Michel Onfray (; born 1 January 1959) is a French writer and philosopher with a

hedonistic Hedonism refers to a family of theories, all of which have in common that pleasure plays a central role in them. ''Psychological'' or ''motivational hedonism'' claims that human behavior is determined by desires to increase pleasure and to decre ...

epicurean Epicureanism is a system of philosophy founded around 307 BC based upon the teachings of the ancient Greek philosopher Epicurus. Epicureanism was originally a challenge to Platonism. Later its main opponent became Stoicism. Few writings by Epi ...

and

atheist Atheism, in the broadest sense, is an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there no ...

worldview. A highly-prolific author on philosophy, he has written over 100 books. His philosophy is mainly influenced by such thinkers as

Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (; or ; 15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher, Prose poetry, prose poet, cultural critic, Philology, philologist, and composer whose work has exerted a profound influence on contemporary philo ...

Epicurus Epicurus (; grc-gre, Ἐπίκουρος ; 341–270 BC) was an ancient Greek philosopher and sage who founded Epicureanism, a highly influential school of philosophy. He was born on the Greek island of Samos to Athenian parents. Influenced ...

, the Cynic and

Cyrenaic The Cyrenaics or Kyrenaics ( grc, Κυρηναϊκοί, Kyrēnaïkoí), were a sensual hedonist Greek school of philosophy founded in the 4th century BCE, supposedly by Aristippus of Cyrene, although many of the principles of the school are belie ...

schools, as well as

French materialism French materialism is the name given to a handful of French 18th-century philosophers during the Age of Enlightenment, many of them clustered around the salon of Baron d'Holbach. Although there are important differences between them, all of them we ...

. He has gained notoriety for writing such works as ''Traité d'athéologie: Physique de la métaphysique'' (translated into English as '' Atheist Manifesto: The Case Against Christianity, Judaism, and Islam''), ''Politique du rebelle: traité de résistance et d'insoumission'', ''Physiologie de Georges Palante, portrait d'un nietzchéen de gauche'', ''La puissance d'exister'' and ''La sculpture de soi'' for which he won the annual

Prix Médicis The Prix Médicis is a French literary award given each year in November. It was founded in 1958 by and . It is awarded to an author whose "fame does not yet match his talent." The award goes to a work of fiction in the French language. In 19 ...

in 1993. Onfray is often regarded as being

left-wing Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically involve a concern for those in soci ...

; however, some observers have stated that he harbours

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

tendencies. He has become appreciated by some

far-right Far-right politics, also referred to as the extreme right or right-wing extremism, are political beliefs and actions further to the right of the left–right political spectrum than the standard political right, particularly in terms of being ...

circles, notably with his sovereignist magazine ''Front populaire''.

Life

Born in Argentan to a family of

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

farmers, Onfray was sent to a weekly Catholic boarding school from ages 10 to 14. This was a solution many parents in France adopted at the time when they lived far from the village school or had working hours that made it too hard or too expensive to transport their children to and from school daily. The young Onfray, however, did not appreciate his new environment, which he describes as a place of suffering. Onfray went on to graduate with a teaching degree in philosophy. He taught this subject to senior students at a high school that concentrates on technical degrees in

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,Université populaire de Caen The Université populaire de Caen (Popular University or People's University of Caen) is a free university created in October 2002 by Michel Onfray in the north-western French city of Caen. It functions on a guiding principle of exemption from fe ...

