Abstract
Biographers of Diderot have found it difficult to resist the story of his famous last words: ''The first step towards philosophy is incredulity." According to the testimony of his daughter, Mme. de Vandeul, such were the words that her father uttered to a group of friends on the eve of his death as they engaged in a discussion of philosophical issues. Words of a similar nature — "Skepticism is the first step towards truth" — appeared in his first major work, Pensees philosophiques, and thereby provided a biographical symmetry to a life characterized more often by the questions raised than the answers provided.
Recommended Citation
Morman, Paul J.
(1994)
"Denis Diderot: Reflections on Faith and Reason,"
University of Dayton Review: Vol. 23:
No.
1, Article 7.
Available at:
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/udr/vol23/iss1/7
Comments
The first annual Humanities Symposium was held Feb. 28-March 1, 1994. The Humanities Symposium was part of "Viva Humanitas," a yearlong series of programs celebrating the opening of the Jesse Philips Humanities Center in August 1993.