Often described as the culmination of the French Enlightenment, the Encyclopedie was collected to not only serve as a comprehensive reference work, but to change the way men think about every aspect of the human and natural worlds. In his celebrated Preliminary Discourse to the compilation, d Alembert traced an entire history of modern philosophy and science designed to chart the way toward a sweeping Baconian project of improving the world through usable knowledge.

This anthology is the first endeavor to bring together the most significant political writing from the entire...