'', proclaiming its foundation on a free-of-charge basis and on the manifesto written by Onfray in 2004 (''La communauté philosophique''). Onfray is an atheist and author of ''Traité d'Athéologie'' ('' Atheist Manifesto''), which "became the number one best-selling nonfiction book in France for months when it was published in the Spring of 2005 (the word 'atheologie' Onfray borrowed from

Georges Bataille Georges Albert Maurice Victor Bataille (; ; 10 September 1897 – 9 July 1962) was a French philosopher and intellectual working in philosophy, literature, sociology, anthropology, and history of art. His writing, which included essays, novels, ...

and dedicated to

Raoul Vaneigem Raoul Vaneigem (; born 21 March 1934) is a Belgian writer known for his 1967 book ''The Revolution of Everyday Life''. He was born in Lessines ( Hainaut, Belgium) and studied romance philology at the Free University of Brussels from 1952 to 1 ...

who he defended freedom of speech, including

Holocaust denial Holocaust denial is an antisemitic conspiracy theory that falsely asserts that the Nazi genocide of Jews, known as the Holocaust, is a myth, fabrication, or exaggeration. Holocaust deniers make one or more of the following false statements: ...

, in ''Nothing is sacred, everything can be said''. The book repeated its popular French success in Italy, where it was published in September 2005 and quickly soared to number one on Italy's bestseller lists." In the 2002 election, Onfray endorsed the French Revolutionary Communist League and its candidate for the

French presidency The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is ...

Olivier Besancenot Olivier Christophe Besancenot (; born 18 April 1974) is a French left-wing political figure and trade unionist, and the founding main spokesperson of the New Anticapitalist Party (''Nouveau parti anticapitaliste'', NPA) from 2009 to 2011. He w ...

. In 2007, he endorsed

José Bové Joseph "José" Bové (born 11 June 1953) is a French farmer, politician and Syndicalism, syndicalist, member of the alter-globalization movement, and spokesman for Via Campesina. He was one of the twelve official candidates in the 2007 French pres ...

but eventually voted for Besancenot and conducted an interview with the future French President

Nicolas Sarkozy Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...

, who, Onfray declared in ''Philosophie Magazine,'' was an "ideological enemy". His book ''Le crépuscule d'une idole : L'affabulation freudienne'' (''The Twilight of an Idol: The Freudian Confabulation''), published in 2010, has been the subject of considerable controversy in France because of its criticism of

Sigmund Freud Sigmund Freud ( , ; born Sigismund Schlomo Freud; 6 May 1856 – 23 September 1939) was an Austrian neurologist and the founder of psychoanalysis, a clinical method for evaluating and treating psychopathology, pathologies explained as originatin ...

. He recognises Freud as a philosopher but brings attention to the considerable cost of Freud's treatments and casts doubts on the effectiveness of his methods. In 2015, Onfray published ''Cosmos'', the first book of a trilogy. Onfray considers ironically that it constitutes his "very first book".

Philosophy

Onfray writes that there is no philosophy without self-

psychoanalysis PsychoanalysisFrom Greek: + . is a set of theories and 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 body of knowledge. In what might b ...

. He describes himself as an

"He is a self-described hedonist, atheist, libertarian, and left-wing anarchist
(en) France, Media, Michel Onfray, A self labeled Anarchist Philosopher
/ref> and considers theistic religion to be indefensible.

View on history of Western philosophy and philosophical project

Onfray has published nine books under a project of

history of philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

called ''Counter-history of Philosophy''. In each of these books Onfray deals with a particular historical period in western philosophy. The series of books are composed by the titles I. ''Les Sagesses Antiques'' (2006) (on western antiquity), II. ''Le Christianisme hédoniste'' (2006) (on Christian hedonism from the Renaissance period), III. ''Les libertins baroques'' (2007) (on

libertine A libertine is a person devoid of most moral principles, a sense of responsibility, or sexual restraints, which they see as unnecessary or undesirable, and is especially someone who ignores or even spurns accepted morals and forms of behaviour ob ...

thought from the

Baroque era The Baroque (, ; ) is a style of architecture, music, dance, painting, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished in Europe from the early 17th century until the 1750s. In the territories of the Spanish and Portuguese empires including th ...

