Denis Diderot was a French writer and philosopher during the Age of Enlightenment. He was the chief editor of the Encyclopedie.

1. Essai sur le Merite et la Vertu
2. Pensees Philosophiques
3. Les Bijoux Indiscrets
4. Lettre sur les Aveugles
5. Encyclopedie
6. Lettre sur les Sourds et Muets
7. Pensees sur l'Interpretation de la Nature
8. La Religieuse
9. Jacques Le Fataliste
10. Le Neveu de Rameau

The son of a master cutler, Diderot was educated early in life by the Jesuits. Though it appears he may have considered a career in the church, it is not believed he ever officially entered seminary. In his writings he speaks of his spiritual transition away from the Roman Catholic Church and finally toward atheism and materialist ideals. Web Gallery of Arts: Denis Diderot

He married Antoinette Champion in 1743. The romantic nature of the marriage was short-lived, likely due to conflicting general interests. They remained married, however, for the sake of their daughter, Angelique, the only child of three to survive. Web Gallery of Arts: Denis Diderot

Diderot had two mistresses over the course of his life--Madeleine de Puisieux and Sophie Volland. The latter remained his intellectual companion until her death in 1784. He died nine months later at the home provided him by Catherine the Great. Web Gallery of Arts: Denis Diderot

• "Man will never be free until the last king is strangled with the entrails of the last priest."'Cambridge Encyclopedia: Denis Diderot - Life, Quotations, Bibliography
• "From fanaticism to barbarism is only one step."BrainyQuote: Denis Diderot
• "No man has received from nature the right to command his fellow human beings."BrainyQuote: Denis Diderot
• "To attempt the destruction of our passions is the height of folly. What a noble aim is that of the zealot who tortures himself like a madman in order to desire nothing, love nothing, feel nothing, and who, if he succeeded, would end up a complete monster!"Wikiquote: Denis Diderot
• "We are all instruments endowed with feeling and memory. Our senses are so many strings that are struck by surrounding objects and that also frequently strike themselves."Wikiquote: Denis Diderot
• "The most dangerous madmen are those created by religion, and ... people whose aim is to disrupt society always know how to make good use of them on occasion."Wikiquote: Denis Diderot

• 1746: Writes his Essai Sur le Merite et la Vertu.

• 1746: Publishes his first independent work, Pensees Philosophiques.

• 1748: Anonymously publishes novel, Les Bijoux Indiscrets.

• 1749: Publishes Lettre sur les Aveugles.

• 1750: Presents prospectus for Encyclopedie.

• 1751: Publishes Lettre sur les Sourds et Muets.

• 1754 Publishes Pensees sur l'Interpretation de la Nature.

• 1757: Composes the play Le Fils Naturel.

• 1758: Composes the play Le pere de famille.

• 1759: Writes his first Salon.

• 1760: Writes his posthumously published novel La Religieuse.

• 1762: Publishes his dialogue Le neveu de Rameau.

• 1762: Writes Addition aux pensees philosophiques.

• 1769: Writes Entretien Entre d'Alembert et Diderot.

• 1770: Publishes Les Deux Amis de Bourbonne et autres contes.

• 1773: Begins the continually revised Paradox of the Actor.

• 1778: Writes Jacques Le Fataliste.

• 1782: Publishes Essai sur les Regnes de Claude et de Neron.

• • This page was created by Rachelle, a Part Time Guide in the Mahalo Greenhouse (see the original), and quality controlled by Susan.

• If you'd like to help us create the best spam free search results on the Internet, apply to be a Part Time Guide!</em>