Humans have a natural curiosity for knowledge, and encyclopedias are one of the most representative examples of this quest. Designed to consolidate knowledge from various fields into a series of books, this desire has long been a part of humanity. The earliest known attempt is "Naturalis Historia" ("Natural History"), written by Pliny the Elder in the first century AD in the Roman Empire.
Early encyclopedias were primarily compilations of classical and religious knowledge, often influenced by the church. Typically written in Latin, these works were accessible mainly to scholars and the clergy. However, this changed in the 18th century with the release of the "Encyclopédie." Edited by Denis Diderot and Jean le Rond d'Alembert, the "Encyclopédie" significantly differed from its predecessors. It was a collection of existing knowledge and a platform for promoting Enlightenment ideals. For the first time, an encyclopedia included critical and often controversial discussions on philosophy, politics, and religion, challenging traditional beliefs and social norms.
Moreover, the "Encyclopédie" was written in French, the vernacular language, making it more accessible to an educated but not necessarily scholarly audience. Controversial and revolutionary, it championed freedom of expression, religious tolerance, and the value of empirical observation. The work often criticized established institutions and norms, leading to censorship and opposition from the French government and the Catholic Church. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the "Encyclopédie" was widely popular and influential, spreading Enlightenment ideas throughout Europe.
The "Encyclopédie" was a major effort, comprising 28 volumes, with contributions from some of the most notable thinkers of the time, including Voltaire, Rousseau, and Montesquieu. It took a massive effort to print, with estimates that a single volume of the Encyclopédie took nearly five months to produce, even with four or five compositors and twenty pressmen on the job. Compared to today, where we have Wikipedia, which allows for real-time contributions and continual improvement of knowledge, we have indeed come a long way in the quest for knowledge.
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