), IV. ''Les Ultras des Lumières'' (2007) (on radical enlightenment thought), V. ''L'Eudémonisme social'' (2008) (on radical

utilitarian In ethical philosophy, utilitarianism is a family of normative ethical theories that prescribe actions that maximize happiness and well-being for all affected individuals. Although different varieties of utilitarianism admit different charac ...

and eudaimonistic thought), VI. ''Les Radicalités existentielles'' (2009) (on 19th and 20th century radical

existentialist Existentialism ( ) is a form of philosophical inquiry that explores the problem of human existence and centers on human thinking, feeling, and acting. Existentialist thinkers frequently explore issues related to the meaning, purpose, and value ...

thinkers) and VII. ''La construction du surhomme:

Jean-Marie Guyau Jean-Marie Guyau (28 October 1854 – 31 March 1888) was a French philosopher and poet. Guyau was inspired by the philosophies of Epicurus, Epictetus, Plato, Immanuel Kant, Herbert Spencer, and Alfred Fouillée, and the poetry and literature of ...

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 ...

'' (on Guyau's and Nietzsche's philosophy in relation to the concept of the ''

Übermensch The (; "Overhuman") is a concept in the philosophy of Friedrich Nietzsche. In his 1883 book ''Thus Spoke Zarathustra'' (german: Also sprach Zarathustra), Nietzsche has his character Zarathustra posit the as a goal for humanity to set for itse ...

''). VIII. ''Les Freudiens hérétiques'' (2013). IX. ''Les Consciences réfractaires'' (2013). In an interview, Onfray established his view on the history of philosophy:

There is in fact a multitude of ways to practice philosophy, but out of this multitude, the dominant historiography picks one tradition among others and makes it the truth of philosophy: that is to say the
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 ...
, spiritualist lineage compatible with the
Judeo-Christian The term Judeo-Christian is used to group Christianity and Judaism together, either in reference to Christianity's derivation from Judaism, Christianity's borrowing of Jewish Scripture to constitute the "Old Testament" of the Christian Bible, or ...
world view. From that point on, anything that crosses this partial – in both senses of the word – view of things finds itself dismissed. This applies to nearly all non-Western philosophies, Oriental wisdom in particular, but also sensualist, empirical,
materialist Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materialis ...
,
nominalist In metaphysics, nominalism is the view that universals and abstract objects do not actually exist other than being merely names or labels. There are at least two main versions of nominalism. One version denies the existence of universalsthings th ...
,
hedonistic Hedonism refers to a family of theories, all of which have in common that pleasure plays a central role in them. ''Psychological'' or ''motivational hedonism'' claims that human behavior is determined by desires to increase pleasure and to decre ...
currents and everything that can be put under the heading of "anti-
Plato Plato ( ; grc-gre, Πλάτων ; 428/427 or 424/423 – 348/347 BC) was a Greek philosopher born in Athens during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. He founded the Platonist school of thought and the Academy, the first institution ...
nic philosophy". Philosophy that comes down from the heavens is the kind that – from Plato to
Levinas Levinas is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Emmanuel Levinas (1906–1995), French philosopher * Michaël Lévinas (born 1949), French composer, son of Emmanuel * Danielle Cohen-Levinas Danielle Cohen-Levinas (born 21 April ...
by way of
Kant Immanuel Kant (, , ; 22 April 1724 – 12 February 1804) was a German Philosophy, philosopher and one of the central Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment thinkers. Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in epistemolo ...
and Christianity – needs a world behind the scenes to understand, explain and justify this world. The other line of force rises from the earth because it is satisfied with the given world, which is already so much.

"His mission is to rehabilitate materialist and sensualist thinking and use it to re-examine our relationship to the world. Approaching philosophy as a reflection of each individual's personal experience, Onfray inquires into the capabilities of the body and its senses and calls on us to celebrate them through music, painting, and fine cuisine."

