Abstract

Certain dialogism is generally recognized in the founding moments of Western philosophy, and it is possible to see various forms of intertextuality in our philosophical tradition. In spite of certain monological temptations, philosophy is not a self-demonstrative system; it has woven its texts quoting other discursive voices and through the invocation of borrowed words. This article aims to outline a discontinuous overview of quotation rhetorical functions at different moments of Western philosophy. The philosophical quote has contributed to discursive authorization or to provide shared discursive repertoires, but also to invocate other intertextual voices discursive or integrate other texts in the meta-discourse of the philosopher. Nowadays the disciplinary regulation of citation practices and the bibliometric economy of impact indices threaten that dialogic and intertextual legacy.