Émile Bréhier (; 12 April 1876,

Bar-le-Duc Bar-le-Duc (), formerly known as Bar, is a commune in the Meuse département, of which it is the capital. The department is in Grand Est in northeastern France. The lower, more modern and busier part of the town extends along a narrow valley, ...

– 3 February 1952, Paris) was a French philosopher. His interest was in classical philosophy, and the history of philosophy. He wrote a ''Histoire de la Philosophie'', translated into English in seven volumes.

Life

Bréhier studied at the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

. In 1908 he received his doctorate 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, ...

with a dissertation about

Philo of Alexandria 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 de ...

. From 1910 to 1912 he was Master of Philosophical Conferences at the University of Rennes, and professor of philosophy at the University of Bordeaux from 1912 to 1914."Bréhier, Emile", ''The Catholic Encyclopedia and Its Makers'', New York, the Encyclopedia Press, 1917, p. 18
/ref> He was

Henri Bergson Henri-Louis Bergson (; 18 October 1859 – 4 January 1941) was a French philosopherHenri Bergson. 2014. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 13 August 2014, from https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/61856/Henri-Bergson Le Roy, ...

's successor at the University of Paris in 1945. The historian

Louis Bréhier Louis René Bréhier (; 5 August 1868 – 13 October 1951) was a French historian who specialized in Byzantine studies. His brother was the philosopher Émile Bréhier. Biography Louis Bréhier was born in Brest, France on 5 August 1868. He st ...

was his brother. In 1914 Bréhier became a sub-lieutenant in the 344th Infantry Regiment; he was made knight of the '' Légion d'honneur''.

Philosophical work

He was an early follower of Bergson; in the 1930s there was an influential view that Bergsonism and

Neoplatonism Neoplatonism is a strand of Platonic philosophy that emerged in the 3rd century AD against the background of Hellenistic philosophy and religion. The term does not encapsulate a set of ideas as much as a chain of thinkers. But there are some ...

were linked. He has been called "the sole figure in the French history who adopts an

Hegelian Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (; ; 27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a German philosopher. He is one of the most important figures in German idealism and one of the founding figures of modern Western philosophy. His influence extends a ...

interpretation of Neoplatonism", but also a

Neo-Kantian In late modern continental philosophy, neo-Kantianism (german: Neukantianismus) was a revival of the 18th-century philosophy of Immanuel Kant. The Neo-Kantians sought to develop and clarify Kant's theories, particularly his concept of the "thi ...

opponent of Hegel.Bruce Baugh, ''French Hegel: From Surrealism to Postmodernism'' (2003), note p. 183.

Works

* ''Les idées philosophiques et religieuses de Philon d'Alexandrie'' (1908) * ''La Théorie des incorporels dans l'ancien stoïcisme'', Paris, Librairie Alphonse Picard & fils, (1907). * ''Schelling'' (1912) * ''Histoire de la philosophie allemande'' (1921) * ''La Philosophie de Plotin'' * ''Plotin: Ennéades'' (with French translation),

Collection Budé The ''Collection Budé'', or the ''Collection des Universités de France'', is an editorial collection comprising the Greek and Latin classics up to the middle of the 6th century (before Emperor Justinian). It is published by Les Belles Lettres, ...

, 1924–1938 * ''Histoire de la philosophie'' – I Antiquité et moyen âge (three volumes), II La philosophie moderne (four volumes) * ''La philosophie du moyen âge'' (1949) * ''Le monde byzantin – la civilisation byzantine'' (1950) * ''Chrysippe et l'ancien stoïcisme'' (Paris, 1951) * ''Histoire de la philosophie allemande'', 3rd edition updated by

Paul Ricœur Jean Paul Gustave Ricœur (; ; 27 February 1913 – 20 May 2005) was a French philosopher best known for combining phenomenological description with hermeneutics. As such, his thought is within the same tradition as other major hermeneutic ...

(1954). * ''Études de philosophie antique'' (1955) He contributed the articles "Philo Judaeus", and "Stoics and Stoic Philosophy" to the ''Catholic Encyclopedia''.

Notes

References

* Alan D. Schrift (2006), ''Twentieth-Century French Philosophy: Key Themes And Thinkers'', p. 107.

External links

IDIH page

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brehier, Emile 1876 births 1952 deaths 20th-century French historians French military personnel of World War I People from Bar-le-Duc University of Paris alumni University of Paris faculty French male non-fiction writers Contributors to the Catholic Encyclopedia Corresponding Fellows of the British Academy