Les deux langages d’action condillaciens: corps, langage, connaissances

Abstract

Condillac’s philosophy represents a lifelong effort to explain the origins and developments of human knowledge. The different aspects of his theory are unified by his spiritualistic sensationalism, which is articulated around three poles: the soul, the body and the signs. In order to understand Condillac’s explanation of the origins and developments of human knowledge, it is particularly necessary to study the relations between the soul and the body through the signs. The two languages of action, which can be defined as languages composed of gestures and cries, are evidence for such relations. Moreover, the transition between the natural signs and the conventional signs, illustrated by the two languages of action, is of paramount importance to explain the shift from practical to theoretical knowledge, which marks the independence gained by the soul on the body and on the exteriority. In this paper, Condillac’s two languages of action are studied in order to underline the importance of the body in the acquisition of human knowledge, both practical and theoretical. Artistic considerations also result from such an enquiry, particularly with respect to prosody, opening a perspective on the relations between the body and the origin of language and of human artistic expression.