Tran Duc Thao’s view on the origins of language

Abstract

Tran Duc Thao (1917 − 1993) is a modern Vietnamese philosopher. During his research, he left us many philosophical works of profound theoretical and practical value. With those great contributions, he received recognition and appreciation from intellectuals at home and abroad. For example, “Tran Duc Thao is an outstanding philosopher of Vietnam and the world” (Vu Khieu); is a “tireless thinker” (Ha Xuan Truong); “is one of the scholars and experts in phenomenology” (Jacopo D’Alonzo). However, in the movement and development of the history of human thought, there is also the uncompromising struggle of philosophical schools, especially between materialism and idealism. In particular, the issue of the origin of language is an issue that has been hotly debated by philosophers from ancient times to modern times. Because humans are biological-social entities, and the factors that distinguish between humans and animals are language and consciousness. But where does language and consciousness originate and when does it exist? That is also a big question that all schools of philosophy are interested in. With the creative application of the materialist dialectical method, Tran Duc Thao deeply discussed the origin of language in his work “Finding the origins of language and consciousness”, contributing to providing us we have a more comprehensive understanding of the origin of language, rejecting the wrong views of idealism.