Léon Brunschvicg (; 10 November 1869 – 18 January 1944) was a French

Idealist In philosophy, the term idealism identifies and describes metaphysical perspectives which assert that reality is indistinguishable and inseparable from perception and understanding; that reality is a mental construct closely connected to ide ...

philosopher. He co-founded the ''

Revue de métaphysique et de morale The ''Revue de métaphysique et de morale'' is a French philosophy journal co-founded in 1893 by Léon Brunschvicg, Xavier Léon and Élie Halévy. The journal initially appeared six times a year, but since 1920 has been published quarterly. It ...

'' with

Xavier Leon Xavier or Xabier may refer to: Place * Xavier, Spain People * Xavier (surname) * Xavier (given name) * Francis Xavier (1506–1552), Catholic saint ** St. Francis Xavier (disambiguation) * St. Xavier (disambiguation) * Xavier (footballer, born ...

and

Élie Halévy Élie Halévy (6 September 1870 – 21 August 1937) was a French philosopher and historian who wrote studies of the British utilitarians, the book of essays '' Era of Tyrannies'', and a history of Britain from 1815 to 1914 that influenced British ...

in 1893.

Life

He was born into a Jewish family. From 1895 to 1900 he taught at the Lycée Pierre Corneille in

Rouen Rouen (, ; or ) is a city on the River Seine in northern France. It is the prefecture of the Regions of France, region of Normandy (administrative region), Normandy and the Departments of France, department of Seine-Maritime. Formerly one of ...

.Lycée Pierre Corneille de Rouen - History
/ref> In 1897 he completed his

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

under the title ' (''The Modalities of Judgement''). In 1909 he became professor of philosophy at the

Sorbonne Sorbonne may refer to: * Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities. *the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970) *one of its components or linked institution, ...

. He was married to Cécile Kahn,Visages du féminisme réformiste - C. Brunschvicg
at bu.univ-angers.fr a major campaigner for

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

in France, with whom he had four children. While at the Sorbonne, Brunschvicg was the supervisor for

Simone de Beauvoir Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir (, ; ; 9 January 1908 – 14 April 1986) was a French existentialist philosopher, writer, social theorist, and feminist activist. Though she did not consider herself a philosopher, and even th ...

's masters thesis (on the ideas of Leibniz). Forced to leave his position at the Sorbonne by the Nazis, Brunschvicg fled to the south of France, where he died at the age of 74. While in hiding, he wrote studies of

Montaigne Michel Eyquem, Sieur de Montaigne ( ; ; 28 February 1533 – 13 September 1592), also known as the Lord of Montaigne, was one of the most significant philosophers of the French Renaissance. He is known for popularizing the essay as a liter ...

, Descartes, and

Pascal Pascal, Pascal's or PASCAL may refer to: People and fictional characters * Pascal (given name), including a list of people with the name * Pascal (surname), including a list of people and fictional characters with the name ** Blaise Pascal, Fren ...

that were printed in Switzerland. He composed a manual of philosophy dedicated to his teenage granddaughter entitled ''Héritage de Mots, Héritage d'Idées'' (''Legacy of Words, Legacy of Ideas'') which was published posthumously after the liberation of France. His reinterpretation of Descartes has become the foundation for a new

idealism In philosophy, the term idealism identifies and describes metaphysical perspectives which assert that reality is indistinguishable and inseparable from perception and understanding; that reality is a mental construct closely connected to ide ...

. Brunschvicg defined philosophy as "the mind's methodical self-reflection" and gave a central role to judgement. The publication of Brunschvicg's oeuvre has been recently completed after unpublished materials held in Russia were returned to his family in 2001.

Works (selected)

*', Paris, Alcan, 1897. *', Paris, Alcan, 1923. *', Paris, Alcan, 1905. *', Paris, Alcan, 1912. *', Paris, Alcan, 1922. *', Paris, Alcan, 1927. *', Paris, Hermann, 1939. *', Paris, Alcan, 1939. *', Paris, La Baconnière, 1942. *', Paris, PUF, 1945. *', 1892–1942, Paris, Minuit, 1948. *', Paris, PUF, 1949. *', Paris, PUF, 1950. *', Paris: PUF, 1951. *', Paris: PUF, 1954. *', Paris: PUF, 1958. ;English translations *Lafrance, Jean-David: "Physics and Metaphysics" and "On the Relations of Intellectual Consciousness and Moral Consciousness" in ''The Philosophical Forum'', 2006, Volume 37, Issue 1, pages 53–74.

Notes

External links

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Allrefer.com
1869 births 1944 deaths 19th-century French non-fiction writers 19th-century French philosophers 19th-century male writers 19th-century philosophers 20th-century French non-fiction writers 20th-century French philosophers 20th-century French writers 20th-century male writers Continental philosophers Cultural critics École Normale Supérieure alumni Epistemologists 19th-century French Jews French historians of philosophy French male non-fiction writers French male writers Idealists Jewish philosophers Members of the Académie des sciences morales et politiques Metaphysicians Ontologists Philosophers of culture Philosophers of education Philosophers of history Philosophers of mathematics Philosophers of mind Spinoza scholars University of Paris faculty Writers from Paris Male feminists {{France-philosopher-stub

Life

Works (selected)

Notes

Further reading

External links