good acquaintance with philosophical history and opinion, and gave sign
in this direction, as in so many others, of a far-reaching intellect. As
in almost all his works, however, the value of the thought is extremely
unequal, while the different pieces, always written in the hottest
haste, and never duly matured or corrected, present but few specimens of
finished and polished writing. Charles Bonnet (1720-1793), a Swiss of
Geneva, wrote a large number of works, many of which are purely
scientific. Others, however, are more psychological, and these, though
advocating the materialistic philosophy generally in vogue, were
remarkable for uniting materialism with an honest adherence to
Christianity. The half mystical writer, Louis Claude de Saint-Martin
(1743-1803) also deserves notice. But the French metaphysician of the
century is undoubtedly Etienne Bonnot, abbe de Condillac (1714-1780),
almost the only writer of the time in France who succeeded in keeping
strictly to philosophy without attempting to pursue his system to its
results in ethics, politics and theology. In the _Traite des
sensations_, the _Essai sur l'origine des connaissances humaines_ and
other works Condillac elaborated and continued the imperfect
sensationalism of Locke. As his philosophical view, though perhaps more
restricted, was far more direct, consecutive and uncompromising than
that of the Englishman, so his style greatly exceeded Locke's in
clearness and elegance and as a good medium of philosophical expression.
Voltaire (theology).
The "System of Nature."
Chamfort. Rivarol.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account