Émile Chartier
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Émile-Auguste Chartier (; 3 March 1868 – 2 June 1951), commonly known as Alain (), was a French
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 ...
,
journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalism ...
, and
pacifist Pacifism is the opposition or resistance to war, militarism (including conscription and mandatory military service) or violence. Pacifists generally reject theories of Just War. The word ''pacifism'' was coined by the French peace campaign ...
. He adopted his
pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
in homage to the 15th-century Norman poet Alain Chartier.


Early life

Alain was born in 1868 in Mortagne-au-Perche (Orne). He entered Lycée d'
Alençon Alençon (, , ; nrf, Alençoun) is a commune in Normandy, France, capital of the Orne department. It is situated west of Paris. Alençon belongs to the intercommunality of Alençon (with 52,000 people). History The name of Alençon is firs ...
in 1881 and studied there for five years. On 13 June 1956, the lycée was renamed Lycée Alain, after its most famous student. In 1892, Alain graduated from
École Normale Supérieure École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...
and received the agrégation in philosophy.


Career

He subsequently taught at various institutions:
Pontivy Pontivy (; ) is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It lies at the confluence of the river Blavet and the Canal de Nantes à Brest. Inhabitants of Pontivy are called ''Pontivyens'' in French. Map History A ...
,
Lorient Lorient (; ) is a town (''Communes of France, commune'') and Port, seaport in the Morbihan Departments of France, department of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in western France. History Prehistory and classical antiquity Beginn ...
, 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> and, in Paris: (
Lycée Condorcet The Lycée Condorcet () is a school founded in 1803 in Paris, France, located at 8, rue du Havre, in the city's 9th arrondissement. It is one of the four oldest high schools in Paris and also one of the most prestigious. Since its inception, var ...
and Lycée Michelet). From 1903, he contributed to several journals using his pseudonym, Alain. He was most commonly referred to as "Alain" by his pupils and peers. In 1909, he was appointed a teacher (or professor) at the
Lycée Henri-IV The Lycée Henri-IV is a public secondary school located in Paris. Along with the Lycée Louis-le-Grand, it is widely regarded as one of the most prestigious and demanding sixth-form colleges (''lycées'') in France. The school educates more than ...
in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
. He deeply influenced his pupils, who included
Raymond Aron Raymond Claude Ferdinand Aron (; 14 March 1905 – 17 October 1983) was a French philosopher, sociologist, political scientist, historian and journalist, one of France's most prominent thinkers of the 20th century. Aron is best known for his 19 ...
,
Simone Weil Simone Adolphine Weil ( , ; 3 February 1909 – 24 August 1943) was a French philosopher, mystic, and political activist. Over 2,500 scholarly works have been published about her, including close analyses and readings of her work, since 1995. ...
,
Georges Canguilhem Georges Canguilhem (; ; 4 June 1904 – 11 September 1995) was a French philosopher and physician who specialized in epistemology and the philosophy of science (in particular, biology). Life and work Canguilhem entered the École Normale Supé ...
, and
André Maurois André Maurois (; born Émile Salomon Wilhelm Herzog; 26 July 1885 – 9 October 1967) was a French author. Biography Maurois was born on 26 July 1885 in Elbeuf and educated at the Lycée Pierre Corneille in Rouen, both in Normandy. A member of ...
. Reviewing the beneficial effect he had on his former pupils Simone Weil and
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 ...
, Professor John Hellman writes that Alain was the greatest teacher of their generation.


Books

Alain foretold and denounced the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
but, when hostilities began, he enlisted as a soldier and, refusing promotion, served in the ranks for the whole war. During those years, while in the trenches, he wrote ''Mars, ou la guerre jugée'' (1921) ars, or The Truth about War ''Quatre-vingt-un chapitres sur l'esprit et les passions'' (1917) ighty-One Chapters about the Spirit and Passions and ''Le système des beaux-arts'' (1920) ystem of the Fine Arts He later wrote many other books including ''Propos sur le bonheur'' (1925) bout Happiness ''Le citoyen contre les pouvoirs'' (1926) he Citizen against the Powers ''Les Idées et les âges'' (1927)
deas and Ages Deas or DEAS may refer to: * Deas (surname), a Scottish surname originating in Fife * Deas Island, a river island in British Columbia, Canada * Deas Vail, an American rock band * Department of East Asian Studies, University of Delhi * Division ...
''Entretiens au bord de la mer'' (1931) onversations by the Edge of the Sea ''Propos sur l'éducation'' (1932) bout Education ''Idées'' (1932) deas ''Les Dieux'' (1934) he Gods ''Histoire de mes pensées'' (1936) istory of my Thoughts and ''Les Aventures de coeur'' (1945) dventures of the Heart


