Jules Vuillemin
Encyclopedia
Jules Vuillemin was a French philosopher, succeeding to Maurice Merleau-Ponty
at the Collège de France
from 1962 to his death. A friend of Michel Foucault
, he supported his election at the College, and was also close to Michel Serres
. Vuillemin was one of the first French philosophers to interest himself in analytical philosophy, and influenced Jacques Bouveresse
. Vuillemin himself vindicated the legacy of Martial Gueroult
.
, he completed his agrégation
in 1943, being received premier ex aequo alongside Tran Duc Thao
. A student of Bachelard and Cavaillès, he was however at first influenced by phenomenology and existentialism
, before shifting towards study of logics and science
. In 1962, he published a book titled The Philosophy of Algebra, dedicated to the mathematician Pierre Samuel
, a member of the Bourbaki group, as well as to the physicist Raymond Siestrunck and to the linguist George Vallet. Vuillemin thought that any renewal of methods in mathematics influenced philosophy, thus relating the discovery of irrational numbers to platonism
, algebraic geometry
to cartesianism
, infinitesimal calculus
to Leibniz. Furthermore, he observed that philosophy had not yet taken into account the changes brought to mathematics by Joseph Louis Lagrange
and Evariste Galois
.
In 1969, he co-founded with Gilles Gaston Granger the journal L’Âge de la Science, and was one of the main vector of transmission of Wittgenstein's thought in France http://cairn.webnext.com/revue-histoire-des-sciences-humaines-2004-2-page-69.htm.
Vuillemin also took an interest into aesthetics
, beside writing several books on Kant
, Anselm
or on Diodorus's master argument (see problem of future contingents).
Maurice Merleau-Ponty
Maurice Merleau-Ponty was a French phenomenological philosopher, strongly influenced by Karl Marx, Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger in addition to being closely associated with Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir...
at the Collège de France
Collège de France
The Collège de France is a higher education and research establishment located in Paris, France, in the 5th arrondissement, or Latin Quarter, across the street from the historical campus of La Sorbonne at the intersection of Rue Saint-Jacques and Rue des Écoles...
from 1962 to his death. A friend of Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault
Michel Foucault , born Paul-Michel Foucault , was a French philosopher, social theorist and historian of ideas...
, he supported his election at the College, and was also close to Michel Serres
Michel Serres
Michel Serres is a French philosopher and author, celebrated for his unusual career.-Life and career:...
. Vuillemin was one of the first French philosophers to interest himself in analytical philosophy, and influenced Jacques Bouveresse
Jacques Bouveresse
Jacques Bouveresse is a philosopher who has written on subjects including Ludwig Wittgenstein, Robert Musil, Karl Kraus, philosophy of science, epistemology, philosophy of mathematics and analytical philosophy...
. Vuillemin himself vindicated the legacy of Martial Gueroult
Martial Guéroult
Martial Guéroult was a French philosopher and historian of philosophy, specialized in 17th century philosophy. His work was characterized by a close attention to history of philosophy, which he considered as noble as philosophy itself, and a strong demand for systematicity...
.
Life
After studying at the Ecole Normale SupérieureÉcole Normale Supérieure
The École normale supérieure is one of the most prestigious French grandes écoles...
, he completed his agrégation
Agrégation
In France, the agrégation is a civil service competitive examination for some positions in the public education system. The laureates are known as agrégés...
in 1943, being received premier ex aequo alongside Tran Duc Thao
Tran Duc Thao
Trần Đức Thảo was a Vietnamese philosopher. His work attempted to unite phenomenology with Marxist philosophy...
. A student of Bachelard and Cavaillès, he was however at first influenced by phenomenology and existentialism
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
, before shifting towards study of logics and science
Philosophy of science
The philosophy of science is concerned with the assumptions, foundations, methods and implications of science. It is also concerned with the use and merit of science and sometimes overlaps metaphysics and epistemology by exploring whether scientific results are actually a study of truth...
. In 1962, he published a book titled The Philosophy of Algebra, dedicated to the mathematician Pierre Samuel
Pierre Samuel
Pierre Samuel was a French mathematician, known for his work in commutative algebra and its applications to algebraic geometry. The two-volume work Commutative Algebra that he wrote with Oscar Zariski is a classic. Other books of his covered projective geometry and algebraic number theory...
