Penser par soi-même ou la question du maître vue par les encyclopédistes et par Kant
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Date
2019
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Abstract
Comment le mot d’ordre des encyclopédistes de penser par soi-même se conjugue-t-il avec la question de l’éducation qu’on pourrait formuler ainsi : l’homme a-t-il besoin d’un maître ? Les encyclopédistes posent la question et aussitôt la reformulent selon les deux sens que l’on peut donner à la notion de maître. Le latin fournit deux termes qui recouvrent la notion de maître en français : dominus (celui qui possède les terres et qui domine les gens qui vivent sur ses terres : le seigneur) et magister (celui qui enseigne les connaissances et les règles : l’éducateur). Le dominus tient son autorité de ses titres de propriété, le magister de son savoir et de son éducation. Nous comparerons la solution que donnent les encyclopédistes à la question de l’éducation à celle que propose Kant, nous comparerons également la signification respective qu’ils donnent à l’exigence de penser par soi-même et nous montrerons que l’injonction de penser par soi-même est corrélée à celle de l’éducation aussi bien chez les encyclopédistes que chez Kant.
How does the Encyclopédistes’ watchword ‘to think for oneself ’ relate to the question of education, which could be formulated as: does man need a master? As soon as the Encyclopédistes ask the question, they propose a new way of thinking about the two meanings which can be given to the notion of master: dominus (“the lord”), and magister (“the teacher”). The lord has authority thanks to his status as a land owner or castle owner, the teacher is in a position of power by virtue of his knowledge and education. The Encyclopédistes ’ answer to the question concerning education will be compared to that given by Kant, and the meaning the Encyclopédistes assign to the expression ‘to think for oneself ’ will also be juxtaposed with Kant ’s interpretation. In this way, the correlation between education and ‘thinking for oneself ’ observed by both Kant and the Encyclopédistes will be demonstrated.
How does the Encyclopédistes’ watchword ‘to think for oneself ’ relate to the question of education, which could be formulated as: does man need a master? As soon as the Encyclopédistes ask the question, they propose a new way of thinking about the two meanings which can be given to the notion of master: dominus (“the lord”), and magister (“the teacher”). The lord has authority thanks to his status as a land owner or castle owner, the teacher is in a position of power by virtue of his knowledge and education. The Encyclopédistes ’ answer to the question concerning education will be compared to that given by Kant, and the meaning the Encyclopédistes assign to the expression ‘to think for oneself ’ will also be juxtaposed with Kant ’s interpretation. In this way, the correlation between education and ‘thinking for oneself ’ observed by both Kant and the Encyclopédistes will be demonstrated.
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Encyclopédistes, éducation, penser par soi-même, Jean Le Rond d’Alembert, Denis Diderot, Emmanuel Kant, education, thinking for oneself
Citation
"Quêtes littéraires" 2019, nº 9, s. 32-43