Abstract

This article aims to revise the well-established self-conception of the modern man based on the combination between self-preservation and autonomy. On a systematic level, the attempt to revise this self-conception is based on the notions of participation and sympathy; it explores their bearings for social philosophy, the philosophy of language and the idea of a “moral sentimentalism.” In a historical perspective, this article focuses on Johann Gottfried Herder, criticizes the readings put forward by Isaiah Berlin and Charles Taylor, discusses Herder′s opposition to Immanuel Kant, and re-contextualizes his work in relation to Hutcheson, Burke, Rousseau, and others