Abelard distinguishes between the physical utterance and the underlying mental content.
This text is a pivotal moment in the development of "via moderna" or Ockhamism, which later separated Christian theology from purely Aristotelian metaphysics.
He posits that the content of our internal discourse depends entirely on what the mind is directed toward, making mental language a direct reflection of our cognitive engagement with the world. Download 053Le discours int pdf
In his commentary on Aristotle’s De interpretatione , specifically the section often cited as LI De int. 3.01.71 , Peter Abelard explores the nature of internal discourse ( oratio mentalis ). He examines the bridge between human thought and external reality, arguing that while spoken words are conventional, the "passions of the soul"—or mental understandings—are natural and universal.
Essay: The Foundations of Mental Language in Abelard’s De Interpretatione Abelard distinguishes between the physical utterance and the
Abelard’s De interpretatione remains essential for understanding how medieval scholars transitioned from ancient philosophy to the sophisticated logic of the late Middle Ages. By defining the "internal discourse" as a natural, non-conventional language, Abelard provided a framework for how human reason can achieve objective truth.
Abelard’s primary thesis is that mental understandings are "the same for everyone" because they are naturally linked to the objects they represent. Unlike spoken language, which varies by culture (e.g., "dog" vs. "chien"), the mental concept of a dog is triggered naturally by the mind's focus, or attentio , on the animal itself. Key Philosophical Themes In his commentary on Aristotle’s De interpretatione ,
If you are searching for the full text, scholarly databases like PhilPapers and Semantics Scholar provide citations and sometimes full-access links to Claude Panaccio’s research on this specific history of internal discourse. ABELARD ON MENTAL * - University of Toronto