Martial Guéroult
Encyclopedia
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. He also refused philosophical recourse to transcendence
.
, then in the Sorbonne University before being named as successor of Étienne Gilson
at the Collège de France
in 1951, where he stayed until 1963. His chair was titled "History and Technology of Philosophical Systems" (Histoire et technologie des systèmes philosophiques). Guéroult's historical works have become classics for many students.
A polemical debate opposed him to Ferdinand Alquié
concerning Descartes, as Guéroult was studying him "according to the order of reasons" (synchronically), while Alquié was more interested in his historical evolution, studying him diachronically.
As a philosopher, Guéroult was interested in the "conditions of possibility of a history of philosophy" in general. He died before completing his opus titled Dianoématique, which was composed of two books, the first one being titled History of the history of philosophy and the second one Philosophy of the history of philosophy. The second volume asked the question: how is a history of philosophy possible, given that philosophy aims as studying eternal truths, and that history is a school of scepticism?
His book on Spinoza was not completed, as Guéroult had problems in bridging the passage between the 2nd Book and the 3rd Book of the Ethics
, and that he died before.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
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. He also refused philosophical recourse to transcendence
Transcendence (philosophy)
In philosophy, the adjective transcendental and the noun transcendence convey the basic ground concept from the word's literal meaning , of climbing or going beyond, albeit with varying connotations in its different historical and cultural stages...
.
Life
Martial Guéroult first taught in StrasbourgStrasbourg
Strasbourg is the capital and principal city of the Alsace region in eastern France and is the official seat of the European Parliament. Located close to the border with Germany, it is the capital of the Bas-Rhin département. The city and the region of Alsace are historically German-speaking,...
, then in the Sorbonne University before being named as successor of Étienne Gilson
Étienne Gilson
Étienne Gilson was a French Thomistic philosopher and historian of philosophy...
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...
in 1951, where he stayed until 1963. His chair was titled "History and Technology of Philosophical Systems" (Histoire et technologie des systèmes philosophiques). Guéroult's historical works have become classics for many students.
A polemical debate opposed him to Ferdinand Alquié
Ferdinand Alquié
Ferdinand Alquié was a French philosopher and member of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques.He taught at the lycée Louis-le-Grand and at the Sorbonne university. He was an instructor of Gilles Deleuze, who, according to Michael Hardt, charged him of drawing on biology, psychology, and...
concerning Descartes, as Guéroult was studying him "according to the order of reasons" (synchronically), while Alquié was more interested in his historical evolution, studying him diachronically.
As a philosopher, Guéroult was interested in the "conditions of possibility of a history of philosophy" in general. He died before completing his opus titled Dianoématique, which was composed of two books, the first one being titled History of the history of philosophy and the second one Philosophy of the history of philosophy. The second volume asked the question: how is a history of philosophy possible, given that philosophy aims as studying eternal truths, and that history is a school of scepticism?
Works
Bibliography of Martial Guéroult- History of philosophy.
- L'Antidogmatisme de KantKANTKANT 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...
et de Fichte, 1920 - La Philosophie transcendantale de Salomon MaimonSalomon MaimonSalomon ben Josua Maimon was a German philosopher born of Jewish parentage in Belarus.-Early years:...
, 1929 - L’Évolution et la structure de la doctrine de la science chez Fichte, 1930
- Leibniz, Dynamique et métaphysique. Suivi d'une note sur le principe de la moindre actionPrinciple of least actionIn physics, the principle of least action – or, more accurately, the principle of stationary action – is a variational principle that, when applied to the action of a mechanical system, can be used to obtain the equations of motion for that system...
chez MaupertuisPierre Louis MaupertuisPierre-Louis Moreau de Maupertuis was a French mathematician, philosopher and man of letters. He became the Director of the Académie des Sciences, and the first President of the Berlin Academy of Science, at the invitation of Frederick the Great....
, 1934 - Étendue et psychologie chez MalebrancheNicolas MalebrancheNicolas Malebranche ; was a French Oratorian and rationalist philosopher. In his works, he sought to synthesize the thought of St. Augustine and Descartes, in order to demonstrate the active role of God in every aspect of the world...
