Étienne Henri Gilson (French:[ʒilsɔ̃]; 13 June 1884 – 19 September 1978) was a Frenchphilosopher andhistorian of philosophy. Ascholar ofmedieval philosophy, he originally specialised in the thought ofDescartes; he also philosophized in the tradition ofThomas Aquinas, although he did not consider himself aneo-Thomist philosopher. In 1946 he attained the distinction of being elected an "Immortal" (member) of theAcadémie française. He was nominated for theNobel Prize in Literature.[4]
Étienne Gilson | |
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![]() Étienne Gilson | |
Born | Étienne Henri Gilson (1884-06-13)13 June 1884 |
Died | 19 September 1978(1978-09-19) (aged 94) Auxerre, France |
Education | |
Alma mater | University of Paris Collège de France |
Doctoral advisor | Victor Delbos[1] |
Other advisors | Lucien Lévy-Bruhl,Henri Bergson,Victor Delbos |
Philosophical work | |
Era | 20th-century philosophy |
Region | Western philosophy |
School | Thomism Neo-Scholasticism |
Doctoral students | Anton Charles Pegis[3] |
Main interests | Theology,metaphysics,politics,literature,history of philosophy |
Notable ideas | TheThomistic distinction betweenbeing andessence Coining the term "mathematicism"[2][better source needed] |
In 2009, the International Étienne Gilson Society was created “to promote the thought of Étienne Gilson and classical philosophy in the academy and culture.” It publishes a journal,Studia Gilsoniana.[5]
Biography
editBorn inParis to aRoman Catholic family originally fromBurgundy, Gilson attended theminor seminary at Notre-Dame-des-Champs, then finished his secondary education at theLycée Henri IV. After finishing his military service, during which he began to readRené Descartes, he studied for hislicence (bachelor's degree), focusing on the influence ofscholasticism on Cartesian thought. After studying at theSorbonne underVictor Delbos (1862–1916), andLucien Lévy-Bruhl and at theCollège de France underHenri Bergson, he finished his degree in philosophy in 1906.
In 1908, he married Thérèse Ravisé of Melun, and he taught in the high schools ofBourg-en-Bresse,Rochefort,Tours,Saint-Quentin andAngers. In 1913, while employed in teaching at theUniversity of Lille, he defended his doctoral dissertation at theUniversity of Paris on "Liberty in Descartes and Theology" ("La Liberté chez Descartes et la Théologie").
His career was interrupted by the outbreak ofWorld War I, as he was drafted into theFrench Army as a sergeant. He served on the front and took part in theBattle of Verdun as second lieutenant. He was captured in February 1916 and spent two years in captivity. During this time he devoted himself to new areas of study, including theRussian language andSt. Bonaventure. He was later awarded theCroix de Guerre for bravery in action.[6]
In 1919, he became professor of thehistory of philosophy at theUniversity of Strasbourg. From 1921 to 1932, he taught the history ofmedieval philosophy at theUniversity of Paris. At the invitation of theCongregation of St. Basil, in 1929, he set up thePontifical Institute of Medieval Studies inToronto in conjunction withSt. Michael's College atthe University of Toronto, which now hosts an annual Étienne Gilson Lecture. He was elected to theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1929.[7] As an internationally renowned thinker, Gilson was first, along withJacques Maritain, to receive anhonorary doctorate in philosophy from thePontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in 1930.[8][9]
He taught as a Visiting Professor of Philosophy at Indiana University for 1939-1940.He also taught for three years atHarvard. He was elected to theAcadémie française in 1946. In 1948, he was elected an International Member of theAmerican Philosophical Society.[10]
With the death of his wife, Thérèse Ravisé, on 12 November 1949, Gilson endured a considerable emotional shock.[11]
In 1951, he relinquished his chair toMartial Gueroult at theCollège de France to devote himself completely to thePontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies until 1968. He knew theJesuit theologian and cardinalHenri de Lubac. Their correspondence has been published. Although Gilson was primarily a historian of philosophy, he was also at the forefront of the 20th century revival ofThomism, along withJacques Maritain. His work has received critical praise fromRichard McKeon.
