Marc Sautet (25 February 1947 – 3 March 1998) was a French writer, teacher, translator (mainly of Nietzsche), and
philosopher
A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...
. He was a Doctor of Philosophy (B. Litt.) at the
Paris Institute of Political Studies
, motto_lang = fr
, mottoeng = Roots of the Future
, type = Public research university''Grande école''
, established =
, founder = Émile Boutmy
, accreditation ...
. Sautet was a former
Trotskyist
Trotskyism is the political ideology and branch of Marxism developed by Ukrainian-Russian revolutionary Leon Trotsky and some other members of the Left Opposition and Fourth International. Trotsky self-identified as an orthodox Marxist, a rev ...
who however edited two books on the German philosopher and philologist
Friedrich Nietzsche
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, prose poet, cultural critic, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philosophy. He began his ...
. Marc Sautet emphasised that Nietzsche was a precursor of his time.
Sautet branched out from his normal academic career as a
lecturer
Lecturer is an List of academic ranks, academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. T ...
by giving philosophy consultation services to businessmen in the bourgeois district of
Le Marais
The Marais (Le Marais ; "the marsh") is a historic district in Paris, France. Having once been an aristocratic district, it is home to many buildings of historic and architectural importance. It spreads across parts of the 3rd and 4th arr ...
in Paris around 1990 to 1991. He opened up his "cabinet de philosophie" charging consultation fees of some 200
Francs
The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centu ...
an hour, an amount similar to a professional
psychoanalyst
PsychoanalysisFrom Greek language, Greek: + . is a set of Theory, theories and Therapy, therapeutic techniques"What is psychoanalysis? Of course, one is supposed to answer that it is many things — a theory, a research method, a therapy, a bo ...
of the time. This was not a successful enterprise for Sautet, however it did lead him to setting up informal philosophising for the ordinary citizen in Parisian cafes starting in 1992 (the
Café Philosophique
A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-caf ...
). He called this movement "café for Socrates," which became the title of one of his books (1995).
Sautet seemed to have been a quite likeable person that influenced others considerably. He wished his philosophy cafes to be for all people (''parleurs de la taverne'')) and to encourage freedom of expression regardless of academic background. He did not want power, money, nor religion to influence the discussions. He wished to revive the
Socratic method
The Socratic method (also known as method of Elenchus, elenctic method, or Socratic debate) is a form of cooperative argumentative dialogue between individuals, based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to draw ...
at the meetings. He claimed, ''I help my clients to structure their thoughts. I am there to nourish their doubts and pose the right questions, not to supply the answers.''
[Cafe philo](_blank)
/ref>
Sautet considered his work, after Freud, as the practice of a sort of medicine (philotherapy). He desired to cure the European civilization of moral deterioration. He followed with passion international events, especially in Europe. Sautet wanted to bring people's everyday problems and ideas to birth.[Raabe, p. 37]
Philosophy cafe
Sautet, who has sometimes been labeled the "modern Socrates," wished to recreate the agora
The agora (; grc, ἀγορά, romanized: ', meaning "market" in Modern Greek) was a central public space in ancient Greek city-states. It is the best representation of a city-state's response to accommodate the social and political order of t ...
- the Athens marketplace where Athenian philosophers and the general public met for social gatherings and talks.[David Rohde, ''New Paris Import: Pondering the Big Questions at Cafes'', New York Times; Nov 17, 1996; pg. CY11] The rules of his Café Philosophique, also referred to as "cafés-philos", were that the speaker was to talk to everyone at all times, not to any individual. The speaker was ''not'' to be an expert on any subject and one person (probably the moderator) was to pick the topic of discussion.
Spin-off cafes
Café Scientifique, started in 1998, is based on the Sautet's concept.
See also
*Socratic method
The Socratic method (also known as method of Elenchus, elenctic method, or Socratic debate) is a form of cooperative argumentative dialogue between individuals, based on asking and answering questions to stimulate critical thinking and to draw ...
*Pseudophilosophy
Pseudophilosophy is a term applied to a philosophical idea or system which does not meet an expected set of philosophical standards. There is no universally accepted set of standards, but there are similarities and some common ground.
Definitions ...
Notes
References
*Chaplin, Tamara, ''Turning on the mind: French philosophers on television'', University of Chicago Press, 2007,
*Courouve, Claude, ''Un Café pour Sautet - La méthode, le café, la thèse'', Paris : chez l’auteur, 1995, (2e édition 1997, ).
*Courouve, Claude, « Démocratie et anarchie dans les cafés de philosophie », Esprit (magazine)
''Esprit'' is a French literary magazine. The magazine also deals with current events. It is based in Paris.
History and profile
Founded in October 1932 by Emmanuel Mounier, it was the principal review of personalist intellectuals of the time. Fr ...
, Paris, n° 239, janvier 1998, pages 200–205.
*Marinoff, Lou, ''Philosophical practice'', Academic Press, 2002,
*Raabe, Peter B., ''Issues in philosophical counseling'', Greenwood Publishing Group, 2002,
*Sautet, Marc, ''Un café pour Socrate : comment la philosophie peut nous aider à comprendre le monde d'aujourd'hui'', Paris : R. Laffont, 1995,
Bibliography
* ''Par-delà le bien et le mal'', 2000.
* ''A quoi sert la philosophie'', 1998.
* ''Les Femmes ? De leur émancipation'', 1998.
* ''Les Philosophes à la question'', 1996
* ''Un café pour Socrate'', Paris : Éditions Robert Laffont, 1995.
* ''Nietzsche pour débutants'', 1986.
* ''Nietzsche et la Commune'', 1981.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sautet, Marc
1947 births
1998 deaths
French male non-fiction writers
20th-century French philosophers
20th-century French male writers