The aim of this reply to the three comments by Musi, Sofia and Meriggi on Parole nel tempo, is not only or mainly to answer their criticisms but to add some further considerations suggested by their observations: they concern the theme of modernity, the conception of progress, the relationship between les paroles et les choses and the new centrality of violence in the public discourse. An attempt is made here to explain how the history of concepts is today necessary to the historian’s task, a profession that the recent emergence of «memorial history» makes increasingly difficult.
Keywords: Historical writing, History of the concepts, global History, Modern Europe.