Hedonism

Onfray defines hedonism "as an introspective attitude to life based on taking pleasure yourself and pleasuring others, without harming yourself or anyone else." "Onfray's philosophical project is to define an ethical hedonism, a joyous

utilitarianism In ethical philosophy, utilitarianism is a family of normative ethical theories that prescribe actions that maximize happiness and well-being for all affected individuals. Although different varieties of utilitarianism admit different charact ...

, and a generalized

aesthetic Aesthetics, or esthetics, is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of beauty and taste, as well as the philosophy of art (its own area of philosophy that comes out of aesthetics). It examines aesthetic values, often expressed th ...

of sensual

materialism Materialism is a form of philosophical monism which holds matter to be the fundamental substance in nature, and all things, including mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. According to philosophical materiali ...

that explores how to use the brain's and the body's capacities to their fullest extent – while restoring philosophy to a useful role in art, politics, and everyday life and decisions". Onfray's works "have explored the philosophical resonances and components of (and challenges to) science, painting, gastronomy, sex and sensuality, bioethics, wine, and writing. His most ambitious project is his projected six-volume ''Counter-history of Philosophy''", three of which have been published. Onfray writes:

In opposition to the ascetic ideal advocated by the dominant school of thought, hedonism suggests identifying the highest good with your own pleasure and that of others; the one must never be indulged at the expense of sacrificing the other. Obtaining this balance – my pleasure at the same time as the pleasure of others – presumes that we approach the subject from different angles – political, ethical, aesthetic, erotic, bioethical, pedagogical, historiographical....

His philosophy aims for "micro-revolutions", or "revolutions of the individual and small groups of like-minded people who live by his hedonistic, libertarian values".

Relation to hedonism

In ''La puissance d'exister: Manifeste hédoniste'', Onfray claims that the political dimension of hedonism runs from

John Stuart Mill John Stuart Mill (20 May 1806 – 7 May 1873) was an English philosopher, political economist, Member of Parliament (MP) and civil servant. One of the most influential thinkers in the history of classical liberalism, he contributed widely to ...

Jeremy Bentham Jeremy Bentham (; 15 February 1748 Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates">O.S._4_February_1747.html" ;"title="Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.html" ;"title="nowiki/>Old Style and New Style dates">O.S. 4 February 1747">Old_Style_and_New_Style_dates.htm ...

and

Claude Adrien Helvétius Claude Adrien Helvétius (; ; 26 January 1715 – 26 December 1771) was a French philosopher, freemason and '' littérateur''. Life Claude Adrien Helvétius was born in Paris, France, and was descended from a family of physicians, originally ...

. Political hedonism aims to create ''the greatest happiness for the greatest numbers''.

Alcohol

In ''La Raison gourmande'', he analyses the relation between philosophers and wine:

Gaston Bachelard Gaston Bachelard (; ; 27 June 1884 – 16 October 1962) was a French philosopher. He made contributions in the fields of poetics and the philosophy of science. To the latter, he introduced the concepts of ''epistemological obstacle'' and '' epi ...

and

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...

Michel Serres Michel Serres (; 1 September 1930 – 1 June 2019) was a French philosopher, theorist and writer. His works explore themes of science, time and death, and later incorporated prose. Life and career The son of a bargeman, Serres entered France's ...

and

Château d'Yquem Château d'Yquem () is a '' Premier Cru Supérieur'' ( Fr: "Superior First Growth") wine from the Sauternes, Gironde region in the southern part of the Bordeaux vineyards known as Graves. In the Bordeaux Wine Official Classification of 1855, Ch ...

. He names also the "alcoholic philosophers":

Jean-Paul Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was one of the key figures in the philosophy of existentialism (and phenomenology), a French playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and litera ...

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 ...

Gilles Deleuze Gilles Louis René Deleuze ( , ; 18 January 1925 – 4 November 1995) was a French philosopher who, from the early 1950s until his death in 1995, wrote on philosophy, literature, film, and fine art. His most popular works were the two volu ...

