Philosophy and the Language of the People
eBook - PDF

Philosophy and the Language of the People

The Claims of Common Speech from Petrarch to Locke

  1. English
  2. PDF
  3. Available on iOS & Android
eBook - PDF

Philosophy and the Language of the People

The Claims of Common Speech from Petrarch to Locke

About this book

Which language should philosophers use: technical or common language? In a book as important for intellectual historians as it is for philosophers, Lodi Nauta addresses a vital question which still has resonance today: is the discipline of philosophy assisted or disadvantaged by employing a special vocabulary? By the Middle Ages philosophy had become a highly technical discipline, with its own lexicon and methods. The Renaissance humanist critique of this specialised language has been dismissed as philosophically superficial, but the author demonstrates that it makes a crucial point: it is through the misuse of language that philosophical problems arise. He charts the influence of this critique on early modern philosophers, including Hobbes and Locke, and shows how it led to the downfall of medieval Aristotelianism and the gradual democratization of language and knowledge. His book will be essential reading for anyone interested in the transition from medieval to modern philosophy.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, you can cancel anytime from the Subscription tab in your account settings on the Perlego website. Your subscription will stay active until the end of your current billing period. Learn how to cancel your subscription.
No, books cannot be downloaded as external files, such as PDFs, for use outside of Perlego. However, you can download books within the Perlego app for offline reading on mobile or tablet. Learn more here.
Perlego offers two plans: Essential and Complete
  • Essential is ideal for learners and professionals who enjoy exploring a wide range of subjects. Access the Essential Library with 800,000+ trusted titles and best-sellers across business, personal growth, and the humanities. Includes unlimited reading time and Standard Read Aloud voice.
  • Complete: Perfect for advanced learners and researchers needing full, unrestricted access. Unlock 1.4M+ books across hundreds of subjects, including academic and specialized titles. The Complete Plan also includes advanced features like Premium Read Aloud and Research Assistant.
Both plans are available with monthly, semester, or annual billing cycles.
We are an online textbook subscription service, where you can get access to an entire online library for less than the price of a single book per month. With over 1 million books across 1000+ topics, we’ve got you covered! Learn more here.
Look out for the read-aloud symbol on your next book to see if you can listen to it. The read-aloud tool reads text aloud for you, highlighting the text as it is being read. You can pause it, speed it up and slow it down. Learn more here.
Yes! You can use the Perlego app on both iOS or Android devices to read anytime, anywhere — even offline. Perfect for commutes or when you’re on the go.
Please note we cannot support devices running on iOS 13 and Android 7 or earlier. Learn more about using the app.
Yes, you can access Philosophy and the Language of the People by Lodi Nauta in PDF and/or ePUB format, as well as other popular books in Philosophy & Philosophy History & Theory. We have over one million books available in our catalogue for you to explore.

Table of contents

  1. Cover
  2. Half-title page
  3. Title page
  4. Copyright page
  5. Contents
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. Introduction
  8. Chapter 1 Early Humanist Critics of Scholastic Language: Francesco Petrarch and Leonardo Bruni
  9. Chapter 2 From a Linguistic Point of View: Lorenzo Valla’s Critique of Aristotelian-Scholastic Philosophy
  10. Chapter 3 Giovanni Pontano on Language, Meaning, and Grammar
  11. Chapter 4 Juan Luis Vives on Language, Knowledge, and the Topics
  12. Chapter 5 Anti-Essentialism and the Rhetoricization of Knowledge: Mario Nizolio’s Humanist Attack on Universals
  13. Chapter 6 Skepticism and the Critique of Language in Francisco Sanches
  14. Chapter 7 Thomas Hobbes and the Rhetoric of Common Language
  15. Chapter 8 Between Private Signification and Common Use: Locke on Ideas, Words, and the Social Dimension of Language
  16. Conclusion
  17. Bibliography
  18. Index