Maurice Blondel
Blondel, Maurice
Born Oct. 2, 1861, in Dijon; died June 4, 1949, in Aix-en-Provence. French idealist philosopher, representative of spiritualism.
Blondel, a disciple of Bergson and an adherent of Catholic modernism, argued against the absolutization of the rational principle within the framework of Thomism. Blondel criticized abstract rational thinking, counterposing reason to it. He interpreted the activity of reason not only as a logical operation, but as something that is experienced, having at its base inner spiritual movement, which gives impetus to reason and imparts value to it. The combination of reason, which examines the world of phenomena, and religious revelation, which is directed toward the supernatural world and reveals to man the meaning of his life and higher values, is guaranteed, according to Blondel, by the single creator, god. Blondel saw the main expression of the human essence in action connected with thought. He set the value of action in dependence on its function in practical life—the attainment of general happiness. His voluntaristic treatment of action as a manifestation of will that forms personality anticipated the elaboration of the problem of choice in existentialism.
WORKS
La Pensée, vols. 1–2. Paris, 1934.La Philosophie et I’esprit chrétien, vols. 1–2. Paris, 1944–46.
L’Action. Paris, 1950.
L’Etre et les étres. Paris, 1963.
Carnets intimes, vols. 1–2. Paris, 1961–66.
REFERENCES
Istoriia filosofii, vol. 6, part 2. Moscow, 1965. Pages 73–74.Lacroix, J. M. Blondel. Paris, 1963.
Tresmontant, C. Introduction a la métaphysique de M. Blondel. Paris, 1963.
M. A. BATUNSKII