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Philosophical Haiku

Denis Diderot (1713-1784)

by Terence Green

To think without chains
To be free of God and kings
I know my own good

Denis Diderot by Louis-michel Van Loo 1767

Denis Diderot was of humble stock – his father was a cutler (knife-maker) – and in his mannerisms and dress he always retained a semblance of this. For instance, he was known to turn up in polite society without wearing a wig!

As a young man, Diderot tried his hand at various things – the law, the church – but decided to be a writer. His father then disowned him, allowing him to experience the true writer’s life – that is, a life of poverty. This set the pattern for much of his life: he was forever a struggling man of letters, to the extent that he had to sell his library to provide his daughter with a dowry.

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