Mediating Le Philosophe
Mediating Le Philosophe
Diderot's Strategic Self-Representations
This chapter analyzes a marked tension in Diderot's account of the position of the philosopher in society in some of the “media” he personally favored (articles in the Encyclopédie, dialogues, paintings, essays in ekphrasis). It begins with a general and introductory account of Diderot's (and, by implication, the encyclopedists') view of the philosopher, of journalism, and of the printed media (newspapers, periodicals, and newsletters). It then discusses Diderot's representations of other, ideal ways of public communication in the form of a mise-en-scène: the philosopher introduces his private person into the object of his analysis in order to represent les philosophes in a favorable light—as noble defenders of humanity, truth, equality, and reason, while denigrating the partiality of the journalists.
Keywords: philosopher, society, Encyclopédie, journalism, print media
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