Charles-Irénée Castel, abbé de Saint-Pierre (18 February 1658 – 29 April 1743) was a French writer.
Biography
In 1718, Saint-Pierre published ''Discours sur la polysynodie'', where he proposed that appointed ministers be replaced by elected councils. As a consequence of his criticism of the policy of
Louis XIV
LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
(died 1715) he was expelled from the Académie later the same year.
In 1723, with
Pierre-Joseph Alary he founded the
Club de l'Entresol
The Club de l'Entresol (, "Mezzanine Club") was a discussion group and early think tank in Paris, active from 1723 to 1731, created and primarily led by Abbot Pierre-Joseph Alary.
Name and background
The club's name came from the fact that a ...
, an early modern
think tank
A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...
in Paris; the club was closed for political reasons in 1731.
He died in Paris on 29 April 1743.
Ideas
Saint-Pierre's works are centered on an acute and visionary criticism of politics, law and social institutions. He had a great influence on
Rousseau, who left elaborate examinations of some of them, and was a forerunner of
Kant's 1795 essay on
perpetual peace. His was published in 1713 in Utrecht, where he was acting as secretary to the French plenipotentiary, the
Abbé de Polignac, and his contained severe strictures on the government of Louis XIV, with projects for the administration of France by a system of councils for each department of government. His works include a number of memorials and projects for stopping duelling, equalizing taxation, treating
mendicancy
A mendicant (from , "begging") is one who practices mendicancy, relying chiefly or exclusively on alms to survive. In principle, mendicant religious orders own little property, either individually or collectively, and in many instances members ...
, reforming education and spelling, etc. It was not, however, for his suggestions for the reform of the constitution that he was disgraced, but because in the he had refused to Louis XIV the title of .
Saint-Pierre was one of the first to mention the possibility of a European union made by independent and autonomous states. His work on a European community directly inspired the idea of an international order based on the principle of collective self-defense, and was important to the creation of the
Concert of Europe, and later the
League of Nations
The League of Nations (LN or LoN; , SdN) was the first worldwide intergovernmental organisation whose principal mission was to maintain world peace. It was founded on 10 January 1920 by the Paris Peace Conference (1919–1920), Paris Peace ...
, whose successor is the
United Nations Organisation
The United Nations (UN) is the global intergovernmental organization established by the signing of the UN Charter on 26 June 1945 with the stated purpose of maintaining international peace and security, to develop friendly relations among ...
. Friederich the Great of Prussia, writing to Voltaire about the ''Projet pour rendre la paix perpétuelle en Europe'', stated that: "The Abbe de Saint-Pierre has sent me a fine work on how to re-establish peace in Europe. The thing is very practicable. All it lacks to be successful, is the consent of all Europe and a few other such small details."
Works
Printed books
*
Ouvrages de morale et de politique'. Rotterdam: J.-D. Beman ; Paris: Briasson, 1733–1740
*
Projet pour rendre la paix perpétuelle en Europe'. Utrecht: A. Schouten, 1713
*
A lasting peace through the federation of Europe; and, The state of war English translation'
*
Discours sur la polysynodie'. Amsterdam: Du Villard & Changuion, 1719
* ''Projet pour perfectionner l'éducation''. Paris: Briasson, 1728
* ''Abrégé du projet de paix perpétuelle''. Rotterdam: J.-D. Bernan, 1729.
** ''An Abridged Version of the Project for Perpetual Peace'', ed. Roderick Pace, trans. Carmen Depasquale. Valletta: Midsea Books, 2009.
*
De la douceur'. Amsterdam: Briasson, 1740
* André Robinet (ed.), ''Correspondance G. W. Leibniz, Ch. I. Castel de Saint-Pierre'', Paris: Centre de philosophie du droit, 1995.
Correspondence
Saint-Pierre exchanged letters with a number of luminaries of his time, including
Voltaire
François-Marie Arouet (; 21 November 169430 May 1778), known by his ''Pen name, nom de plume'' Voltaire (, ; ), was a French Age of Enlightenment, Enlightenment writer, philosopher (''philosophe''), satirist, and historian. Famous for his wit ...
. His letters often ended with the formula "Paradise to those who do good".
["Le paradis aux bienfaisants!"]
References
External links
Saint-Pierre’s biography at the Académie française – Includes a portrait.
* Franco Spoltore
Abbé de Saint-Pierre In ''The Federalist''. Year XXXVI (1994) Number 3 - Page 221.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint-Pierre, Charles-Irenee Castel de
1658 births
1743 deaths
Expelled members of the Académie Française
18th-century French writers
18th-century French nobility
French political philosophers
People from the Province of Normandy
French Christian pacifists