Thoughts on the Interpretation of Nature: And Other Philosophical Works

This anthology includes an English translation of Pensees sur l'Interpretation de la Nature , a work attacking the state of science in the mid-18th century. For Diderot there was an inordinate emphasis on the sterile science of mathematics, brought about by the massive influence of Descartes. He argued that mathematics is finally unable to say anything significant about the real world. He maintained that physical experiment is the only way to gain proper knowledge of causes, effects and nature as a whole. In the course of this work, Diderot suggests a number of areas of enquiry in which physical experiment should be usefully applied. One such is the nature of electricity - he conjectures that electricity is of the same source as magnetism (this was to be borne out by later science). Two complementary works by Diderot, The Letter on the Blind and d'Alemberts Dream , are also included. The book aims to present the reader with a holistic appraisal of Diderot’s philosophy.