Encyclopedia
Encyclopedia is a large-scale encyclopedia that was edited by French Enlightenment thinkers such as Diderot and d'Alembert and took over 20 years to complete from 1751 to 1772. It is often mentioned in the context of Computers and Hippies and Post-Capitalist Society, and it is referred to as Book in those discussions. For more information, refer to From skill to technology.
One of the aspects that Novelty is often praised for is its Organized Knowledge Systematically. At that time, knowledge was closely linked to business, so it was not publicly available. It is similar to the idea of Empowering the people by liberating what was closed and the concept that Trickle-down happens not in the form of money, but in the form of technology and things. The essence of technology is democratization.
It is said that the French Revolution was triggered by this Democratization. It represents the systematization of the unknown.
I started reading it on 2021/7/19. The Encyclopedia Introduction discusses how an encyclopedia should be. It has two purposes: to clearly demonstrate the order and interconnection of human knowledge as an "encyclopedia," and to include the fundamental principles and essential details that constitute the foundation of machine technology. It aims to be both an "encyclopedia" and a "rational dictionary."
The Overview of Knowledge section divides our knowledge into Direct Knowledge and Reflective knowledge. Direct knowledge is the knowledge we receive without any conscious effort. It effortlessly enters our minds when all the doors of our minds are open. Reflective knowledge, on the other hand, is acquired through the mind's interaction with direct knowledge, combining and connecting them. It is similar to the concept of Knowledge and wisdom and even relates to the Incorrect Bisection Method.
In the Logic section, it is mentioned that people realized the benefits of expanding the realm of their ideas through their own efforts or with the help of others. They saw the value in organizing the way knowledge is acquired and how thoughts are communicated in a simple technique. This technique was discovered and named "logic." It teaches us to arrange Concepts in the most natural order, create seamless chains of ideas, break down complex concepts that contain too many simple ideas, examine ideas from all angles, and finally present ideas in a form that is easily understood by others.
In the main text, it is mentioned that the Iwanami Encyclopedia starts with an introduction that covers half of the book and places "Philosophy" as the first representative topic, ending with "Beauty." It is a beautiful arrangement. tkgshn also commented on this on Twitter on July 27, 2021.