Guy Debord Guy-Ernest Debord (; ; 28 December 1931 – 30 November 1994) was a French Marxist theorist, philosopher, filmmaker, critic of work, member of the Letterist International, founder of a Letterist faction, and founding member of the Situationis ...

and

, in particular, to whom he dedicated his ''Traité d'athéologie'' (2005).

Religion

The blogger J. M. Cornwell praised Onfray's ''Atheist Manifesto: The Case Against Christianity, Judaism, and Islam'' by claiming that it "is a religious and historical time capsule" containing what he sees as "the true deceptions of theological philosophy". Onfray has been involved in promoting the work of

Jean Meslier Jean Meslier (; also Mellier; 15 June 1664 – 17 June 1729) was a French Catholic priest (abbé) who was discovered, upon his death, to have written a book-length philosophical essay promoting atheism and materialism. Described by the author as ...

, an 18th-century French Catholic priest who was discovered, upon his death, to have written a book-length philosophical essay promoting atheism. In ''Atheist Manifesto'', Onfray states that among the "incalculable number of contradictions and improbabilities in the body of the text of the synoptic Gospels" two claims are made: crucifixion victims were not laid to rest in tombs, and in any case, Jews were not crucified in this period. The historian John Dickson, of Macquarie University, has said that

Philo Philo of Alexandria (; grc, Φίλων, Phílōn; he, יְדִידְיָה, Yəḏīḏyāh (Jedediah); ), also called Philo Judaeus, was a Hellenistic Jewish philosopher who lived in Alexandria, in the Roman province of Egypt. Philo's deplo ...

of Alexandria, who wrote about the time of Jesus, noted that the Romans sometimes handed the bodies of crucifixion victims over to family members for proper burial. The Roman Jewish historian

Flavius Josephus Flavius Josephus (; grc-gre, Ἰώσηπος, ; 37 – 100) was a first-century Romano-Jewish historian and military leader, best known for ''The Jewish War'', who was born in Jerusalem—then part of Roman Judea—to a father of priestly d ...

even remarks: "the Jews are so careful about funeral rites that even malefactors who have been sentenced to crucifixion are taken down and buried before sunset". Regarding the second claim, Dickson calls this a "clear historical blunder". In Onfray's latest book, ''Décadence'' he argued for

Christ myth theory The Christ myth theory, also known as the Jesus myth theory, Jesus mythicism, or the Jesus ahistoricity theory, is the view that "the story of Jesus is a piece of mythology", possessing no "substantial claims to historical fact". Alternatively ...

, which is a hypotheses that Jesus was not a historical person. Onfray based this on the fact that, other than in the New Testament, Jesus is barely mentioned in accounts of the period. In July 2021, Onfray criticised

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

's apostolic letter '' Traditionis custodes'' by arguing that the

Tridentine Mass The Tridentine Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass or Traditional Rite, is the liturgy of Mass in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church that appears in typical editions of the Roman Missal published from 1570 to 1962. Celebrated almo ...

embodies “the heritage of the genealogical time of our civilization".

Université populaire de Caen

Onfray was a secondary school philosophy teacher for two decades until he resigned in 2002 to establish a tuition-free Université populaire (People's University) at Caen, at which he and several colleagues teach philosophy and other subjects.

"The Université populaire, which is open to all who cannot access the state university system, and on principle does not accept any money from the State -- Onfray uses the profits from his books to help finance it -- has had enormous success. Based on Onfray's book ''La Communauté philosophique: Manifeste pour l'Université populaire'' (2004), the original UP now has imitators in
Picardy Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France. Hi ...
,
Arras Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, which forms part of the regions of France, region of Hauts-de-France; before the regions of France#Reform and mergers of ...
,
Lyon Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
,
Narbonne Narbonne (, also , ; oc, Narbona ; la, Narbo ; Late Latin:) is a commune in France, commune in Southern France in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region. It lies from Paris in the Aude Departments of Franc ...
, and
Le Mans Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...
, with five more in preparation."

