After having studied theology and English and lived the life of a Bohemian, Diderot began his career as a translator. In 1746, he published the Pensées Philosophiques, his first major work in which he opposed the religious opinions of a Christian, a deist, a sceptic and an atheist through aphorisms. This work was condemned to be thrown on the fire because he put all religions on the same footing. In 1749, he published his Lettre sur les aveugles à l’usage de ceux qui voient, a revolutionary work since he defended the idea of a chaotic universe, in constant evolution, in which all species – including Man – are not created by a creator but are the fruit of evolution. What comes first is chaos, and what we consider to be “normal” is therefore only one case. Understandably, such thoughts led their author to be imprisoned on 24th July 1749. However, Diderot only remained a short while in prison, thus allowing him to continue with the work he had devoted himself to since 1745: with the assistance of D’Alembert, the future Encyclopédie (Encyclopedia)whose publication was spread over more than 20 years. Diderot was also responsible for works on art and aesthetics, ethics and politics, but also tales and novels, such as La Religieuse (1780), Jacques le Fataliste et son Maître (1778 to 1780) and Le Neveu de Rameau (posthumous).