Figures du maître et de la maîtrise de soi chez Diderot : de la philosophie à la pédagogie

"Images of the Master and of Self-Mastery in Diderot. On the Philosophy of Education" Abstract : The Encyclopédie (1751-1772) of Diderot and D’Alembert, is a real «School of Enlightenment». In this article «Encyclopédie» Diderot insists on this pedagogical aspect of the encyclopaedists’ work, by stressing the Greek etymology of the term: en-kyklos-paidèia, «formation», «education» (paidéia, word composed by the Greek word païs, «child») of the human mind, through the «circle» (kuklos) of knowledge and cognitions. In his «Instructions» for Empress Catherine II of Russia, Diderot emphasizes the universal and ‘transdisciplinary’ aspect of the scholastic formation: a real Public School, open to all citizens. We can now ask: is the model of the School of the Enlightenment – secular, republican, egalita rian and «excellent» – still possible?