"The national public radio network France Culture annually broadcasts his course of lectures to the Université Populaire on philosophical themes."

Reception

Several authors criticise Onfray for approximations and historical errors contained in several of his works. That is particularly the case of the historians Guillaume Mazeau,

Élisabeth Roudinesco Élisabeth Roudinesco ( ro , Rudinescu; born 10 September 1944) is a French historian and psychoanalyst, affiliated researcher in history at Paris Diderot University, in the group « Identités-Cultures-Territoires ». She also conducts a seminar ...

, Jean-Marie Salamito with his essay ''Monsieur Onfray au pays des mythes'' or even

Ian Birchall Ian Birchall (born 1939) is a British Marxist historian and translator, a former member of the Socialist Workers Party and author of numerous articles and books, particularly relating to the French Left. Formerly Senior Lecturer in French at Mi ...

Awards and honors

Asteroid 289992 Onfray, discovered by astronomers at the Saint-Sulpice Observatory in 2005, was named in Onfray's honour. The official was published by the

Minor Planet Center The Minor Planet Center (MPC) is the official body for observing and reporting on minor planets under the auspices of the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Founded in 1947, it operates at the Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory. Function ...

on 16 March 2014 ().

Criticism of the Algerian regime

During a Television interview and as a response to a visit by French president

Emmanuel Macron Emmanuel Macron (; born 21 December 1977) is a French politician who has served as President of France since 2017. ''Ex officio'', he is also one of the two Co-Princes of Andorra. Prior to his presidency, Macron served as Minister of Econ ...

Algeria ) , image_map = Algeria (centered orthographic projection).svg , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Algiers , coordinates = , largest_city = capital , relig ...

in August 2022, Onfray described the ruling regime in Algeria as a "mafia" and asserted that France has no responsibility for the impoverished life of the Algerian people in a country rich in gas and oil because the French had left in 1962. During the interview Onfray said "We know very well that this country has hated us since 1962."

Works

In English

* * * *

In French

* ''Le Ventre des philosophes. Critique de la raison diététique'', Grasset, 1989 * ''Cynismes. Portrait du philosophe en chien'', Grasset, 1990 * ''L’Art de jouir. Pour un matérialisme hédoniste'', Grasset, 1991 * ''La Sculpture de soi. La Morale esthétique'', Grasset, 1993 * ''Ars Moriendi. Cent petits tableaux sur les avantages et les inconvénients de la mort'', Folle Avoine, 1994 * ''La Raison gourmande. Philosophie du goût'', Grasset, 1995 * ''Les Formes du temps. Théorie du sauternes'', Mollat, 1996 * ''Théorie du corps amoureux. Pour une érotique solaire'', Grasset, 2000 * ''Antimanuel de philosophie. Leçons socratiques et alternatives'', Bréal, 2001 * ''Physiologie de Georges Palante. Pour un nietzschéisme de gauche'', Grasset, 2002 * ''L’Invention du plaisir. Fragments cyrénaïques'', LGF, 2002 * ''Célébration du génie colérique. Tombeau de Pierre Bourdieu'', Galilée, 2002 * ''Féeries anatomiques. Généalogie du corps faustien'', Grasset, 2003 * ''La Communauté philosophique. Manifeste pour l’Université populaire'', Galilée, 2004 * ''Traité d’athéologie. Physique de la métaphysique'', Grasset, 2005 * ''La Sagesse tragique. Du bon usage de Nietzsche'', LGF, 2006 * ''Suite à La Communauté philosophique. Une machine à porter la voix'', Galilée, 2006 * ''La Puissance d’exister. Manifeste hédoniste'', Grasset, 2006 * ''L’Innocence du devenir. La Vie de Frédéric Nietzsche'', Galilée, 2008 * ''Le Songe d’Eichmann. Précédé de : Un kantien chez les nazis'', Galilée, 2008 * ''Le Souci des plaisirs. Construction d’une érotique solaire'', Flammarion, 2008 * ''La Religion du poignard. Éloge de Charlotte Corday'', Galilée, 2009 * ''Le Crépuscule d'une idole. L’Affabulation freudienne'', Grasset, 2010 * ''Apostille au Crépuscule. Pour une psychanalyse non freudienne'', Grasset, 2010 * ''Manifeste hédoniste'', Autrement, 2011 * ''L'Ordre libertaire. La Vie philosophique d’

