Étienne de Condillac

Étienne de Condillac (1715-1780), French philosopher, whose theory, known as “sensationalism”, influenced subsequent philosophers and is regarded as a decisive contribution to the science of psychology. The leading French advocate of the ideas of English philosopher John Locke, Condillac wrote many philosophical works, the most notable of which was the Traité des Sensations (Treatise on Sensations, 1754), in which he argued that all human knowledge and conscious experience are derived from sense perception alone. Condillac attempted to clarify and support Locke’s theory of knowledge, asserting Locke’s belief in the impossibility of innate ideas.