The essays analyse how Enlightenment philosophers viewed their own writing; how their institutional positions as teachers and writers influenced their understanding of human consciousness; and how their insights into the nature of philosophical writing constitutes our own academic legacy. Eighteenth-century empiricists and common-sense philosophers, who were concerned fundamentally with problems of communication, information management, education, and publicity, offer a crucial illustration of the way linguistic action underlies philosophical ideas.
Description:
The essays analyse how Enlightenment philosophers viewed their own writing; how their institutional positions as teachers and writers influenced their understanding of human consciousness; and how their insights into the nature of philosophical writing constitutes our own academic legacy. Eighteenth-century empiricists and common-sense philosophers, who were concerned fundamentally with problems of communication, information management, education, and publicity, offer a crucial illustration of the way linguistic action underlies philosophical ideas.