Linguistics, Anthropology and Philosophy in the French Enlightenment

This work treats the development of linguistic thought from Descartes to Degerando as a determining factor in the emergence of modern consciousness. It aims to place the history of language and philosophy within the broader context of the history of ideas, aesthetics and historical anthropology.
This work treats the development of linguistic thought from Descartes to Degerando as both a part of, and a determining factor in, the emergence of modern consciousness. Through analyses of works by the most influential thinkers of the time, Ulrich Ricken demonstrates that the central significance of language in the philosophy of the Enlightenment, reflected and acted upon contemporary understandings of humanity as a whole. The author discusses contemporary developments in England, Germany and Italy, and covers a broad range of writers and ideas, which includes Leibniz, Wolff, Herder and Humboldt. This study aims to place history of language and philosophy within the broader context of the history of ideas, aesthetics and historical anthropology, and should be of interest to scholars working in these disciplines.