Albert Camus Albert Camus ( , ; ; 7 November 1913 – 4 January 1960) was a French philosopher, author, dramatist, and journalist. He was awarded the 1957 Nobel Prize in Literature at the age of 44, the second-youngest recipient in history. His work ...

'', Flammarion, 2012 * ''Vies et mort d’un dandy. Construction d’un mythe'', Galilée, 2012 * ''Rendre la raison populaire. Université populaire, mode d’emploi'', Autrement, 2012 * ''Le Canari du nazi. Essais sur la monstruosité'', Collectif, Autrement, 2013 * ''La Raison des sortilèges. Entretiens sur la musique'', Autrement, 2013 * ''Bestiaire nietzschéen. Les Animaux philosophiques'', Galilée, 2014 * ''Haute école. Brève histoire du cheval philosophique'', Flammarion, 2015 * ''Penser l'Islam'', Grasset, 2016 * ''La Force du sexe faible. Contre-histoire de la Révolution française'', Autrement, 2016 * ''Tocqueville et les Apaches'', Autrement, 2017 * ''Vivre une vie philosophique. Thoreau le sauvage'', Le Passeur, 2017 * ''Miroir du nihilisme. Houellebecq éducateur'', Galilée, 2017 * ''Solstice d'hiver : Alain, les Juifs, Hitler et l'Occupation'', L'Observatoire, 2018 * ''Le Deuil de la mélancolie'', Robert Laffont 2018 * Brève encyclopédie du monde ** ''Cosmos. Une ontologie matérialiste'', Flammarion, 2015 ** ''Décadence. Vie et mort du judéo-christianisme'', Flammarion, 2017 ** ''Sagesse, Savoir vivre au pied d'un volcan'', Albin Michel 2019 * Contre-histoire de la littérature ** ''Le réel n'a pas eu lieu. Le Principe de Don Quichotte'', Autrement, 2014 ** ''La Passion de la méchanceté. Sur un prétendu divin marquis'', Autrement, 2014 * Contre-histoire de la philosophie ** ''Les Sagesses antiques'', Grasset, 2006 ** ''Le Christianisme hédoniste'', Grasset, 2006 ** ''Les Libertins baroques'', Grasset, 2007 ** ''Les Ultras des Lumières'', Grasset, 2007 ** ''L’Eudémonisme social'', Grasset, 2008 ** ''Les Radicalités existentielles'', Grasset, 2009 ** ''La Construction du surhomme'', Grasset, 2011 ** ''Les Freudiens hérétiques'', Grasset, 2013 ** ''Les Consciences réfractaires'', Grasset, 2013 ** ''La Pensée postnazie'', Grasset, 2018 ** ''L'Autre pensée 68'', Grasset, 2018 * Esthetic ** ''L’Œil nomade. La Peinture de Jacques Pasquier'', Folle Avoine, 1993 ** ''Métaphysique des ruines. La Peinture de Monsù Desiderio'', Mollat, 1995 ** ''Splendeur de la catastrophe. La Peinture de Vladimir Vélikovic'', Galilée, 2002 ** ''Les Icônes païennes. Variations sur Ernest Pignon-Ernest'', Galilée, 2003 ** ''Archéologie du présent. Manifeste pour une esthétique cynique'', Adam Biro/Grasset, 2003 ** ''Épiphanies de la séparation. La Peinture de Gilles Aillaud'', Galilée, 2004 ** ''Oxymoriques. Les Photographies de Bettina Rheims'', Jannink, 2005 ** ''Fixer des vertiges : Les Photographies de Willy Ronis'', Galilée, 2007 ** ''Le Chiffre de la peinture. L’Œuvre de Valerio