Volume 2 — CONTENTS OF VOL. II.
Reading edition
CHAPTER I. Other Dialogues.
PAGE
(1) The Conversations of a Father with his Children 1 Remarks upon it.
(2) The Inconsistency of Public Judgment on Private Actions 8 Observations.
(3) Supplement to Bougainville’s Travels 14
Philosophical qualities of the discussion not satisfactory 19
Nothing gained by his criticism on marriage 21
CHAPTER II. Romance.
Digression inevitable in dealing with Diderot 24
Richardson’s influence in Europe 26
Diderot’s Éloge upon him 28
Rousseau and Richardson 29
Diderot writes The Nun (1796) 31
Circumstances of its composition 32
Its intention 33
And characteristics 35
Sterne 36
Diderot writes Jacques le Fataliste 37
Its history 38
Goethe’s criticism on it 38
Nature of Diderot’s imitation of Richardson and Sterne 40
No true creation in Jacques le Fataliste 41
Its unredeemed grossness 43
Its lack of poetry and of flavour 44
CHAPTER III. Art.
The Salons 45
Qualities of their criticism 45
Deep foundation of Diderot’s critical quality 46
French art-criticism 48
Dufresnoy, Dubos, Webb, André, Batteux 48, 49
Travellers in Italy 50
Diderot never in Italy 52
Spirit of French art in his day 52
Greuze, Diderot’s favourite 56
Greuze’s Accordée de Village 57
Hogarth would have displeased Diderot 59
Diderot’s considerateness in criticism 60
Boucher 62
Fragonard 62
Diderot adds literary charm to scientific criticism 63
His readiness for moral asides 65
His suggestions of pictorial subjects 68
His improved versions 69
Illustration of his variety of approach 72
Diderot’s Essay on Painting 73
Goethe’s commentary 73
Difference of type between Goethe and Diderot 76
Diderot’s Essay on Beauty 78
His anticipation of Lessing 82
Music 83
CHAPTER IV. St. Petersburg and the Hague.
Diderot’s resolution to visit the Empress of Russia 84
The Princess Dashkow 84
Prince Galitzin 85
Diderot in Holland (1773) 86
St. Petersburg and Russian civilisation 89
The Empress 91
Accounts of her by men of affairs 92
Her pursuit of French culture 94
Her interest in the French philosophic party 96
Partly the result of political calculation 98
The philosophers and the Partition of Poland 101
Rulhière’s narrative of Catherine’s accession 102
Falconet, the first Frenchman welcomed by her 104
Diderot arrives at St. Petersburg (1773) 106
His conversations with the Empress 107
Not successful as a politician 108
General impression of him 109
Grimm outstrips him in court favour 110
Diderot’s return to the Hague 112
Björnstähl’s report of him 114
Contemporary literature in Holland 117
Hemsterhuys 118
The Princess Galitzin 119
Diderot’s return to Paris 121
CHAPTER V. Helvétius.
Three works of which Diderot was regarded as the inspirer 123
Helvétius’s L’Esprit 123
Contemporary protests against it 123
Turgot’s weighty criticism 124
Real drift of the book 127
Account of Helvétius 127
The style of his book 134
The momentous principle contained in it 135
Adopted from Helvétius by Bentham 136
Helvétius’s statement of doctrine of Utility 137
Miscarriage of the doctrine in his hands 139
His fallacy 140
True side of his objectionable position 140
Helvétius’s reckless presentation of a true theory 141
Confusion of beneficence with self-love 142
Imitation from Mandeville 143
Mean anecdotes 144
Nature of Helvétius’s errors 144
Explanation of them 146
Positive side of his speculation 147
Its true significance 149
Second great paradox of L’Esprit 149
Benjamin Constant’s Adolphe 152
CHAPTER VI. Holbach’s System of Nature.
Publication of the System of Nature (1770) 155
Its startling effect 156
Voltaire’s alarm 158
He never understood Holbach’s position 159
Account of Holbach 160
Disregard of historic opinion in his book 163
Its remarkable violence against the government 165
The sting of this violence 166
The doctrine from which Holbach’s book arose 167
Account of Holbach’s Naturalism 168
His proposition concerning Man 173
He uses the orthodox language about the pride of man 177
His treatment of Morals 178
Onslaught upon the theory of Free Will 178
Connection of necessarianism with humanity in punishment 181
His answer to some objections against necessarianism 181
Chapter on the Immortality of the Soul 183
His enthusiasm for reforms 185
The literature of a political revolution 187
Misrepresentation of Holbach’s ethical theory 188
The System of Nature, a protest against ascetic ideals 191
The subject of the second half of the book 193
Repudiation of the à priori method 194
Replies to the common charges against atheism 197
The chapter on the superiority of Naturalism 198
Political side of the indictment against religion 199
Holbach’s propagandism 202
CHAPTER VII. Raynal’s History of the Indies.
Contemporary estimate of The History of the Indies 204
Account of Raynal 205
Composition of the book 207
Its varied popularity 209
Frederick the Great dislikes it 210
Signal merit of the History 213
Its shortcomings 214
Its idyllic inventions 215
Its animation and variety 218
Superficial causes of its popularity 220
Its deeper source 221
Catholicism in contact with the lower races 222
The other side of this 223
Raynal’s book a plea for justice and humanity 224
Morality towards subject races 226
Slavery 227
Raynal’s conduct in the Revolution 229
His end 231
CHAPTER VIII. Diderot’s Closing Years.
Diderot’s meditation on life and death 232
Age overtakes him on his return from Russia 233
Writes his life of Seneca 235
Its quality 236
Interest to Diderot of Seneca’s career 237
Strange digression in the Essay 239
Reason for Diderot’s anger against Rousseau 240
His usual magnanimity 241
Diderot’s relations with Voltaire 244
Naigeon 246
Romilly’s account of Diderot 247
Palissot and the conservative writers 249
The ecclesiastical champions of the old system 251
The precursors gradually disappearing 253
Galiani 254
Beaumarchais’s Mariage de Figaro 255
Diderot’s famous couplet 256
His fellow-townsmen at Langres 257
Last days 258
CHAPTER IX. Conclusion.
The variety of Diderot’s topics 261
(1) Thoughts on the Interpretation of Nature 262 Maupertuis’s Loi d’Epargne 262 General scope of Diderot’s aphorisms 263 Prophecy about geometry 264 Utility made to prescribe limits to speculation 267 The other side of this principle 267 On Final Causes 268 Adaptation of the Leibnitzian law of economy 269
(2) D’Alembert’s Dream 271 Diderot not the originator of French materialism 272 Materialism of the three dialogues 273 Mdlle. Lespinasse’s moral objections 274
(3) Plan of a University for Russia 275 Religious instruction 276 Latin and Greek 277 Letter to the Countess of Forbach 278
(4) Conversation with the Maréchale de —— 278 Parable of the young Mexican 279
(5) Letters to Falconet 281 Diderot defends the feeling for posterity 283
Appendix.
Rameau’s Nephew: a Translation 285