Writing requires, above all, patience and perseverance. Facing a blank page or screen is, on many occasions, a fight against physical and mental fatigue, and many give up prematurely. So when it comes to writing “a lot,” in large amounts and lengths of time, the list shrinks. There are notable cases, such as Dickens, one of the most prolific authors of the 19th century, or Asimov, with more than 500 books and thousands of letters. However, none like the story of the man who wrote much of the encyclopedia alone.
Louis de Jaucourt. Born in Paris in 1704 into a noble Protestant family, from a young age, Jaucourt demonstrated a deep inclination for knowledge, which led him to study theology in Geneva, physics and mathematics in Cambridge, and medicine in Leyden. In addition to mastering five modern languages, he also had advanced knowledge of Latin, Greek and numerous disciplines, from literature to the exact sciences, a reflection of the encyclopedic spirit of the Enlightenment in which he lived.
However, if he will be remembered for something in history, it is for his contribution to knowledge with a titanic work that was beginning to take shape among the French elites: the Encyclopédie.
First came the Enlightenment. We are talking about one of the most ambitious intellectual projects of the 18th century, one created in a very special moment of cultural and philosophical effervescence in Europe, known as the Enlightenment. At that time, the aim was to free knowledge from the restrictions imposed by religion and absolutist monarchy, promoting the use of reason as a way to understand the world and improve society.
In France, particularly, this intellectual impulse gained great strength, facing the authoritarianism of the monarchy of Louis XV and the influence of the clergy, who saw enlightened ideas as a threat to their power. In this context, intellectuals such as Voltaire, Rousseau and Montesquieu challenged traditional beliefs and promoted critical thinking that would lead to the foundations of the Encyclopédie.
Creation and development. Also known as Dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers, the megaproject began in 1751 under the direction of Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d’Alembert, always with the aim of compiling all human knowledge in an accessible work. Inspired by Ephraim Chambers’ Cyclopaedia, the Encyclopédie was initially planned as a simple translation, but it soon evolved into an original and much more ambitious project.
Throughout its 35 volumes, the work compiled more than 70,000 articles and 3,000 illustrations, covering everything from natural sciences and arts to philosophy and artisanal techniques (a novelty at its time). The work of Diderot and d’Alembert was supported by 146 collaborators, including prominent Enlightenment thinkers, who worked on the compilation and review of articles in various disciplines. And above all, one man: Jaucourt.
A quarter. Louis de Jaucourt, a fervent collaborator of the Encyclopédie, contributed no less than 17,200 articles, around a quarter of the Encyclopedia’s total, and he did so, very importantly, writing up to eight a day without receiving any financial compensation. With extensive training and full of resources, the man dedicated much of his life to the project, even selling properties to finance it.
In addition, he wrote about everything, covering topics such as democracy, freedom, equality and science. Jaucourt’s dedication was such that Diderot affectionately dubbed him the “slave of the Encyclopédie,” given his commitment to the work, in which he invested decades and much of his assets. A single man, in short, who helped expand the scope of the work and guarantee its success.
Extra ball. A fact to place the titanic work of man in context. Before the Encyclopedia, he dedicated 20 years of his life to writing a gigantic work, the treatise on medicine, in six volumes (and in Latin). After two decades of work, he traveled to Amsterdam to escape French censorship for printing.
Bad luck meant that the ship sank with the complete work, the only copy it had. A tragic event that seems to have left him wanting more.
The legacy. The Encyclopédie was a revolutionary work that, in addition to disseminating knowledge, promoted egalitarian and accessible education. His most notable contribution was the inclusive approach to knowledge, encompassing both academic topics and practical knowledge, and reflecting the spirit of the Enlightenment by erasing the barriers between elitist knowledge and applied or “useful” knowledge.
This approach inspired future encyclopedic works and left a deep mark on modern philosophy and education. The Encyclopédie also encouraged the questioning of absolute power and intellectual emancipation, and is considered one of the fundamental pillars of Enlightenment thought, influencing later movements such as the French Revolution.
In short, an entire political and social manifesto that challenged the structures of power and religion of that time, and that had in a single man the ability to bring together a quarter of the knowledge of humanity. That on top of that he did it by living modestly and selling part of his assets makes it even more extraordinary.
Image | PXHere
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