Genesi e decadenza del linguaggio. Segni, parole e società tra Malebranche e Vico

We intend to shed light on the points that the Malebranchian conception of language has in common with the perspective of Vico, as well as those that differ. Malebranche alludes to the historical depth of words, throwing light on the consolidation of language through practice and grasping the popular origin of terms used ordinarily; he does not, however, fully investigate the historicity of language as Vico does. Vico, while sharing some of the French philosopher’s metaphysical premises, understands words and all things human in the fullness of their meaning and gives a reconstruction of their genesis. Malebranche, in reality, questions the use that men make of language. This criticism, combined with an x-ray of the decadence of the society of the time, was born of a need to safeguard the rational “instrumentality” of the word, which ought to be the means by which man is able to communicate metaphysical, scientific and moral truths. In this article we consider the Augustin’s influence on Malebranche and we use the Gadamer’s analysis (Truth and method) to elucidate the Malebranchean theory of language in what concerns the relation between the interior thought and the verbal expression of thought.