French Literature Reviews - 2026

A. Charrak, Empirisme et théorie de la connaissance. Réflexion et fondement des sciences au XVIIIe siècle
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas

André Charrak

Empirisme et théorie de la connaissance. Réflexion et fondement des sciences au XVIIIe siècle

Paris: Vrin, "Bibliothèque d'histoire de la philosophie", 2009

178 p.

Publisher's description:

Eighteenth-century French and Berlin empiricists conceived of experience not merely as the origin of human knowledge, but also as the principle behind its well-founded systematic exposition: the path of discovery, presumed to stem from sensible experience, must be transformed into a universal method known by the traditional title of analysis. Yet this experience does not lie in the passivity of an elusive sensation, but rather in the moment when the mind engages with and manipulates given material—that is, in reflection. This is the innovation of empiricism, one that the history of reflective philosophies has obscured and whose genealogy must be brought to light: reflection itself, understood both as experience and as the locus of the mind's insertion into experience. The central problem is whether, conceived in these terms, empirical consciousness can attain the foundation of the mathematical sciences, which rightfully must not invoke a putative origin in sensible experience, lest they forfeit the generality and necessity that determine the validity of their concepts. The poles highlighted in this book—an empiricism of genesis and an empiricism of constitution—reveal the true urgency of fundamental oppositions within the philosophy of knowledge.

This study belongs to the rich tradition of historical epistemology and the philosophy of the Enlightenment, engaging directly with the ways in which eighteenth-century thinkers sought to reconcile sensory origins with systematic knowledge. By examining the works of French and Berlin empiricists, André Charrak illuminates a crucial transition period in intellectual history where the traditional tools of analysis were brought to bear on the organization of the sciences. The volume traces how the concept of reflection evolved from a mere psychological observation into an active principle of mental engagement and structural constitution.

Readers interested in the history of ideas, epistemology, and the theoretical foundations of mathematics will find this work particularly illuminating. It offers valuable perspectives for scholars navigating the complex tensions between an empiricism of genesis and an empiricism of constitution. By clarifying how Enlightenment thinkers attempted to secure the necessity and generality of scientific concepts without abandoning the empirical turn, the book provides essential context for understanding the broader evolution of modern philosophy and the theory of knowledge.