Tran Duc Thao

Summary

Dominique Pagani presents Trần Đức Thảo as a Vietnamese Marxist and communist philosopher, grounded in phenomenology1, and he cites him regularly from 2018 to 2025. What he takes from him is essentially a single idea, which he restates in almost the same terms from one session to the next: the distinction between the instrument and the tool. An animal, a monkey for instance, may use an instrument, but that is not a tool2. The human tool is recognisable by its "typical form"34. He links this thesis to Investigations into the Origin of Language and Consciousness, a book he recommends for its work on the genesis of consciousness and language5. He brings it up in varied contexts: a question-and-answer exchange, a reply by Michel Clouscard to Morilhat, a musicosophy session on Romantic irony, and an interview on praxis and psyche. In 2025 he calls him a "great forgotten Marxist" and uses his distinction against naturalist ideology6.

1. 1M. Clouscard's reply to C. Morilhat (1987)23 Aug 2019 · 45:07
2. 2#9 Romantic irony and the Vinteuil sonata15 Jan 2021 · 1:31:24
3. 3#5.2 bis Questions (Facebook Live)6 Dec 2018 · 36:52
4. 4#2 Benefits and harms of amnesia…23 Oct 2020 · 1:25:56
5. 5#5 Benefits and harms of amnesia…19 Nov 2020 · 1:20:54
6. 6Naturalist ideology: answers to questions25 Jul 2025 · 46:12

Summary produced automatically from 7 of the passages below, to be reviewed; the numbers link to the moment in the session.