Élisabeth de Fontenay (born in 1934), is a French philosopher and essayist, and a recognized philosopher of the

Jewish question The Jewish question was a wide-ranging debate in 19th- and 20th-century Europe that pertained to the appropriate status and treatment of Jews. The debate, which was similar to other " national questions", dealt with the civil, legal, national, ...

and

animal welfare Animal welfare is the quality of life and overall well-being of animals. Formal standards of animal welfare vary between contexts, but are debated mostly by animal welfare groups, legislators, and academics. Animal welfare science uses measures ...

. She is a laureate of the

Prix Bordin The Prix Bordin () is a series of prizes awarded annually by each of the five institutions making up the Institut Français since 1835. History The prize was created by Charles-Laurent Bordin, a notary in Paris from 1794 to 1820, who bequeathed 1 ...

(1982), Prix Anna-de-Noailles (2015), and the Prix Femina essai (2018).

Early life

Élisabeth (

nickname A nickname, in some circumstances also known as a sobriquet, or informally a "moniker", is an informal substitute for the proper name of a person, place, or thing, used to express affection, playfulness, contempt, or a particular character trait ...

, "Isabelle") Bourdeau de Fontenay is the daughter of Henri Bourdeau de Fontenay, from a

right-wing Right-wing politics is the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position based on natural law, economics, authority, property ...

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

family, a lawyer who supported the Front Populaire and an early Resistance fighter, and Nessia Hornstein, a dentist of Jewish origin but converted to Catholicism, whose family had fled

Odessa ODESSA is an American codename (from the German language, German: ''Organisation der ehemaligen SS-Angehörigen'', meaning: Organization of Former SS Members) coined in 1946 to cover Ratlines (World War II aftermath), Nazi underground escape-pl ...

during the

Odessa pogroms A series of pogroms between Jews and other ethnicities in the city of Odessa, in the Russian Empire (now Ukraine), took place during the 19th and early 20th centuries. They occurred in 1821, 1859, 1871, 1881 and 1905. According to Jarrod Tanny, ...

of 1905. A large part of Nessia's family was exterminated at

Auschwitz Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) during World War II and the Holocaust. It consisted of Auschw ...

. Élisabeth was raised Catholic, baptized as a child, then enrolled at the age of five at the Collège Sainte-Marie in

Neuilly-sur-Seine Neuilly-sur-Seine (; 'Neuilly-on-Seine'), also known simply as Neuilly, is an urban Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department just west of Paris in France. Immediately adjacent to the city, north of the ...

. At the age of 22, she abandoned Catholicism and turned to Judaism; she details her conversion in the book ''Actes de naissance'' (Birth certificates), published in 2011.

Career and research

Fontenay is an

Emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

Senior lecturer in philosophy at the

Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University (), also known as Paris 1 (or Paris I) and Panthéon-Sorbonne University (or, together with Sorbonne University and Sorbonne Nouvelle University, simply as the Sorbonne), is a Public university, public rese ...

. She had an early interest in

Karl Marx Karl Marx (; 5 May 1818 – 14 March 1883) was a German philosopher, political theorist, economist, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. He is best-known for the 1848 pamphlet '' The Communist Manifesto'' (written with Friedrich Engels) ...

, to whom she dedicated a work entitled ''Les figures juives de Marx: Marx dans l'idéologie allemande'' (Jewish figures in Marx: Marx in German ideology) (1973). In 1981, she published a landmark book on the materialism of

Denis Diderot Denis Diderot (; ; 5 October 171331 July 1784) was a French philosopher, art critic, and writer, best known for serving as co-founder, chief editor, and contributor to the along with Jean le Rond d'Alembert. He was a prominent figure during th ...

, ''Diderot ou le Matérialisme enchanté'' (Diderot or Enchanted

Materialism Materialism is a form of monism, philosophical monism according to which matter is the fundamental Substance theory, substance in nature, and all things, including mind, mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. Acco ...

). She was a member of the board of directors of the journal ''

Les Temps modernes ''Les Temps Modernes'' () was a French journal, founded by Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Maurice Merleau-Ponty. Its first issue was published in October 1945. It was named after the 1936 film by Charlie Chaplin. ''Les Temps Moderne ...

'' (Modern times), a position she relinquished in January 1983. Among the authors who have influenced Fontenay's work are

Vladimir Jankélévitch Vladimir Jankélévitch (; 31 August 1903 – 6 June 1985) was a French philosopher and musicologist. Biography Jankélévitch was the son of Ukrainian Jewish parents, who had emigrated to France. In 1922 he started studying philosophy at the � ...

Michel Foucault Paul-Michel Foucault ( , ; ; 15 October 192625 June 1984) was a French History of ideas, historian of ideas and Philosophy, philosopher who was also an author, Literary criticism, literary critic, Activism, political activist, and teacher. Fo ...

, and

Jacques Derrida Jacques Derrida (; ; born Jackie Élie Derrida;Peeters (2013), pp. 12–13. See also 15 July 1930 – 9 October 2004) was a French Algerian philosopher. He developed the philosophy of deconstruction, which he utilized in a number of his texts, ...

