Destutt de Tracy (Antoine Louis Claude): 1754-1836

Leong Yew, Research Fellow, University Scholars Programme, National University of Singapore

Considered to be the person who coined the term, ideology. De Tracy originally refered to ideology as the "science of ideas," insisting that only through a rigorous ideological application -- one that was derived through empirical observation-- that the truth could be ascertained and false knowledges debunked. His conception of ideology has been replaced by others [q.v.]. Also see his work, Éléments d'idéologie (1801), available online in French at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique website.

• David Hart's website on Destutt de Tracy
• References

Last Modified: 22 April, 2002