ABSTRACT
Louis Couturat was a French mathematician and philosopher, Couturat believed that, in order to move beyond the Babel of confused voices that was beginning to characterize early twentieth century science, it was necessary to use the tools of science itself in creating Ido. Despite the fact that some shared his perception of a potential turn-of-the-century Babel in the international scientific community, the reality of this image is questionable in view of a general reluctance among scientists to support his diagnosis of the problem and its solution by Ido. To understand what propelled his linguistic internationalism, the author need to take a closer look at the scientific and political convictions that underpinned his claims about Ido. The promotion of Ido as a global lingua franca may well be considered today as outdated and eccentric. Couturat's notion of Ido's function as bridging national divisions to facilitate international cooperation fits a longstanding and familiar conception of internationalism as a political movement.
