specifically by Denis Diderot in his writings in the Encyclopédie—a major work representative of European Enlightenment philosophy. The objective is to seek out its underlying philosophy of history to try to understand how progress was understood at the time and contrast these concepts to modern ideas of “Enlightenment philosophy.” We will particularly focus on how it portrays the late Antiquity and the European Middle Ages (and potentially the Middle East), and how modernity is defined as a break from this period. Throughout the project, we will also pinpoint the differences in how philosophy was practised and how its history was recorded compared to the modern day. The materialist element of Diderot’s approach will be analyzed—that is, the institutional and political constraints affecting the search for truth and the conditions of its expression in the public sphere. The role of censorship and how it was avoided are of particular interest. 

Participants will join a research team comprised of a professor and graduate students. They will conduct autonomous research and attend group sessions to discuss research findings. Autonomous research will focus on primary sources from the 18th century—specifically, the Encyclopédie—as well as modern secondary sources to assist students in interpreting and contextualizing the primary sources. Group work will initially take the form of “reading/discussion groups” about the primary sources to identify the philosophical issues found within. Participants will combine archival research—by consulting primary sources from the 18th century—and digital humanities research methods. This project therefore combines an initiation into personal research anchored in interest-led research paths with a collaborative, dialogue-based approach centred on sharing resources and results and working on collaborative platforms and in shared documents. 

Students in this course will:

• Develop skills in the digital humanities. As most of the texts being studied have been digitized, they can now be analyzed more comprehensively by the digital tools at our disposal;
• Improve research methods. An intellectual history project requires knowing how to apply already existing secondary literature in support of primary source analysis;
• Learn how to analyze archival primary sources. The library has primary sources from the 18th century, and this project will introduce students to working in Archives and Special Collections;
• Grasp the basics of critical historical analysis. The texts being studied must be contextualized to be adequately analyzed and to facilitate better understanding of the issues at play and the historical circumstances that make them exceptional;
• Develop rhetorical and philosophical analysis skills. The bulk of the work involves formulating and adopting critical perspectives on philosophical issues and the history of philosophy, with a strong emphasis on analyzing arguments and the textual forms in which they are expressed. 

The work will be roughly divided as follows:

• Introduction to theoretical and historical background: introductory lectures, exploring digital tools and working environments: 8 hours;
• Four team meetings per month to discuss members’ research and work in “discussion groups” on a primary source (usually an article on the history of philosophy from Didier and Alembert’s Encyclopédie): 12 hours;
• Studying contemporary reception—reading periodicals and works from the 18th century criticizing the Encyclopédie to understand its subversive content: 20 hours;
• Reading secondary literature (books and journal articles) for a better grasp on the issues at play: 20 hours;
• Reading related primary sources: analyzing Encyclopédie articles thematically related to the research project to better contextualize the conceptual tensions and debates: 20 hours;
• Developing a research question and strategy, and writing a final report on a problem related to the research theme: 20 hours.
• Total: 100 hours.