Georges Bénézé (26 October 1888 – 24 February 1978) was a French
philosopher
Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
with a scientific background, which enabled him to temper the French critics of Einstein's Relativity theory during the 1920s.
Bénézé was a disciple and editor of French philosopher
Alain Alain may refer to:
People
* Alain (given name), common given name, including list of persons and fictional characters with the name
* Alain (surname)
* "Alain", a pseudonym for cartoonist Daniel Brustlein
* Alain, a standard author abbreviation u ...
. Having completed his higher education as a student of the
École normale supérieure (Paris)
The – PSL (; also known as ENS, , Ulm or ENS Paris) is a ''grande école'' in Paris, France. It is one of the constituent members of Paris Sciences et Lettres University (PSL). Due to its selectivity, historical role, and influence within F ...
, he taught
Hegel
Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a 19th-century German idealism, German idealist. His influence extends across a wide range of topics from metaphysical issues in epistemology and ontology, to political phi ...
's philosophy in a number of provincial
lycée
In France, secondary education is in two stages:
* ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 14.
* ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for students between ...
s, most notably in
Poitiers
Poitiers is a city on the river Clain in west-central France. It is a commune in France, commune, the capital of the Vienne (department), Vienne department and the historical center of Poitou, Poitou Province. In 2021, it had a population of 9 ...
where
Jean Hyppolite
Jean Hyppolite (; 8 January 1907 – 26 October 1968) was a French philosopher known for championing the work of G. W. F. Hegel, and other German philosophers, and educating some of France's most prominent post-war thinkers. His major works in ...
was a student, then became Professor of
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 ...
starting in 1936. A regular contributor to ''L'Å’uvre'', a
collaborationist
Wartime collaboration is cooperation with the enemy against one's country of citizenship in wartime. As historian Gerhard Hirschfeld says, it "is as old as war and the occupation of foreign territory".
The term ''collaborator'' dates to the 19th ...
paper of
Vichy France
Vichy France (; 10 July 1940 – 9 August 1944), officially the French State ('), was a French rump state headed by Marshal Philippe Pétain during World War II, established as a result of the French capitulation after the Battle of France, ...
, Bénézé was sentenced to ''
Indignité nationale'' by virtue of the 1944
Ordonnance
In French law, an ''ordonnance'' (, "order") is a statutory instrument issued by the Council of Ministers in an area of law normally reserved for primary legislation enacted by the French Parliament. They function as temporary statutes pending ...
s, and then fired from public employment. Alain's private journal witnesses his regular calls at his old master's until 1950. His memories of Alain's philosophical teachings (''Généreux Alain'') were published in 1962.
Works
*''Allure du transcendental'', 1936
*''Valeur. Essai d'une théorie générale'', 1936
*(ed.) ''Les arts et les dieux'', 1958
*''Généreux Alain'', 1962
References
*
1888 births
1978 deaths
French male non-fiction writers
20th-century French philosophers
20th-century French male writers
{{france-philosopher-stub
People convicted of indignité nationale