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Denis Diderot's principal objective for the Encyclopédie was the compilation of a comprehensive historical record of French culture.
Answer: False
Explanation: Diderot's primary aim, as stated in the source, was to 'change the way people think' and disseminate knowledge widely, rather than solely documenting historical culture.
The Encyclopédie was originally conceived as a direct translation of a German philosophical dictionary.
Answer: False
Explanation: The project's genesis lay in a proposed French translation of Ephraim Chambers' English work, 'Cyclopaedia,' not a German dictionary.
The 1745 prospectus for the Encyclopédie was poorly received by contemporary journals.
Answer: False
Explanation: The prospectus was generally well-received, attracting subscribers and positive commentary from journals of the time.
André Le Breton and John Mills maintained a harmonious working relationship throughout the project's initial phase.
Answer: False
Explanation: Their relationship deteriorated into a dispute that involved legal action and physical confrontation.
The primary source for the Encyclopédie's content was a direct translation of the Dictionnaire de Trévoux.
Answer: False
Explanation: While the Dictionnaire de Trévoux was a significant source, the initial inspiration was Ephraim Chambers' 'Cyclopaedia,' and the Encyclopédie synthesized information from multiple sources.
According to Denis Diderot, what was the principal objective of the Encyclopédie?
Answer: To change people's way of thinking and disseminate knowledge widely.
Explanation: Diderot's primary aim was to 'change the way people think' and to disseminate a vast amount of knowledge, making it a tool for informing both contemporary and future generations.
What specific English work served as the foundational inspiration for the Encyclopédie?
Answer: Ephraim Chambers' Cyclopaedia
Explanation: The Encyclopédie originated from a proposal to translate Ephraim Chambers' English work, 'Cyclopaedia, or an Universal Dictionary of Arts and Sciences'.
Which individual served as an early editor of the Encyclopédie project prior to the principal editorship of Diderot and d'Alembert?
Answer: Jean Paul de Gua de Malves
Explanation: Jean Paul de Gua de Malves served as an editor in the early stages of the project before Diderot and d'Alembert assumed the primary editorial roles.
What was the reception of the 1745 prospectus for the Encyclopédie?
Answer: It received positive reviews and attracted subscribers.
Explanation: The 1745 prospectus was generally well-received, attracting subscribers and favorable commentary from contemporary journals.
What was the resolution of the dispute between André Le Breton and John Mills concerning the Encyclopédie project?
Answer: Le Breton assaulted Mills, and the matter was settled in Le Breton's favor by the court.
Explanation: The dispute escalated into a physical altercation where Le Breton assaulted Mills, with legal proceedings ultimately favoring Le Breton.
Besides Ephraim Chambers' Cyclopaedia, what was the other significant source utilized in the compilation of the Encyclopédie?
Answer: The Dictionnaire de Trévoux
Explanation: The 'Dictionnaire universel français-latin,' commonly known as the 'Dictionnaire de Trévoux,' was another significant source used alongside Chambers' 'Cyclopaedia'.
The Encyclopédie was unique for its era due to its inclusion of contributions from numerous named individuals, collectively known as the Encyclopédistes.
Answer: True
Explanation: This practice of attributing articles to specific, named experts (the Encyclopédistes) was a novel approach for encyclopedias of that period.
Voltaire and Rousseau were among the prominent philosophes who contributed articles to the Encyclopédie.
Answer: True
Explanation: Both Voltaire and Rousseau, along with many other leading intellectuals of the Enlightenment, contributed significantly to the Encyclopédie.
Denis Diderot was the most prolific contributor to the Encyclopédie, authoring nearly half of the articles.
Answer: False
Explanation: While Diderot was a principal editor and a major contributor, Louis de Jaucourt was the most prolific, writing approximately 25% of the articles.
The Encyclopédie was the first encyclopedia to systematically credit its contributors using symbols or 'signatures'.
Answer: True
Explanation: This practice of using 'signatures' to attribute authorship was a pioneering innovation for encyclopedias of its time.
Contributors to the Encyclopédie universally provided their work without compensation, viewing it solely as a philosophical duty.
Answer: False
Explanation: While some contributors may have worked without pay, many received compensation, and it was not universally free labor.
The Encyclopédie's collaborative nature and use of author signatures were minor innovations with little lasting impact.
Answer: False
Explanation: Its collaborative structure and pioneering use of author signatures were significant innovations that influenced subsequent encyclopedic endeavors.
Who served as the principal editors of the Encyclopédie?
Answer: Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert
Explanation: Denis Diderot was the principal editor, with Jean le Rond d'Alembert serving as co-editor until 1759.
What key characteristics distinguished the Encyclopédie from preceding reference works concerning its contributors and the breadth of its content?
Answer: It included extensive details on the mechanical arts and contributions from named individuals (Encyclopédistes).