.Geneviève Brisac, "Élisabeth de Fontenay, une femme d'honneur" �lisabeth de Fontenay, a woman of honor ''Le Monde'', 25 September 1998, p. 8. After Jankélévitch's death in 1985, Fontenay founded the Association Vladimir Jankélévitch with Pierre Michel Klein and Béatrice Berlowitz. Like her later works, this contribution examines the relationship between humans and animals in history. This reflection culminated in her ''

magnum opus A masterpiece, , or ; ; ) is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, skill, profundity, or workmanship. Historically, ...

'' ''Le silence des bêtes'' (The silence of the beasts), published by

Fayard Fayard (complete name: ''Librairie Arthème Fayard'') is a French Paris-based publishing house established in 1857. Fayard is controlled by Hachette Livre. In 1999, Éditions Pauvert became part of Fayard. Claude Durand was director of Fayar ...

in 1998. This work once again raises the question of what is "proper to man", and challenges the idea of a fixed difference between man and animal. Focusing on the long term, Fontenay examines conceptions of the animal from the

Pre-Socratic philosophy Pre-Socratic philosophy, also known as early Greek philosophy, is ancient Greek philosophy before Socrates. Pre-Socratic philosophers were mostly interested in cosmology, the beginning and the substance of the universe, but the inquiries of the ...

to the present day, via

René Descartes René Descartes ( , ; ; 31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and Modern science, science. Mathematics was paramou ...

and his

animal machine Animal machine or ''bête-machine'' (Fr., animal-machine), is a philosophical notion held by 17th-century philosopher René Descartes, who proposed that animal behaviour resembles that of machines. He viewed animals as assemblies of mechanical pa ...

hypothesis. Between 2007 and 2010, Fontenay chaired the "Commission Enseignement de la Shoah" (Shoah Education Commission) of the Fondation pour la Mémoire de la Shoah. Drawing on her position as President of the Commission, Fontenay, like

Isaac Bashevis Singer Isaac Bashevis Singer (; 1903 – July 24, 1991) was a Poland, Polish-born Jews, Jewish novelist, short-story writer, memoirist, essayist, and translator in the United States. Some of his works were adapted for the theater. He wrote and publish ...

, does not hesitate to draw a parallel between Nazi genocidal methods and the agri-food industry in the preface to ''Le silence des bêtes''. She was a signatory of ''La Paix maintenant'' (

Peace Now Peace Now ( ''Shalom Achshav'', ) is an Israeli liberal advocacy organization with the aim of promoting a two-state solution to the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. Early activism In an official document from 1982 Peace Now advocated for an und ...

). She is also a member of the Comité consultatif national d'éthique, alongside Henri Atlan. Concerned by the ethical issues surrounding the treatment of animals, she and Donald M. Broom published ''Le bien-être animal'' (Animal welfare) (Éditions du Conseil de l'Europe, "Regard éthique", 2006), which sets out the ethical issues raised by this subject, examining religious viewpoints and the positions of different countries. From September 2010, Fontenay presented, with Fabienne Chauvière, a program dedicated to animals on

France Inter France Inter () is a French public radio channel and part of Radio France. It is the successor to Paris Inter, later known as France I, and created as a merger of the France I and France II networks, first as RTF Inter in October 1963, then ren ...

: ''Vivre avec les bêtes'' (Living with the beasts). From the following season, she teamed up with Allain Bougrain-Dubourg to host the show, which ended in June 2014. In 2018, she prefaced the book ''Le Nouvel Antisémitisme en France'', a collective of texts by Luc Ferry,

Pascal Bruckner Pascal Bruckner (; born 15 December 1948 in Paris) is a French writer, one of the " New Philosophers" who came to prominence in the 1970s and 1980s. Much of his work has been devoted to critiques of French society and culture. Biography Bruckne ...

, Philippe Val, Boualem Sansal, Éric Marty,

Georges Bensoussan Georges Bensoussan (born 17 February 1952) is a French historian. Bensoussan was born in Morocco. He is the editor of the '' Revue d'histoire de la Shoah'' ("Shoah History Review"). He won the Memory of the Shoah Prize from the Jacob Buchman Found ...

, Jean-Pierre Winter, Daniel Sibony, , Monette Vacquin, Michel Gad Wolkowicz, Noémie Halioua, Jacques Tarnero, Caroline Valentin, and

Lina Murr Nehmé Lina Murr Nehmé (born 1955) is a French-Lebanese author and professor at the Lebanese University.

