3.2. Changing the Common Way of Thinking

Now let’s look at some important aspects of the encyclopaedic enterprise:

The Encyclopaedia is a collective work but also a polyphonic work. What does that mean?
Critical thinking: the desire to “change the common way of thinking” is not restricted to political and religious criticism. We will see that the Encyclopaedia covers many other fields.
The Plates or illustrations: a great innovation of the Encyclopaedia.
Celebrating arts and crafts: one of Diderot and D’Alembert’s concerns was to have the importance of manual trades recognized.