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Etienne Bonno de CondillacFrench philosopher and psychologist
Date of Birth: 30.09.1715
Country:  France |
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Biography of Étienne Bonnot de Condillac
Étienne Bonnot de Condillac (1715–1780) was a French philosopher and psychologist known for popularizing the ideas of Locke in France. He was born on September 30, 1715, in Grenoble, France. His older brother, Abbé Mably, was a well-known political thinker. Condillac was ordained as a priest in 1740 and took the name Abbé de Mureaux. He was elected a member of the Berlin Academy and the French Academy in 1768.
Sensualism and Condillac's Philosophy
Condillac's philosophy is known as sensualism. According to this theory, sensations are the only source of knowledge, and thoughts and memories are also reduced to sensations. He was a disciple of Locke, one of the authors of the French Encyclopedia, and a friend of J.J. Rousseau.
In his work "Treatise on Sensations" (Traité des sensations, v. 1-2, 1754), Condillac illustrated his teachings using a famous analogy - a statue that gradually develops consciousness as new abilities are formed. He is one of the founders of associative psychology. He also proposed the concept of logic as a general grammar of signs, including mathematics.
Other Works and Death
Among Condillac's other works are "Essay on the Origin of Human Knowledge" (Essai sur l'origine des connaissances humaines, 1746), "Treatise on Systems" (Traité des systèmes, 1749), "Trade and Government Considered in their Mutual Relationship, or On the Benefits of Free Trade" (Le Commerce et le gouvernement considérés relativement l'un à l'autre, 1776), "Logic" (La Logique, 1780), and "The Language of Calculations" (La langue des calculs, 1798).
Condillac passed away in the village of Floux near Boisancy on August 2 or 3, 1780.