Work
editGilson undertook an in-depth analysis ofThomism from a historical perspective. To Gilson, Thomism is certainly not identical withscholasticism in the pejorative sense, but rather a revolt against it.[12] Gilson considered the philosophy of his own era to be deteriorating into a discipline which would signal humanity's abdication of the right to judge and rule nature, relegating humanity into a mere part of nature, which in turn would give the green light for the most reckless of social adventures to play havoc with human lives and institutions. Against "systems" of philosophy, Gilson was convinced that a revival of the philosophy ofThomas Aquinas would lead to the way out of that danger zone.[citation needed]
In his time, Gilson was the leading scholar of the history of medieval philosophy as well as a highly regarded philosopher in his own right.[citation needed] His works continue to be reprinted and studied today – perhaps alone among "Thomist" philosophers, his work and reputation have not suffered from the general decline of interest in and regard for medieval philosophy since the 1960s.[citation needed]
Publications
edit- La Liberté chez Descartes et la Théologie, Alcan, 1913 (reprint: Vrin, 1982).
- Index scolastico-cartésien, Alcan, 1913 (second revised edition: Vrin, 1979).
- Le thomisme, introduction au système de saint Thomas, Vrin, 1919.Chapter from English translation on Faith & Reason.
- Études de philosophie médiévale, Université de Strasbourg, 1921.
- La philosophie au moyen-âge, vol.I : De Scot Erigène à saint Bonaventure, Payot, 1922.
- La philosophie au moyen-âge, vol.II : De saint Thomas d'Aquin à Guillaume d'Occam, Payot, 1922.
- La philosophie de saint Bonaventure, Vrin, 1924.
- René Descartes. Discours de la méthode, texte et commentaire, Vrin, 1925.
- Saint Thomas d'Aquin, Gabalda, 1925.
- Introduction à l'étude de Saint Augustin, Vrin, 1929.
- Études sur le rôle de la pensée médiévale dans la formation du système cartésien, Vrin, 1930.
- L'esprit de la philosophie médiévale, Vrin, 1932.
- Les Idées et les Lettres, Vrin, 1932.
- Pour un ordre catholique, Desclée de Brouwer, 1934.
- La théologie mystique de saint Bernard, Vrin, 1934.
- Le réalisme méthodique, Téqui, 1935.
- Christianisme et philosophie, Vrin, 1936.
- The Unity of Philosophical Experience, Scribner's, 1937.
- Héloïse et Abélard, Vrin, 1938.
- Dante et la philosophie, Vrin, 1939.
- Réalisme thomiste et critique de la connaissance, Vrin, 1939.
- God and Philosophy, 1941.
- Théologie et histoire de la spiritualité, Vrin, 1943.
- Notre démocratie, S.E.R.P., 1947.
- L'être et l'essence, Vrin, 1948.
- Saint Bernard, textes choisis et présentés, Plon, 1949.
- Being and Some Philosophers (Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, 1952)
- L'École des Muses, Vrin, 1951.
- Jean Duns Scot, introduction à ses positions fondamentales, Vrin, 1952.
- Les métamorphoses de la cité de Dieu, Vrin, 1952.
- Being and Some Philosophers, 2nd ed. (Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, 1952)
- History of Christian Philosophy in the Middle Ages (London: Sheed and Ward, 1955)
- Peinture et réalité, Vrin, 1958.
- Le Philosophe et la Théologie, Fayard, 1960.
- Introduction à la philosophie chrétienne, Vrin, 1960.
- La paix de la sagesse, Aquinas, 1960.
- Trois leçons sur le problème de l'existence de Dieu, Divinitas, 1961.
- L'être et Dieu, Revue thomiste, 1962.
- Introduction aux arts du Beau, Vrin, 1963.
- The Spirit of Thomism, 1964.
- Matières et formes, Vrin, 1965.
- Les tribulations de Sophie, Vrin, 1967.
- La société de masse et sa culture, Vrin, 1967.
- Hommage à Bergson, Vrin, 1967.
- Linguistique et philosophie, Vrin, 1969.
- D'Aristote à Darwin et retour, Vrin, 1971.
