Article By Florimond Krins

posted by UK, February 28, 2026

In our digital and information age, it is hard to imagine a time when knowledge was not so easy to access and only the most privileged had a right to a decent education. In the pre-industrial times of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, there had been many scholars and ‘natural philosophers’ who created great works that attempted to compile some of the knowledge of the time, a knowledge that was mostly confined within the walls of monasteries and the few universities. By the end of the 17^th century, the concept of sciences had become more mainstream and other non-religious institutions had been created such as the Royal Academy of Science (1660 in Great Britain, 1666 in France).

An idea of a universal knowledge accessible to all was starting to bud in the minds of the natural philosophers of England and, by the beginning of the 18^th century, the first universal dictionary of arts and sciences, or Cyclopaedia, was published in 1728 by Ephraim Chambers. These philosophers were part of a movement called the Enlightenment, “les Lumières” in France. The works of the English philosophers of the late 1600s, such as Newton, Locke or Boyle, inspired the French philosophers, who continued the work of Chambers and his peers.

It was Diderot, d’Alembert and Condillac who, in 1751, published the first “Encyclopédie” (Encyclopaedia), or Classified Dictionary of Sciences, Arts and Trades, building on the publications of their predecessors and including all the crafts and techniques known of at the time. The idea behind such a work was to update the outdated scientific knowledge of the Middle Ages and Renaissance, including the latest discoveries and ideas. The Encyclopaedia was to be published on a regular basis and to be updated as the sciences and techniques progressed.

The Enlightenment was strongly opposed to traditional ways, pushing religion out of the natural philosophy community. In his introduction, Diderot says: “A court (…) condemned a famous astronomer for having supported the movement of the Earth around the Sun and was declared a heretic (…). Thus, the abuse of spiritual authority united with temporal authority forced reason into silence; and it was almost the case that humanity was forbidden to think.”

Soon after the first publication, it was opposed by the Church and State, which forbade the sale of the first two volumes; but thanks to Chrétien Malesherbes, Director of the Press and Chief Censor of Published Material, the publication was able to continue. Images and engravings depicting the various crafts and techniques were added in the following volumes, and after two decades of hard work and trials the last volume was published in 1772. By then the Encyclopaedia had 26 volumes.

But this was only the beginning of the Encyclopaedic adventure. Soon after in 1776 Panckoucke and Robinet bought the rights and extended the work with 5 more volumes. Other publications were made inside and outside of France, mostly without the original rights. And in 1799 Panckoucke sold the rights to English publishers. From 1782 to 1832 the Encyclopaedia kept growing to reach more than 200 volumes, including 50 volumes of engravings.

The Encyclopaedia carried with it the ideas of the Enlightenment: a universal knowledge for all, critical thinking and the freedom of thought and expression. It inspired the revolutionary movements of the 18^th and 19^th centuries, and helped precipitate the fall of absolute monarchies throughout Europe.

The story of the Encyclopaedia is there to remind us that access to knowledge is a human endeavour and a right that sometimes has to be fought for. In a world where misinformation and authoritarianism are trying hard to make a comeback, any respectable philosopher has the duty to protect and preserve the right to freedom of thought, freedom of expression and knowledge.

Image Credits: By Sara Horvat | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY SA-4.0

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By Sara Horvat | Wikimedia Commons | CC BY SA-4.0

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