How does Supplement to Bougainville’s Voyage discuss sexual freedom and tolerance?

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Dimitry Levitzky: portrait of Denis Diderot — Denis Diderot Portrait of Denis Diderot, oil on canvas by Dimitry Levitzky, 18th century.

In his work Supplément au voyage de Bougainville, Denis Diderot utilizes the accounts of Louis-Antoine de Bougainville’s travels to Tahiti to examine the relativity of sexual mores across different cultures.12

By contrasting the social practices of South Pacific islanders with those of his own society, Diderot advocates for a more tolerant, free society. He specifically uses the text to develop his views on sexual freedom and to satirize political systems that are founded upon sexual repression. Through this dialogue, Diderot challenges the rigid moral codes of his time, suggesting that such restrictions are often arbitrary and detrimental to human well-being.12