This volume explores the philosophy of Étienne Bonnot de Condillac. It presents, for the first time, English-language essays on Condillacs philosophy, making the complexity and sophistication of his arguments and their influence on early modern philosophy accessible to a wider readership.
Condillacs 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 Condillacs 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 Condillacs own philosophical thinking evolved. Part 2 focuses on the different ways in which Condillacs 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 Condillacs 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.