Explanation: The Encyclopédie was unique for its era as the first encyclopedia to feature contributions from numerous named individuals, known as the Encyclopédistes, and it provided extensive coverage of the mechanical arts.
Besides Denis Diderot, identify a prominent philosophe and contributor to the Encyclopédie mentioned in the source material.
Answer: Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Explanation: Jean-Jacques Rousseau was a prominent philosophe and contributor to the Encyclopédie, alongside many other leading intellectuals of the Enlightenment.
Who was the most prolific contributor to the Encyclopédie, authoring approximately 25% of its articles?
Answer: Louis de Jaucourt
Explanation: Louis de Jaucourt was the most prolific contributor, writing an estimated 17,266 articles, representing about 25% of the entire Encyclopédie.
What significant innovation did the Encyclopédie pioneer in the systematic crediting of its authors?
Answer: Appending symbols ('signatures') at the end of articles.
Explanation: The Encyclopédie pioneered the systematic crediting of contributors by appending symbols, or 'signatures,' at the conclusion of articles.
How were the majority of contributors compensated for their work on the Encyclopédie?
Answer: They received payment, although some wealthy contributors like Jaucourt may have contributed for free.
Explanation: Many contributors received payment, which constituted a significant portion of their income, though some, like Louis de Jaucourt, may have contributed without financial remuneration.
On what primary basis were contributors typically recruited for the Encyclopédie?
Answer: Their expertise in a specific field
Explanation: Contributors were generally recruited based on their demonstrable expertise within a specific field, which they were then tasked with writing about.
The full title of the seminal French encyclopedia was simply 'Encyclopedia'.
Answer: False
Explanation: The complete title was 'Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers,' indicating a much broader scope than a simple 'Encyclopedia'.
The initial edition of the Encyclopédie comprised text volumes exclusively, with illustrations introduced in subsequent editions.
Answer: False
Explanation: The first edition included both text volumes and accompanying volumes of engravings from the outset.
The complete Encyclopédie comprised only ten volumes of text and five volumes of illustrations.
Answer: False
Explanation: The work consisted of seventeen volumes of text and eleven volumes of illustrations, totaling twenty-eight volumes.
The 'Figurative system of human knowledge' was designed to organize articles alphabetically for enhanced user accessibility.
Answer: False
Explanation: The 'Figurative system,' inspired by Francis Bacon, was a taxonomic structure intended to show the interrelation of knowledge domains, not merely alphabetical order.
Cross-references within the Encyclopédie were minimal and served little purpose beyond alphabetical ordering.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Encyclopédie made extensive use of cross-references, which functioned as early hyperlinks to connect related concepts and facilitate navigation through the vast content.
The Encyclopédie covered a broader range of topics, including popular culture and modern history, than later 19th-century encyclopedias.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Encyclopédie's scope was generally narrower than later encyclopedias, focusing primarily on sciences, arts, and crafts, rather than extensive coverage of popular culture or modern history.
The Encyclopédie contributed little to the documentation of technology, focusing mainly on theoretical sciences.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Encyclopédie served as a significant compendium of contemporary technology, particularly the mechanical arts, detailing crafts and trades.
What was the complete title of the seminal French encyclopedia published during the 18th century?
Answer: Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers
Explanation: The full title of the encyclopedia was 'Encyclopédie, ou dictionnaire raisonné des sciences, des arts et des métiers,' which translates to 'Encyclopedia, or a Systematic Dictionary of the Sciences, Arts and Crafts'.
How was the initial publication of the Encyclopédie structured in terms of its volumes and content?
Answer: Seventeen folio volumes of text accompanied by eleven volumes of engravings.
Explanation: The first edition comprised seventeen folio volumes of text, accompanied by eleven volumes of engravings, totaling twenty-eight volumes.
Approximately how many pages constituted the main body of the Encyclopédie?
Answer: 18,000 pages
Explanation: The main body of the Encyclopédie contained approximately 18,000 pages of text.
What was the intended function of the 'Figurative system of human knowledge' presented in the Encyclopédie's introduction?
Answer: To provide a taxonomy showing how articles related to the entirety of human knowledge.
Explanation: The 'Figurative system' was a taxonomic structure intended to guide users in understanding the interrelationships between individual articles and the broader domains of human knowledge.
How did the cross-references within the Encyclopédie function, and what was their significance?
Answer: They served as precursors to hyperlinks, connecting related articles.
Explanation: Cross-references in the Encyclopédie were extensive and functioned as early hyperlinks, linking related concepts and articles to facilitate navigation.
In comparison to later encyclopedias, the scope of the Encyclopédie was generally:
Answer: Narrower, focusing primarily on sciences, arts, and crafts.
Explanation: The Encyclopédie's scope was generally narrower than later encyclopedias, concentrating on sciences, arts, and crafts, rather than extensive coverage of popular culture or modern history.