Adami'', Galilée, 2008 ** ''La Vitesse des simulacres. Les Sculptures de Pollès'', Galilée, 2008 ** ''L'Apiculteur et les Indiens. La Peinture de Gérard Garouste'', Galilée, 2009 ** ''Transe est connaissance. Un chamane nommé Combas'', Flammarion, 2014 ** ''La danse des simulacres'', Robert Laffon, 2019 * Political views ** ''Politique du rebelle. Traité de résistance et d’insoumission'', Grasset, 1997 ** ''La Pensée de midi. Archéologie d’une gauche libertaire'', Galilée, 2007 ** ''Le Postanarchisme expliqué à ma grand-mère. Le Principe de Gulliver'', Galilée, 2012 ** ''Le Miroir aux alouettes. Principes d'athéisme social'', Plon, 2016 ** ''Décoloniser les provinces. Contribution aux présidentielles'', L'Observatoire, 2017 ** ''La Cour des Miracles. Carnets de campagne'', L'Observatoire, 2017 ** ''Zéro de conduite. Carnet d'après-campagne'', L'Observatoire, 2018 ** ''Théorie de la dictature'', Robert Laffon, 2019 ** ''Vies parallèles : De Gaulle - Mitterrand'', Robert Laffon, 2020 * Hedonist diaries ** ''Le Désir d’être un volcan'', Grasset, 1996 ** ''Les Vertus de la foudre'', Grasset, 1998 ** ''L’Archipel des comètes'', Grasset, 2001 ** ''La Lueur des orages désirés'', Grasset, 2007 ** ''Le Magnétisme des solstices'', Flammarion, 2013 ** ''Le Temps de l'étoile polaire'', Robert Laffont, 2019 * The fierce philosophy ** ''Exercices anarchistes'', Galilée, 2004 ** ''Traces de feux furieux'', Galilée, 2006 ** ''Philosopher comme un chien'', Galilée, 2010 * Travelogue ** ''À côté du désir d’éternité. Fragments d’Égypte'', Mollat, 1998 ** ''Esthétique du pôle Nord. Stèles hyperboréennes'', Grasset, 2002 ** ''Théorie du voyage. Poétique de la géographie'', LGF, 2007 ** ''Les Bûchers de Bénarès. Cosmos, Éros et Thanatos'', Galilée, 2008 ** ''Nager avec les piranhas. Carnet guyanais'', Gallimard, 2017 ** ''Le Désir ultramarin. Les Marquises après les Marquises'', Gallimard, 2017 * Tetralogy of elements ** ''Le Recours aux forêts. La Tentation de Démocrite'', Galilée, 2009 ** ''La Sagesse des abeilles. Première leçon de Démocrite'', Galilée, 2012 ** ''La Constellation de la baleine. Le Songe de Démocrite'', Galilée, 2013 ** ''La Cavalière de Pégase. Dernière leçon de Démocrite'', Galilée, 2019 * Poetry ** ''Un requiem athée'', Galilée, 2013 ** ''Avant le silence. Haïkus d’une année'', Galilée, 2014 ** ''Les Petits serpents. Avant le silence, II'', Galilée, 2015 ** ''L'Éclipse de l'éclipse. Avant le silence, III'', Galilée, 2016

References

External links

* * *
Blog about Onfray

Profile of Michel Onfray
in ''

New Humanist ''New Humanist'' is a quarterly magazine, published by the Rationalist Association in the UK, that focuses on culture, news, philosophy, and science from a sceptical perspective. History The ''New Humanist'' has been in print for more than 13 ...

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