, 1939 - BerkeleyGeorge BerkeleyGeorge Berkeley , also known as Bishop Berkeley , was an Irish philosopher whose primary achievement was the advancement of a theory he called "immaterialism"...
. Quatre études sur la perception et sur Dieu, 1956 - MalebrancheNicolas MalebrancheNicolas Malebranche ; was a French Oratorian and rationalist philosopher. In his works, he sought to synthesize the thought of St. Augustine and Descartes, in order to demonstrate the active role of God in every aspect of the world...
, 1953-1958 - DescartesRené DescartesRené Descartes ; was a French philosopher and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic. He has been dubbed the 'Father of Modern Philosophy', and much subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day...
selon l'ordre des raisons, 1953- tome 1 : L'Âme et Dieu
- tome 2 : L'Âme et le corps
- SpinozaBaruch SpinozaBaruch de Spinoza and later Benedict de Spinoza was a Dutch Jewish philosopher. Revealing considerable scientific aptitude, the breadth and importance of Spinoza's work was not fully realized until years after his death...
, 1968-1974- tome 1 : Dieu (Éthique, livre I)
- tome 2 : L'Âme (Éthique, livre II)
- Études sur Fichte, 1979
- L'Antidogmatisme de Kant
His book on Spinoza was not completed, as Guéroult had problems in bridging the passage between the 2nd Book and the 3rd Book of the Ethics
Ethics (book)
Ethics is a philosophical book written by Benedict de Spinoza. It was written in Latin. Although it was published posthumously in 1677, it is his most famous work, and is considered his magnum opus....
, and that he died before.
- Philosophy
- La Dianoématique
- livre 1 : Histoire de l'histoire de la philosophie
- volume 1 : En Occident, des origines jusqu'à Condillac, 1984
- volume 2 : En Allemagne, de Leibniz à nos jours, 1988
- volume 3 : En France, de Condorcet à nos jours, 1988
- livre 2 : Philosophie de l'histoire de la philosophie, 1979
- livre 1 : Histoire de l'histoire de la philosophie
- La Dianoématique
Influence
Guéroult had a strong influence, notably on- Pierre BourdieuPierre BourdieuPierre Bourdieu was a French sociologist, anthropologist, and philosopher.Starting from the role of economic capital for social positioning, Bourdieu pioneered investigative frameworks and terminologies such as cultural, social, and symbolic capital, and the concepts of habitus, field or location,...
, who did under his direction a mémoireMémoireIn French culture, the word mémoire, as in un mémoire is used for a piece of writing allowing the author to show his or her opinion on a given subject, logically approaching a series of facts in order to arrive at a recommendation or conclusion...
on Animadversiones of Leibniz ; - Gilles DeleuzeGilles DeleuzeGilles Deleuze , was a French philosopher who, from the early 1960s until his death, wrote influentially on philosophy, literature, film, and fine art. His most popular works were the two volumes of Capitalism and Schizophrenia: Anti-Oedipus and A Thousand Plateaus , both co-written with Félix...
, who admired his books on SpinozaBaruch SpinozaBaruch de Spinoza and later Benedict de Spinoza was a Dutch Jewish philosopher. Revealing considerable scientific aptitude, the breadth and importance of Spinoza's work was not fully realized until years after his death...
, Leibniz, MalebrancheNicolas MalebrancheNicolas Malebranche ; was a French Oratorian and rationalist philosopher. In his works, he sought to synthesize the thought of St. Augustine and Descartes, in order to demonstrate the active role of God in every aspect of the world...
; - Michel FoucaultMichel FoucaultMichel Foucault , born Paul-Michel Foucault , was a French philosopher, social theorist and historian of ideas...
; - Maurice Merleau-PontyMaurice Merleau-PontyMaurice 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...
; - Geneviève Rodis-Lewis ;
- Jules VuilleminJules VuilleminJules 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...
, who considered himself as his disciple.