Condillac, a pszichológia felvilágosodás kori előfutára

Condillac's empiricist philosophy, particularly his "statue" thought experiment in which a statue gradually acquires senses, is examined as a proto-psychological foundation for modern theories of perception and consciousness. His emphasis on sensory experience as the basis of awareness anticipated later developments in associationism, behaviorism, developmental psychology, and cognitive neuroscience. The gradual integration of sensory modalities in the statue experiment foreshadows contemporary neuroscientific models of multisensory integration underlying bodily self-awareness. The paper positions Condillac as an early psychological thinker whose legacy remains relevant to current debates on human cognition and mind.

Study at a glance

Abstract

This study explores Étienne Bonnot de Condillac’s empiricist philosophy as a proto-psychological foundation for modern theories of perception and consciousness by focusing on his famous “statue” thought experiment. It shows how Condillac’s emphasis on sensory experience as the basis of awareness anticipated later developments in associationism, behaviourism, developmental psychology as well as in cognitive neuroscience. In particular, Condillac’s emphasis on the gradual integration of sensory modalities in the statue experiment anticipates contemporary neuroscientific models of multisensory integration underlying the emergence of bodily self-awareness. By tracing these continuities and tensions, the paper positions Condillac as an early psychological thinker whose legacy still constitutes a relevant part of contemporary debates on human cognition and mind.