, for ''Diderot ou Le matérialisme enchanté'' * 2015, , Académie française, for ''La prière d'Esther'' * 2018, Prix Femina essai, for ''Gaspard de la nuit. Autobiographie de mon frère''

Selected works

* ''Les Figures juives de Marx : Marx dans l'idéologie allemande'' (Marx's Jewish Figures: Marx in German Ideology), Paris, Éditions Galilée, 1973, coll. « La Philosophie en effet » * ''Diderot ou Le matérialisme enchanté'' (Diderot or Enchanted Materialism), Paris, Éditions Grasset & Fasquelle, , 1981 . Rééd. Paris, Librairie générale française, 1984, coll. « Le Livre de poche » ; Paris, Grasset, 2001 * With Jacques Proust (ed.), ''Interpréter Diderot aujourd'hui'' (Interpreting Diderot today), International Cultural Center of Cerisy-la-Salle, conference 11 (21 July 1983), Paris, Le Sycomore, 1984 * "La raison du plus fort" (The Reason of the Strongest), preface to ''Trois traités pour les animaux'' (Three Treatises for Animals) of Plutarque, translated by Jacques Amyot, Paris, POL, 1992 * ''Le Silence des bêtes : la philosophie à l'épreuve de l'animalité'' (The Silence of the Beasts: Philosophy Put to the Test of Animality), Paris, Fayard, 1998
online review
* With

Alain Finkielkraut Alain Luc Finkielkraut (; ; born 30 June 1949) is a French essayist, radio producer, and public intellectual. Since 1986, he has been the host of ''Répliques'', a talk show broadcast weekly on France Culture. He was elected a Fellow of the Ac ...

, ''Des hommes et des bêtes'' (Of Men and Beasts), Geneva, S. Kaplun, Éditions du Tricorne, 2000, coll. « Répliques » * "Les bêtes dans la philosophie et la littérature" (Beasts in Philosophy and Literature), in Denis Müller & Hugues Poltier, ''La Dignité de l'animal : quel statut pour les animaux à l'heure des technosciences ?'' (The Dignity of the Animal: What Status for Animals in the Age of Technoscience?), Labor & Fides, Geneva, 2000, coll. "Le champ éthique", no. 36, pp. 37–68 * ''Les Mille et une fêtes : pourquoi tant de religions ? Petite conférence sur les religions'' (The Thousand and One Feasts: Why So Many Religions? A Short Lecture on Religions), Paris, Bayard, coll. "Les petites conférences", 2005 * ''Quand un animal te regarde'' (When an animal looks at you), with illustrations by Aurore Callias, Paris, Giboulées-Gallimard jeunesse, 2006, coll. "Chouette ! penser" * ''Une tout autre histoire : questions à Jean-François Lyotard'' (A Whole Different Story: Questions to Jean-François Lyotard), Paris, Fayard, 2006, coll. "History of Thought" . In the appendix "Europe, the Jews and the Book" by

Jean-François Lyotard Jean-François Lyotard (; ; 10 August 1924 – 21 April 1998) was a French philosopher, sociologist, and literary theorist. His interdisciplinary discourse spans such topics as epistemology and communication, the human body, modern art and p ...

, article published in ''Libération'', 15 May 1990 * ''Sans offenser le genre humain : réflexions sur la cause animale'' (Without Offending Humanity: Reflections on the Animal Cause), Paris, Éditions Albin Michel, Albin Michel, 2008, coll. « Bibliothèque des idées » * With Marie-Claire Pasquier, ''Traduire le parler des bêtes'' (Translating the Speech of Animals), Paris, L'Herne, 2008, coll. "Carnets de l'Herne". Text of two conferences given at the Literary Translation Conference in Arles, 2006 * "L'abstraction du monde" (The abstraction of the world) in ''Regards sur la crise : réflexions pour comprendre la crise… et en sortir'' (Views on the crisis: reflections to understand the crisis... and get out of it), collective work directed by Antoine Mercier with

Alain Badiou Alain Badiou (; ; born 17 January 1937) is a French philosopher, formerly chair of Philosophy at the École normale supérieure (ENS) and founder of the faculty of Philosophy of the Université de Paris VIII with Gilles Deleuze, Michel Foucault ...

Miguel Benasayag Miguel Benasayag (born 1953) is an Argentine philosopher, psychoanalyst, epistemology researcher and former Guévariste resistance fighter. He is close to the left-libertarian movement. He also holds French citizenship. Biography Miguel Bena ...

Rémi Brague Rémi Brague (born 8 September 1947) is a French historian of philosophy specializing in Islamic, Jewish, and Christian thought of the Middle Ages. He is professor emeritus of Arabic and religious philosophy at the Sorbonne and Romano Guardini ...

, Dany-Robert Dufour,

…, Paris, Hermann éditions, 2010 * ''Actes de naissance'' (Birth certificates), interviews with Stéphane Bou, Paris, Le Seuil, 2011 * ''La prière d'Esther'' (Esther's prayer), Éditions du Seuil, 2014 * ''En terrain miné'' (In a Mined Terrain), with Alain Finkielkraut, Stock, September 2017 * ''Gaspard de la nuit. Autobiographie de mon frère'' (Gaspard of the night. Autobiography of my brother), Stock, August 2018, * ''La grâce et le progrès: Réflexions sur la Révolution française et la Vendée'' (Grace and Progress: Reflections on the French Revolution and the Vendée), 2020, ed. Stock,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fontenay, Elisabeth de 1934 births Living people 20th-century French philosophers 21st-century French philosophers Academic staff of Paris-Sorbonne University French animal rights scholars Converts to Judaism from Roman Catholicism French people of Ukrainian-Jewish descent French women academics French women philosophers French women essayists Historians of the Holocaust