Diderot and the Body

This appraisal of Diderot's work illustrates the philosopher's fascination with the body using a range of sources from both his published work and personal correspondence. Diderot's lifelong preoccupation with the body is expressed in every aspect of his work - philosophical, ethical, emotional, psychological, aesthetic and literary. Even when discussing bodies at the highest level of abstraction, he still focuses on them as material entities above all; this concern with tangible realities gives his writing its celebrated correctness and human appeal. In her study, Angelica Goodden deals with Diderot's views on the body-mind relationship, anatomical matters, ethical extensions of the body, the expressive, the sensual and the sexual body, drawing evidence from his scientific and philosophical writings, fiction, art criticism, dramatic works and correspondence.