Catherine II

Summary

Dominique Pagani mentions Catherine II only occasionally, always in passing while discussing other subjects. He refers to her mainly for her relationship with Diderot: she calls for him or invites him to her side1, and he presents her as advised by him. These remarks come up in sessions devoted to Hegel, Leibniz and Madame de Staël, where she appears in connection with Diderot. In a session on crisis, war and whether it is still possible to philosophize, he also reports a rumour that she had her lovers executed2. In the Musicosophie series, on happiness and unhappiness in music, he cites her court as a place where pleasure remains the privilege of an aristocracy3. The passages dwell neither on her political action nor on her own historical role. She appears in them mainly as the sovereign linked to Diderot and as an example of an aristocratic court.

1. 1Hegel on the Beach 1/51 Feb 2016 · 31:30
2. 2#2.4 Between crisis and war: philosophising?10 Mar 2016 · 1:23:47
3. 3#8 Happiness and unhappiness in music11 Jan 2021 · 1:09:08

Summary produced automatically from 5 of the passages below, to be reviewed; the numbers link to the moment in the session.