Definition
of Encyclopaedia
Originating
in the Latin word encyclopaedĭa , the notion of encyclopedia refers
to a set of knowledge . The most common use of the term refers
to the work that collects information about a certain field of
knowledge or general data.
In general,
encyclopedias, which have the purpose of providing a universal and
objective knowledge , are composed of several volumes . The information is
usually organized in alphabetical order or according to thematic divisions.
The first
modern encyclopedias of universal scope were developed in the eighteenth
century . One of the most famous is "L'Encyclopédie"directed
by Jean le Rond d'Alembert and Denis Diderot , which was
published between 1751 and 1772. It gathers more than 70,000 articles that seek
to spread the knowledge generated through reason .
In its
origins, the encyclopedias of the Contemporary Agetried to combat
obscurantism through the transmission of scientific knowledge. The
objective was to facilitate orderly access to objective and reliable
information.
Among the
best-known encyclopedias of today are the Encyclopaedia Britannica (born
in 1768), the Larousse Encyclopedia (1863) and the Encyclopedia
Espasa (1908). With the development of technology , many
encyclopedias began to have digital editions, either on the Internet or
distributed on CD-ROM .
There were
also all-digital encyclopedias, without a paper version. One of the most
complete is Wikipedia , a website with some 45 million articles
available in more than two hundred languages. This encyclopedia has the
peculiarity of being collaborative: the users themselves are the ones who
create and edit the contents.
