Philosopher-erudite in the epoch of the French Revolution: Jacques Andre Naigeon

Abstract

The article analyzes the doctrine of a friend and follower of Diderot, who sought to supplement and clarify the philosophical provisions of the famous editor of the “Encyclopedia”. Naigeon was also the publisher of the works of Montaigne, Rousseau, Diderot, he was the author of discussions about Lafontaine and Racine, focusing the reader on the moral content of the works of classics of French literature. The philosopher-erudite saw the meaning of his activity in enlightening contemporaries, in protecting the truth from attacks of adherents of fanaticism and superstition. He considered Diderot’s atheistic materialism as the philosophical peak of his epoch, regarding the doctrines of Rousseau and Condillac popular among his contemporaries as noticeably inferior in depth to the concept of a native of Langres. Hence the originality of his ideas about the future, excluding the deistic idea of civil religion, which found many supporters during the French Revolution. His works are marked by republican and anti-clerical beliefs. At the same time, he opposed the parallels between the doctrine of Diderot and the conspiracy of Babeuf. Seeing the connection between politics and the growth of scientific knowledge, Naigeon considered systematic, classifier cabinet work as an important condition for progress. However, he urged the National Assembly not to mention religion when discussing human rights. Among the principles of a truly thorough historical and philosophical study, Naigeon included the ability to identify the originality of different opinions of the past, without admixing modern ideas to them, refusing to follow slavish various authorities, principle of obtaining the conclusions of highest degree of reliability by comparing all available approaches. Of particular interest are Naigeon’s judgments about errors of historians of philosophy, about typical shortcomings inherent in even their famous and influential works.