Philosophical and Linguistic Genealogy: from Modern French to Scholastic Latin

Catherine König-Pralong

Jump to Content

Chapter 4 Philosophical and Linguistic Genealogy: from Modern French to Scholastic Latin

In: The Philosophical Colony: Writing the History of Philosophy in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries

Author:

Catherine König-Pralong

Catherine König-Pralong
Search for other papers by Catherine König-Pralong in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed

Translator:

Adrian Morfee

Adrian Morfee
Search for other papers by Adrian Morfee in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed

Type:: Chapter

Pages:: 101–132

DOI:: https://doi.org/10.1163/9789004721432_006

Purchase instant access (PDF download and unlimited online access):

€42.00€35.00 excl. VAT

Add to Cart

Redeem Access Token

Abstract

One of the main fields of comparative study into which the history of philosophy ventured in the nineteenth century, alongside anthropology and the natural sciences, was linguistics. This chapter examines this interdisciplinary area, where philosophy and linguistics intersect. It focuses on an admittedly very specific case, but one that provides a way of exploring the interactions between European nationalisms and ideas about language. It addresses this issue, which concerns the adequacy of language for philosophical and abstract thought, through a trio of French thinkers from the middle of the nineteenth century. Although the linguistic and cultural overtones of German nationalism are well known, the idea of a French linguistic nationalism grounded in a particular genealogy is more problematic, for it seems wholly incompatible with the way in which Enlightenment intellectuals had characterised their civilising mission. The Enlightenment ideology of France as a cosmopolitan and universal civilisation seemed to preclude its language being co-opted for the nineteenth century’s particularist and nationalist purposes. By unexpectedly raising its head in the French historiography of philosophy, linguistic nationalism reveals how virulent it was in the human sciences of the mid-nineteenth century. The case study at the heart of this chapter thus sheds light on the reciprocity and contamination effects generated by one of Europe’s most powerful cultural antagonisms, Franco-German rivalry. It additionally illustrates the imperialist overtones to French nationalism.

Citation Info

Save
Cite
Email this content

Share link with colleague or librarian

You can email a link to this page to a colleague or librarian:
Email this content
or copy the link directly:

https://brill.edhh.ma/abstract/book/9789004721432/b_9789004721432-006.xml
The link was not copied. Your current browser may not support copying via this button.

Link copied successfully

Collapse
Expand

The Philosophical Colony: Writing the History of Philosophy in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries

Series: Brill's Series in Philosophical Historiographies, Volume: 4

E-Book ISBN:: 9789004721432

Publisher:: Brill

Print Publication Date:: 26 Mar 2026

Subjects
- Philosophy
  - Social & Political Philosophy
  - Anthropology

Front Matter

Back Matter

Metrics

	All Time	Past 365 days	Past 30 Days
Abstract Views	97	97	33
Full Text Views	2	2	0
PDF Views & Downloads	3	3	0

African Studies	Education	Media Studies
American Studies	History	Middle East and Islamic Studies
Ancient Near East and Egypt	Human Rights and Humanitarian Law	Musicology
Art History	International Law	Philosophy
Asian Studies	International Relations	Religious Studies
Biblical Studies	Jewish Studies	Slavic and Eurasian Studies
Biology	Languages and Linguistics	Social Sciences
Book History and Cartography	Life Sciences	Theology and World Christianity
Classical Studies	Literature and Cultural Studies

Subjects

Authors

Open Access

Product Information

Company

Contact

Chapter 4 Philosophical and Linguistic Genealogy: from Modern French to Scholastic Latin

Abstract

Citation Info

Share link with colleague or librarian

The Philosophical Colony: Writing the History of Philosophy in the Eighteenth and Nineteenth Centuries

Table of Contents

Metrics

Metrics