Avec condescendance. Philosophie populaire et tradition rhétorique chez J. A. Ernesti et Chr. Garve

Denis Thouard (1)

1 CMB - Centre Marc Bloch

This study considers the rhetorical dimension which defines the originality of german ‘popular philosophy': giving philosophy the rhetorical form of reason aiming to produce the maximum clarity. This reinterpretation of the rhetorical perspicuitas was not however without its ambiguities – in the work of Ernesti (1707-1781), who borrowed from Diderot the concept of ‘popular philosophy', but preserved latin, no less than in Garve (1742-1798), who systematically put it into practice. In the latter's work, the project of a rational transparency of discourse specific to the rhetoric of clarity is contradicted by the necessity of adapting it to the public.

Mots clés: Lumières; Popularité; Philosophie; Rhétorique; Clarté; Accommodation

Domaines: Philosophie

Denis Thouard. Avec condescendance. Philosophie populaire et tradition rhétorique chez J. A. Ernesti et Chr. Garve. P. Beck/D. Thouard. Popularité de la philosophie, ENS Editions, pp.95-123, 1995, collection Theoria. ⟨halshs-00448068⟩