, a member of the Bourbaki group, as well as to the physicist Raymond Siestrunck and to the linguist George Vallet. Vuillemin thought that any renewal of methods in mathematics influenced philosophy, thus relating the discovery of irrational numbers to platonism
Platonism
Platonism is the philosophy of Plato or the name of other philosophical systems considered closely derived from it. In a narrower sense the term might indicate the doctrine of Platonic realism...
, algebraic geometry
Algebraic geometry
Algebraic geometry is a branch of mathematics which combines techniques of abstract algebra, especially commutative algebra, with the language and the problems of geometry. It occupies a central place in modern mathematics and has multiple conceptual connections with such diverse fields as complex...
to cartesianism
Cartesianism
Cartesian means of or relating to the French philosopher and mathematician René Descartes—from his name—Rene Des-Cartes. It may refer to:*Cartesian anxiety*Cartesian circle*Cartesian dualism...
, infinitesimal calculus
Calculus
Calculus is a branch of mathematics focused on limits, functions, derivatives, integrals, and infinite series. This subject constitutes a major part of modern mathematics education. It has two major branches, differential calculus and integral calculus, which are related by the fundamental theorem...
to Leibniz. Furthermore, he observed that philosophy had not yet taken into account the changes brought to mathematics by Joseph Louis Lagrange
Joseph Louis Lagrange
Joseph-Louis Lagrange , born Giuseppe Lodovico Lagrangia, was a mathematician and astronomer, who was born in Turin, Piedmont, lived part of his life in Prussia and part in France, making significant contributions to all fields of analysis, to number theory, and to classical and celestial mechanics...
and Evariste Galois
Évariste Galois
Évariste Galois was a French mathematician born in Bourg-la-Reine. While still in his teens, he was able to determine a necessary and sufficient condition for a polynomial to be solvable by radicals, thereby solving a long-standing problem...
.
In 1969, he co-founded with Gilles Gaston Granger the journal L’Âge de la Science, and was one of the main vector of transmission of Wittgenstein's thought in France http://cairn.webnext.com/revue-histoire-des-sciences-humaines-2004-2-page-69.htm.
Vuillemin also took an interest into aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
, beside writing several books on Kant
KANT
KANT is a computer algebra system for mathematicians interested in algebraic number theory, performing sophisticated computations in algebraic number fields, in global function fields, and in local fields. KASH is the associated command line interface...
, Anselm
Anselm
Anselm may refer to any of several historical figures, or their works:*Saint Anselm, Duke of Friuli, 8th-century Abbot of Nonantula*Anselm of Farfa , abbot*Anselm II *Anselm of Liège , chronicler...
or on Diodorus's master argument (see problem of future contingents).
Works on Vuillemin
- G.G. Brittan Jr. (Hrsg.): Causality, Method and Modality. Essays in Honor of Jules Vuillemin. Dordrecht u.a.: Kluwer, 1991.
- Pierre Pellegrin and R. Rashed, Philosophie des mathématiques et théorie de la connaissance, l'oeuvre de Jules Vuillemin, Paris, Blanchard, 2005
External links
- Archives Jules Vuillemin
- Jacques BouveresseJacques BouveresseJacques Bouveresse is a philosopher who has written on subjects including Ludwig Wittgenstein, Robert Musil, Karl Kraus, philosophy of science, epistemology, philosophy of mathematics and analytical philosophy...
: Hommage à Jules Vuillemin (1920–2001), Paris: Collège de France, 2001. on-line) - Pascal EngelPascal EngelPascal Engel is a French philosopher, working on the philosophy of language, philosophy of mind, epistemology and philosophy of logic. He was a professor of philosophy of logic at the Sorbonne, he currently works at the University of Geneva, where he collaborates with, among others, Kevin Mulligan...
, Jules Vuillemin, les systèmes philosophiques et la vérité (2002 symposium on Vuillemin in Paris, published in Pierre Pellegrin and Roshdi Rashed, Philosophie des mathématiques et théorie de la connaissance, l'oeuvre de Jules Vuillemin, Paris, Blanchard, 2005 - Jules Vuillemin, "Le chapitre IX du De Interpretatione d'Aristote - Vers une réhabilitation de l'opinion comme connaissance probable des choses contingentes, in Philosophiques, vol. X, n°1, April 1983 (On De Interpretatione, IX)
- Jules Vuillemin, "Régime civil, droit et raison" (Civil System, Law and Reason) in Droit et Société n°20-21/1992
- Jules Vuillemin, On the Method of Ferdinand Gonseth in Dialectica, Volume 44 Issue 3-4 Page 225-228, December 1990