Abstract

The lesson of atoms. Lucretius' influence in Diderot. Diderot appreciated Lucretius' poem, which was for him an early introduction to the philosophy of the ancient atomists. He probably intended the Ręve de d'Alembert, which posits the most daring hypotheses of his own philosophy of nature, to be a modern De rerum natura. However, the influence of Lucretius on the Encyclopedist appears to be complex. If Diderot clearly contradicts certain atomist theses, notably as they concern the origin of living beings, this is doubtless due to his fidelity to a profound Epicurean principle - that of the complete autonomy of natural forces - which, in his opinion, needs to be defended on new grounds. Beyond its literal statements, one can thus follow in the Ręve the principal intelligible frameworks characteristic of the De rerum natura, as well as a poetic mode of writing inspired by Lucretius and intended to arouse the speculative imagination. Mots-clé: Diderot, Lucrčce, épicurisme, atomisme, matičre, philosophie naturelle, sensibilité, transformisme.