Artisanal enlightenment : science and the mechanical arts in Old Regime France / Paola Bertucci.

Includes bibliographies and index.

Introduction : savants, artisans, artistes -- 1. Lost knowledge and the history of the arts -- 2. Réaumur and the science of the arts -- 3. Theory, practice, improvement -- 4. Society of Arts -- 5. The politics of writing about making -- 6. L'Esprit in the machine -- Epilogue.

What would the Enlightenment look like from the perspective of artistes, the learned artisans with esprit, who presented themselves in contrast to philosophers, savants, and routine-bound craftsmen? Making a radical change of historical protagonists, the author places the mechanical arts and the world of making at the heart of the Enlightenment. At a time of great colonial, commercial, and imperial concerns, artistes planned encyclopedic projects and sought an official role in the administration of the French state. The Société des Arts, which they envisioned as a state institution that would foster France's colonial and economic expansion, was the msot ambitious expression of their collective aspirations. This work provides the first in-depth study of the Société, and demonstrates its legacy in scientific programs, academies, and the making of Diderot and D'Alembert's Encyclopédie. Through insightful analysis of textual, visual, and material sources, the author provides a ground-breaking perspective on the politics of writing on the mechanical arts and the development of key Enlightenment concepts such as improvement, utility, and progress.

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