Abstract

Philosophy conceives itself, most often, as a "conceptual" activity, and having essentially a relationship to the world, that is to say to reality or to "objects". The "concepts" are intended to deliver men through knowledge, to make them escape the realm of imagination to bring them into the realm of reason. However, this enterprise, everywhere declared crucial, is never crowned with success. We do not find in any philosopher a list of "concepts", or a touchstone for distinguishing "concepts" from other generalities expressed by ordinary language. We try to show that the enterprise to distinguish "concepts" from other "general ideas" cannot succeed, and that philosophy does not deal with "objects" nor with "concepts", but with " problems" and "discourses".