“Ci troviamo a nascere in mezzo a un labirinto”. Condillac tra genealogia delle conoscenze e logica dei sistemi

In 1746 Condillac (1714-1780) opened his Essai sur l’origine des connaissance humaines with a praise of metaphysics, defined as the science through which the mind becomes clear and precise. This might be a paradox for the philosopher who had dismantled the structure of seventeenth-century metaphysics, accused of being founded on a false system of abstract ideas? Or rather, could it be a cultural provocation aimed at the ambitious metaphysics of the past, to which Condillac responds with a sober metaphysics, based on experience and observation? This contribution will look into the relationships between system, method and forms of scientific rationality within the system of sciences and human knowledge discussed by Condillac. Within this frame lie the problematic ties between metaphysics and the theory of ideas: given that the investigation of nature must proceed through minute and impartial analyses, the origin of ideas becomes an issue in metaphysics. It was Newton’s merit to reduce phenomena to the law of attraction – the Philosophes point out – obtained through observation, analysis and experience. Sensation and reflection respectively represent, in turn, the origin and the shaping of the mosaic of ideas that constitute the mind. The ‘critical philosopher’ has to lead human intelligence towards the idea of a system that more highly respected reality and the limits of knowledge.