Andrew Curran Wesleyan Publishes One of Amazon’s Best Books

A book by popular author Andrew Curran of Wesleyan University was recently listed on Amazon as one of the best books in January 2019. The book, titled Diderot and the Art of Thinking Freely, stands out in the modern literary landscape for powerfully describing the controversial views of French philosopher Denis Diderot regarding morality, politics, and region.

According to Amazon Books’ editors, the publication is the type of book that left them questioning why they did not know much about the dynamic Diderot until reading Curran’s book. In the spirited biography, readers can get a glimpse of how much of a free thinker Diderot, even for modern times.

Diderot remains an influential figure in history due to being a philosopher of the Age of Enlightenment, as well as a contemporary of both Voltaire and Rousseau. In addition, Diderot served as the chief writer of the famous Encyclopédie.

However, according to Curran’s book, even though Diderot had a number of followers, including prominent ones — for example, Catherine the Great — he decided to record his highly provocative views in novels that were never published. Curran uses Diderot and the Art of Thinking Freely as an opportunity to uncover these unpublished writings for his readers. In the book, he sifts through the philosopher’s arguments and thoughts, providing context and shedding light on the philosopher’s ideas, words, and times.

Amazon Books’ editors describe the book as a fascinating and fun read. However, they are not the only ones who have expressed feeling this way. The New York Times recently interviewed Curran about the popular book. In addition, Curran was mentioned in an article in The Guardian in December of 2018. The article talked about how relevant Diderot’s political ideas are to the current era of President Trump. Finally, Curran was scheduled to talk at a Princeton Library event in early 2019 due to the popularity of his book.