What role did the Encyclopédie play in the documentation and dissemination of contemporary technology?
Answer: It served as a significant compendium of contemporary technology, especially mechanical arts.
Explanation: The Encyclopédie served as a significant compendium of contemporary technology, particularly the mechanical arts, detailing crafts and trades.
The Encyclopédie was published entirely within the 17th century.
Answer: False
Explanation: The primary publication period for the Encyclopédie was the 18th century, spanning from 1751 to 1772.
The Encyclopédie encountered immediate censorship and was briefly suspended by a royal edict in 1752, attributed to its perceived radical content.
Answer: True
Explanation: The suspension in 1752 was indeed due to accusations of undermining royal authority and promoting irreligion.
The French government successfully halted all publication of the Encyclopédie subsequent to the seventh volume.
Answer: False
Explanation: While publication was officially banned and the privilege revoked in 1759, the project continued in secret, with authorities largely overlooking its continuation.
To circumvent French interference, later volumes of the Encyclopédie were truthfully printed with the location Neuchâtel.
Answer: False
Explanation: The location Neuchâtel was used on the imprint for later volumes as a strategy to avoid French censorship, but the printing likely continued within France.
Charles Joseph Panckoucke acquired the rights to the Encyclopédie and added only a single supplementary volume.
Answer: False
Explanation: Panckoucke acquired the rights in 1775 and published five volumes of supplementary material along with a two-volume index.
What was the stated reason for the Encyclopédie's suspension by royal edict in 1752?
Answer: Undermining royal authority and promoting irreligion
Explanation: The royal edict cited accusations of undermining royal authority, promoting independence, and contributing to irreligion and atheism as reasons for suspension.
How did the Encyclopédie manage to continue publication after the French government officially banned it in 1759?
Answer: It continued in secret with support from influential figures, with authorities overlooking it.
Explanation: Despite the official ban in 1759, the project persisted covertly, supported by influential patrons and largely overlooked by French authorities.
Who acquired the rights to the Encyclopédie in 1775 and subsequently expanded it with supplementary material and an index?
Answer: Charles Joseph Panckoucke
Explanation: Charles Joseph Panckoucke acquired the rights in 1775 and published five volumes of supplementary material and a two-volume index.
In articles concerning political authority, the Encyclopédie suggested that power originated solely from divine right.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Encyclopédie often posited that political authority derived from the consent of the governed, reflecting social contract theory, rather than solely from divine right.
The Encyclopédie unequivocally condemned slavery in all its articles.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Encyclopédie presented an ambivalent stance on slavery; while some articles attacked it, others discussed it factually or defended it.
The Encyclopédie advocated for protectionist economic policies and strongly supported guilds.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Encyclopédie generally favored economic liberalism, advocating for competition and criticizing monopolies and guilds.
How did the Encyclopédie's article on 'Political Authority' conceptualize the origin of government power?
Answer: From the consent of the governed, reflecting a social contract.
Explanation: The article 'Political Authority' posited that the origin of political power resided with the populace, aligning with social contract theory.
What was the Encyclopédie's stance on the institution of slavery?
Answer: It presented an ambivalent view, with some articles defending it and others attacking it.
Explanation: The Encyclopédie presented an ambivalent stance on slavery; while some articles attacked it, others discussed it factually or defended it.
Which economic principle did the Encyclopédie generally favor?
Answer: Economic liberalism (laissez-faire), competition, and criticism of monopolies
Explanation: The Encyclopédie generally favored economic liberalism, advocating for competition and criticizing monopolies and guilds.
The Yverdon Encyclopédie was an independent work with no relation to the original French project.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Yverdon edition was heavily inspired by and borrowed extensively from the original French Encyclopédie.
By 1789, only a few hundred sets of the Encyclopédie had been sold, limiting its influence.
Answer: False
Explanation: Approximately 25,000 sets were sold by 1789, indicating a substantial reach and influence across Europe.
Which Swiss encyclopedia was significantly inspired by and borrowed extensively from the original French Encyclopédie?
Answer: The Yverdon Encyclopedia
Explanation: The Yverdon Encyclopédie, published in Switzerland, was heavily influenced by and derived content from the original French work.
What was the approximate number of Encyclopédie sets sold across Europe by 1789?
Answer: 25,000
Explanation: Approximately 25,000 sets of the Encyclopédie were sold across Europe by 1789, indicating a substantial reach and influence.
In what ways has the Encyclopédie been compared to modern digital encyclopedias, such as Wikipedia?
Answer: Both are seen as collaborative efforts facing similar challenges like content inclusion and linking.
Explanation: The Encyclopédie is analogized to Wikipedia as a monumental collaborative undertaking that faced similar challenges regarding content, linking, and readership.