Theorist

He was a leading theorist of radicalism, and his influence extended through the
Third Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (d ...
and Fourth Republics. He stressed individualism, seeking to defend the citizen against the State. He warned against all forms of power – military, clerical, and economic. To oppose them he exalted the small farmer, the small shopkeeper, the small town, and the little man. He idealized country life and saw Paris as a dangerous font of power. Despite the liberalism of his published work, during
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
he expressed
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 ...
views in some of his private writings: in July 1940 he expressed hope that the
Free French Forces __NOTOC__ The French Liberation Army (french: Armée française de la Libération or AFL) was the reunified French Army that arose from the merging of the Armée d'Afrique with the prior Free French Forces (french: Forces françaises libres, l ...
would be defeated, and he also described
Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
as "a modern mind, an invincible spirit", who dealt with the "Jewish question" with "extraordinary eloquence and remarkable sincerity". In his diary published under the title ''Journal inédit'' by Emmanuel Blondel, Alain writes "I would like, as far as I am concerned, to get rid of antisemitism, but I can't achieve this." (''Journal inédit'', Editions des equateurs). He calls his own antisemitism, in a self-disparaging manner, a "sad passion" using a
Spinozist Baruch (de) Spinoza (born Bento de Espinosa; later as an author and a correspondent ''Benedictus de Spinoza'', anglicized to ''Benedict de Spinoza''; 24 November 1632 – 21 February 1677) was a Dutch philosopher of Portuguese-Jewish origin, b ...
expression meaning "a passion that expresses weakness, powerlessness". In 1946, in a new Preface to his book ''Spinoza'' Alain writes:
''"Tel est donc le sens du Spinozisme, sens bien positif et bien aisé à saisir, pourvu qu'on soit persuadé que l'on est en présence de l'Esprit universel. Cette persuasion vous rendra la pensée supportable, et soudain vous vous reconnaîtrez homme, toujours à la lumière de l'axiome : Homo homini deus, qui est la clef de la future République et de l'égalité 1848. Je dis égalité, parce qu'il ne se peut pas que l'homme n'ait pas de passions et parce que toute affection cesse d'être une passion dès qu'on en forme une idée adéquate. Là est le secret de la Paix, qui dans tous les cas est la Paix de l'âme, vérité très méconnue. Par ce moyen vous formerez le parti Spinoza, que vous vous garderez d'appeler le parti juif, mais qui n'en sera pas moins ce parti-là. Alors, sans combat, le nazisme, le fascisme et toute sorte de despotisme seront vaincus, et la méchanceté exactement impuissante, comme elle est (car elle n'est rien). Tel est l'avenir prochain, que renferme ce petit livre''."
The last lines of this quotation 'Par ce moyen vous formerez...''expressing Alain's public thought regarding antisemitic hatred and
Nazism Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Na ...
, deserve attention:
"Then hen enlightened men have formed the "Spinoza party", the "Jewish party"without fight, nazism, fascism and all other kinds of despotism will be defeated and malevolence will be properly powerless, as it is actually (for malevolence by itself is nothing). Such is the future that is coming, the future that is contained in this little book." (Alain, ''Spinoza'', Gallimard, Collection TEL, Preface, 1946).
The same ambiguity can be observed as to Alain's attitude towards
Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...
. In his ''Propos'', Alain writes that Hitler is "a great patriot". But he adds "When I say that Hitler is one of these great leaders, understand carefully that I feel sorry for the people that have such leaders, and also sorry for their neighbours". (''Propos d'Alain'', Propos du 10 Avril 1936, Gallimard, Bibliothèque de la Pléiade, Copyright 1956, page 1305).


Death

Chartier died in 1951. He is buried in the
Père Lachaise Cemetery Père Lachaise Cemetery (french: Cimetière du Père-Lachaise ; formerly , "East Cemetery") is the largest cemetery in Paris, France (). With more than 3.5 million visitors annually, it is the most visited necropolis in the world. Notable figures ...
.


See also

*
List of peace activists This list of peace activists includes people who have proactively advocated diplomatic, philosophical, and non-military resolution of major territorial or ideological disputes through nonviolent means and methods. Peace activists usually work ...


Select bibliography

*''Mars, or The Truth about War'', London, Toronto, and New York: Jonathan Cape & Harrison Smith, 1930. Translated from the French by Doris Mudie and Elizabeth Hill. Foreword by André Maurois. Foreword by Denis Saurat. *''Alain on Happiness'', New York: Frederick Ungar, 1973; Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 1973, 1989. Translated by Robert D. and Jane E. Cottrell. introduction by Robert D. Cottrell. *''The Gods'', New York: New Directions, 1974. Translated by Richard Pevear.


References


Further reading

* André Maurois, ''Alain'', Paris: Éditions Domat, 1950. * André Maurois, ''Destins exemplaires'' (Paris: Plon, 1952); English translation: ''Profiles of Great Men'' (translated by Helen Temple Patterson; Ipswich, Suffolk: Tower Bridge Publications, 1954) - contains chapter on Alain. * Georges Pascal, ''La pensée d'Alain'', Paris: Bordas, 1946. * Judith Robinson, ''Alain, lecteur de Balzac et de Stendhal'', Paris: Corti, 1958.


External links

* * * *
About AlainAlain, Philosophical and Humanistic Norman
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chartier, Emile 1868 births 1951 deaths 19th-century French non-fiction writers 19th-century French philosophers 20th-century French non-fiction writers 20th-century French philosophers Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery Continental philosophers Cultural critics École Normale Supérieure alumni French classical liberals French radicals French male non-fiction writers French pacifists Lycée Henri-IV teachers Lycée Pierre-Corneille alumni People from Mortagne-au-Perche Philosophers of culture Philosophers of history Philosophers of war Political philosophers Radical Party (France) politicians Scholars of antisemitism French social commentators Social critics Social philosophers