ABSTRACT
This volume explores the philosophy of Étienne Bonnot de Condillac. It presents, for the first time, English-language essays on Condillac’s philosophy, making the complexity and sophistication of his arguments and their influence on early modern philosophy accessible to a wider readership.
Condillac’s reflections on the origin and nature of human abilities, such as the ability to reason, reflect and use language, took philosophy in distinctly new directions. This volume showcases the diversity of themes and methods inspired by Condillac’s work. The chapters are divided into four thematic sections. Part 1 traces connections between Condillac and his contemporaries to understand the context in which themes and discussions central to Condillac’s own philosophical thinking evolved. Part 2 focuses on the different ways in which Condillac’s philosophy was taken up, challenged, and further developed in nineteenth-century France, before moving in Part 3 to the discussion of thinkers outside of France. Finally, Part 4 looks at the contemporary applications of Condillac’s philosophy in a variety of different fields, such as phenomenology, psychology, and psychopathology.
Condillac and His Reception will appeal to scholars and advanced students working on early modern philosophy, history of science and intellectual history.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
part I|72 pages
Condillac and His Intellectual Context
chapter 5|18 pages
Languages of Action, Methodological Signs and Deafness
part II|71 pages
Condillac's Reception in Nineteenth-Century France
chapter 6|19 pages
Condillac Restored
chapter 7|17 pages
Madness and Ideologist Philosophy of the Mind
chapter 8|18 pages
“The Only, the True French Metaphysician of the Eighteenth Century”
chapter 9|15 pages
Condillac's Puerile Reveries
part III|60 pages
Condillac's Influence Beyond France
chapter 12|23 pages
The Reception of Condillac in Argentina
part IV|59 pages
Contemporary Receptions