French Literature Reviews - 2026
V. Descombes, Le parler de soi
Philosophy, Anthropology and Ideas
Le parler de soi
Vincent Descombes
Publication date: 11/06/14 Publisher: Gallimard (Editions) Series: Folio essais ISBN: 978-2-07-045974-2 EAN: 9782070459742 Format: Paperback Binding: Softcover No. of pages: 417 p.
Since the time of Descartes, a new figure has occupied the philosophical stage: the self, while other figures that once had their moments of glory—such as the agent intellect and the soul—have faded into the background. Where does the self come from? Through a curious alchemy, philosophers have derived a pure philosophical entity ("the self") from our ordinary use of a pronoun ("me"). Through what conceptual adventures does the self come to be cast both in the third person (allowing us to speak of "the self") and in the first person (since the entire point is to explain what makes me *me*)? Do we derive the meaning of the words "you", "him", and "her" from our use of the word "me"? Far from being able to derive the diversity of persons from a relation to oneself of which the pronoun "I" would be the sole instrument, it is, on the contrary, the first person that derives its meaning and distinctive features from its position within the personal system.
These are just some of the questions through which Vincent Descombes, with that unassuming nonchalance which is his trademark, exposes our philosophical and egotistical inconsistencies!
Table of Contents:
THE ALCHEMY OF THE SELF
The Philosophy of Egotism
Three Questions on the Subject
The Question of Human Individuality
THE FIRST PERSON AND OTHERS
Inherit Yourself
A Philosophy of the First Person
The Hammer, the Mallet, and the Nail
THE SUBJECT OF BELIEF
Wittgenstein Confronts Moore's Paradox
Erasing Subjectivity?
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An article on this work can be read on the nonfiction.fr website:
"The Self That Speaks of Itself", by C. Ruby.
And on laviedesidees.fr:
In the history of modern thought, the transition from traditional concepts such as the soul to the philosophical figure of the self remains a central inquiry. Modern philosophy has frequently grappled with the implications of subjectivity and personal pronouns, tracing how grammatical categories shape our understanding of identity. By examining the emergence of the self alongside broader traditions of linguistic and philosophical analysis, scholars often investigate the conceptual frameworks that govern how individuals articulate their internal experience within a shared language.
Vincent Descombes addresses the origins of the self in ordinary language, examining how a philosophical entity is derived from our use of pronouns. The volume explores human individuality, the nature of the first person, and the relation between subjectivity and belief, engaging with thinkers such as Wittgenstein and Moore. Readers interested in contemporary philosophy, the philosophy of language, and the evolution of subjectivity may find this work relevant.