During the Enlightenment, Denis Diderot was a well-known figure who made substantial contributions to disciplines like literature and philosophy. He held that challenging conventional wisdom and being doubtful of acknowledged facts are the first steps in the development of philosophical thinking.

Imagine entering a space where candlelight is flickering and creating shadows. These shadows may appear solid and unchanging at first. But as you begin to move around the room and question the veracity of what you see, those shadows change and become more illusory. Diderot's philosophy is similar to this process of changing perceptions.

Diderot maintained that doubt—doubting everything we take for granted about our world and ourselves—is the first step in philosophical inquiry. One creates new opportunities for comprehension and the discovery of more profound truths by challenging conventional wisdom and beliefs.

This method encourages people to question things' underlying assumptions rather than taking them at face value. It's similar to removing layers from an onion; until the core is reached, each layer reveals something new. The foundation for deep philosophical insights is laid by this unrelenting pursuit of truth, which empowers intellectuals to reject received wisdom and pave the way for enlightened comprehension.

Diderot's writings inspired others to adopt this skeptical mindset as the foundation for their quest for more in-depth philosophical analysis. He thought that by challenging everything, one could start to build a stronger and more precise foundation for knowledge and belief.