(Non)definition of love in the 18th century encyclopedia
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Sometimes it's a good idea to read just outside of the area you are studying, just to get a bit more perspective. In my spare time (what spare time?) I've picked up a book by Philipp Blom called Encyclopédie: The triumph of reason in an unreasonable age. You can tell it was written and complied by philosophers because some of the entries that were included are things that are abstract and difficult to define. If something is abstract and difficult to define, why include it in a book that by definition is about defining and understanding concepts and the world. Well, in the 18th century, it seems that knowing about a thing and providing a venue for its discussion is enough. Obviously this is Blom's translation from the original entry in French. I think only philosophers and poets dare to try to tackle this topic.
"Love" in not an entry in Chambers's Encyclopaedia, and if it were, the question for me would be how is this entry illustrated?