Background
Pariente, Jean-Claude was born in 1930.
Epistemologist philosopher of language
Pariente, Jean-Claude was born in 1930.
Université de Clermont-Ferrand (Agrégé in Philosophy).
Professor of Philosophy, Université de Clermont-Ferrand.
Pariente is a philosopher of language and epistemologist whose work is oriented in two directions, the one more theoretical and the other more historical. In his chief work, Le langage et l’individuel (1973), it is the theoretical approach that is dominant. Here his concern is to establish that the idea of individuality must be conceived as a formal notion, that is to say. defined linguistically and not as a material notion—not. that is to say, in its relation to determinate aspects of reality. In his view, this approach allows one to conceive forms of individuality other than those that are exemplified in ordinary objects of experience; so that the theory of individuality will then consist m determining for each type of ‘language of knowledge’ the principles ol individualization with which it operates and the forms of individuality that these sustain. In this, Pariente’s ideal objective is to determine a scientific criterion which would apply to the various human sciences and assist in rendering their methods more exact. Pariente regards his historical studies of language as complementing his theoretical investigations by providing a perspective in which we may better appreciate the problems arising fro1]1 our present-day grammar and logic. Pariente s original and stimulating work is not yet widely known outside of France.