1997 Fiscal Year Final Research Report Summary
A Reevaluation of the significance of the Enlightenment for the history of Western philosophy in view of Buffon's Histoire Naturelle.
| Project/Area Number |
07610007
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| Research Category |
Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
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| Allocation Type | Single-year Grants |
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| Section | 一般 |
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| Research Field |
Philosophy
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| Research Institution | Kobe Univeristy |
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Principal Investigator |
MUNAKATA Satoshi Faculty of Cross-Cultural Studies Kobe University, Professor, 国際文化学部, 教授 (40135504)
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| Project Period (FY) |
1995 – 1997
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| Keywords | Buffon / natural history / Enlightenment / naturalism / empiricism / modern civilization |
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| Research Abstract |
In this research project I have analyzed Buffon's Histoire Naturelle and the main currents of philosophical and scientific thought from the 17^<th> century to his day in order to reevaluate the significance of the Enlightenment for the history of Western philosophy
Among the main currents of thought in this period, I have focused in particular on two types of naturalism, namely Spinoza's pantheistic naturalism and Hume's empirical naturalism, to contrast them with Buffon's naturalism based on natural histoties.
Both Spinoza and Hume, in their own way, contributed a great deal to the transformation of Christianity-oriented European civilization into a secular and naturalistic 'modern' civilization. I have examined the cultural background of Spinoza's thought and Hume's arguments against the alleged rational grounds of religion in order to clarify their respective role in this transformation.
In Buffon's case, I have examined his methodology and the outline of his world view while trying to determine his position in what is called the struggle between Newtonians and Cartesians at that time. Buffon's explanation of the history of the human race as a part of the natural history of the world in his Histoire naturelle shifted the perspective of the human condition from a God-Nature-Man order to a Nature-History-Man order.
As a result of this research, I believe I have thrown light on key philosophical aspects of the formation of modern civilization.
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