Lesson 3 - Lecture

A chain reaction is a series of events, each caused by the previous one. In this video we are introduced to the idea of a chain reaction and the circulating chain reaction on how artist's inspiration can power a revolution and vice versa.

What I found interesting from this was how inspiration is the spark. Inspiration was defined as many things. "Madness and Irrationality"; in the words of Freud it is the soul of the artist coming out. After Diderot came out with his many copies of the "Encyclopedie", it inspired Thomas Paine to write "Common Sense"- the outlined rational for the American Revolution.

Who I found interesting from this video was Denis Diderot who wrote "Encyclopedie" and Thomas Paine who wrote "Common Sense" and sold 500,000 copies of 1776. They are the factors of the chain reaction "Inspiration powering Revolution" If it weren't for Diderot, Paine would never been struck with the idea to write Common sense which was about the Revolution, in the simplest of terms, so that everyone could understand it and begin to fight back.

     

Pictures above: Thomas Pain: Common Sense, Denis Diderot: Encyclopedie, and Benjamin Franklin: Poor Richard's Almanack.