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https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid
Ivana Knežić
orcid.org/0000-0002-8089-7166
; Unversity of Zadar, Obala kralja Petra Krešimira IV. 2, HR–23000 Zadar
Full text: french pdf 390 Kb
page 295-309
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cite
APA 6th Edition
Knežić, I. (2017). The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid. Synthesis philosophica, 32 (2), 295-309. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
MLA 8th Edition
Knežić, Ivana. "The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid." Synthesis philosophica, vol. 32, no. 2, 2017, pp. 295-309. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203. Accessed 6 May 2024.
Chicago 17th Edition
Knežić, Ivana. "The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid." Synthesis philosophica 32, no. 2 (2017): 295-309. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
Harvard
Knežić, I. (2017). 'The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid', Synthesis philosophica, 32(2), pp. 295-309. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
Vancouver
Knežić I. The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid. Synthesis philosophica [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2024 May 06];32(2):295-309. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
IEEE
I. Knežić, "The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid", Synthesis philosophica, vol.32, no. 2, pp. 295-309, 2017. [Online]. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
Full text: croatian pdf 390 Kb
page 295-309
downloads: 294
cite
APA 6th Edition
Knežić, I. (2017). The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid. Synthesis philosophica, 32 (2), 295-309. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
MLA 8th Edition
Knežić, Ivana. "The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid." Synthesis philosophica, vol. 32, no. 2, 2017, pp. 295-309. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203. Accessed 6 May 2024.
Chicago 17th Edition
Knežić, Ivana. "The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid." Synthesis philosophica 32, no. 2 (2017): 295-309. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
Harvard
Knežić, I. (2017). 'The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid', Synthesis philosophica, 32(2), pp. 295-309. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
Vancouver
Knežić I. The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid. Synthesis philosophica [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2024 May 06];32(2):295-309. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
IEEE
I. Knežić, "The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid", Synthesis philosophica, vol.32, no. 2, pp. 295-309, 2017. [Online]. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
Full text: german pdf 390 Kb
page 295-309
downloads: 424
cite
APA 6th Edition
Knežić, I. (2017). The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid. Synthesis philosophica, 32 (2), 295-309. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
MLA 8th Edition
Knežić, Ivana. "The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid." Synthesis philosophica, vol. 32, no. 2, 2017, pp. 295-309. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203. Accessed 6 May 2024.
Chicago 17th Edition
Knežić, Ivana. "The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid." Synthesis philosophica 32, no. 2 (2017): 295-309. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
Harvard
Knežić, I. (2017). 'The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid', Synthesis philosophica, 32(2), pp. 295-309. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
Vancouver
Knežić I. The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid. Synthesis philosophica [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2024 May 06];32(2):295-309. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
IEEE
I. Knežić, "The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid", Synthesis philosophica, vol.32, no. 2, pp. 295-309, 2017. [Online]. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
Full text: english pdf 390 Kb
page 295-309
downloads: 402
cite
APA 6th Edition
Knežić, I. (2017). The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid. Synthesis philosophica, 32 (2), 295-309. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
MLA 8th Edition
Knežić, Ivana. "The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid." Synthesis philosophica, vol. 32, no. 2, 2017, pp. 295-309. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203. Accessed 6 May 2024.
Chicago 17th Edition
Knežić, Ivana. "The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid." Synthesis philosophica 32, no. 2 (2017): 295-309. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
Harvard
Knežić, I. (2017). 'The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid', Synthesis philosophica, 32(2), pp. 295-309. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
Vancouver
Knežić I. The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid. Synthesis philosophica [Internet]. 2017 [cited 2024 May 06];32(2):295-309. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
IEEE
I. Knežić, "The Problem of Language Grounding as a Specific Human Feature in the Philosophy of Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid", Synthesis philosophica, vol.32, no. 2, pp. 295-309, 2017. [Online]. https://doi.org/10.21464/sp32203
Abstract
The paper explores the foundation of language as a specific human ability in the works of two representatives of modern British philosophy: Thomas Hobbes and Thomas Reid. Both of them share the understanding of language as a specific human feature, through which human beings express their thoughts. In fact, according to Hobbes, language is not only a specific human ability but also the basic human ability which enables the formation of all other abilities – including rational thinking. It elevates human beings above the world of animals. Language, therefore, is not something that arises out of human nature, rather the opposite; it is something that, in a certain way, conditions the emergence of humanity itself. At the same time, the problem of grounding of language is left unsolved in the philosophy of Thomas Hobbes. Differently, even though Thomas Reid considered all the languages in the world as systems of artificial signs made by human beings, he grounded them in human nature itself, more precisely, in something he calls “natural language”, common to all humans as rational and social beings. However, this attempt of grounding language in human nature faced some difficulties that made the solution, offered by this Scottish philosopher, inconsistent. Despite all the differences between the two philosophers, these difficulties imply their common philosophical background.
Keywords
Thomas Hobbes; Thomas Reid; language; nominalism; human nature
Hrčak ID:
200195
URI
https://hrcak.srce.hr/200195
Publication date:
30.4.2018.
Article data in other languages:
french
croatian
german
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