Supplément au Voyage de Bougainville

by Denis Diderot

"Supplément au Voyage de Bougainville" by Denis Diderot is a philosophical tale written in 1772. Through a dialogue between two characters discussing Bougainville's recently published voyage account, Diderot presents a fictional supplement that challenges European moral assumptions. The work features a Tahitian elder's powerful farewell speech condemning European colonizers and a provocative conversation between a chaplain and his indigenous host about conflicting moral codes. This philosophical meditation questions whether universal moral principles exist or if morality is culturally constructed.