L'Encyclopédieet le droit de coloniser

The frequently-quoted Encyclopédie article COLONIES is a mainstream piece by Véron de Forbonnais. But the reader should not be misled by this, for one needs to pay attention to the small subversive core of this ideologically mixed bag, which alone constituted the scandal and interest of the Encyclopédie, and without which it would be nothing but a dictionary. Damilaville brings out clearly the condemnation of all colonisation, using expressions already found in Bacon. A similar rejection is indicated by the fact that colonisation plays no role in Quesnay's analysis of the production of wealth. The truly innovative spirit of the Encyclopédie, often obscured by the obligatory presence of the intellectual conformists and notables of the time, clearly questioned the right to colonize.Bénot Yves.L'Encyclopédieet le droit de coloniser. In: Dix-huitième Siècle, n°35, 2003. L'épicurisme des Lumières, sous la direction de Anne Deneys-Tunney et Pierre-François Moreau. pp. 359-368