- Dante et Béatrice, études dantesques, Vrin, 1974.
- Saint Thomas moraliste, Vrin, 1974.
- L'athéisme difficile, Vrin, 1979
Translations
edit- The Philosophy of St Thomas Aquinas, edited by G. A. Elrington, translated byEdward Bullough (Cambridge: W. Heffer, 1924)
- The Spirit of Mediaeval Philosophy, translated by A. H. C. Downes (London:Sheed and Ward, 1936)
- Reason and Revelation in the Middle Ages (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1939)
- The Mystical Theology of Saint Bernard, translated by A. H. C. Downes (London: Sheed and Ward, 1940)
- The Philosophy of St Bonaventure, translated byIlltyd Trethowan andF. J. Sheed (London: Sheed and Ward, 1940)
- History of Philosophy and Philosophical Education, Marquette University Press, 1948.
- Dante the Philosopher, translated by David Moore (London: Sheed and Ward, 1952)
- Choir of Muses, translated byMaisie Ward (London: Sheed and Ward, 1953)
- The Christian Philosophy of St Thomas Aquinas, translated by L. K. Shook (London: Gollancz, 1957)
- Gilson's "Painting and Reality" (1957), was also published in English.
- The Christian Philosophy of Saint Augustine translated by L. E. M. Lynch (New York: Random House, 1960)
- Heloise and Abelard (Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan Press, 1960)
- Moral Values and the Moral Life:The Ethical Theory of St. Thomas Aquinas(The Shoestring Press Inc. 1961)
- The Philosopher and Theology (Translated from the French by Cecile Gilson, Imprint, New York: Random House, 1962)
- The Arts of the Beautiful (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1965)
- From Aristotle to Darwin and Back Again, Translated by J. Lyon, (Notre Dame: University of Notre Dame Press, 1984)
- The Terrors of the Year Two Thousand, University of St. Michael's College, 1984.
- Christian Philosophy: An Introduction, translated by Armand Maurer (Toronto: Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies, 1993)
- The Metamorphoses of the City of God, translated by James G. Colbert (Washington:The Catholic University of America Press, 2020)
- Gilson, Étienne (2019).History of Christian Philosophy in the Middle Ages. Washington, DC.:Catholic University of America Press.ISBN 978-1952826566.
- Gilson, Étienne; Langan, Thomas (2021).Modern Philosophy: From Descartes to Kant. Rhode Island: Cluny Press.ISBN 978-1952826566.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^Séances et Travaux de l'Académie des Sciences Morales et Politiques: Compte Rendu. A. Picard et Fils. 1913. p. 117. Retrieved9 December 2023.
- ^Gilson, Étienne.The Unity of Philosophical Experience. San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 1999, p. 133.
- ^Maurer, Armand (January 1979). "Anton Charles Pegis (1905-1978)".Mediaeval Studies.41:xvii–xix.doi:10.1484/J.MS.2.306239.
- ^"Nomination Database".www.nobelprize.org. Retrieved19 April 2017.
- ^"I.E.G.S. - I.É.G.S."gilsonsociety.com.
- ^Michel, Florian (translated by James G. Colbert)Etienne Gilson: An Intellectual and Political Biography. Washington, DC.Catholic University of America Press, 2023.
- ^"Etienne-Henry Gilson".American Academy of Arts & Sciences. 9 February 2023. Retrieved8 March 2023.
- ^Viotto, P. (2008).Grandi amicizie: i Maritain e i loro contemporanei. I Prismi. Saggi (in Italian). Città nuova. p. 38.ISBN 978-88-311-7340-7. Retrieved26 August 2021.
- ^Leclercq, J. (1993).Di grazia in grazia: memorie. Biblioteca di cultura medievale (in Italian). Jaca Book. p. 60.ISBN 978-88-16-40330-7. Retrieved26 August 2021.
- ^"APS Member History".search.amphilsoc.org. Retrieved8 March 2023.
- ^"Biography of Étienne Gilson's Intellectual Life". Archived fromthe original on 7 October 2017. Retrieved27 December 2013.
- ^The Christian Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas, University of Notre Dame Press, Indiana, 1956, pp. 366–367
Further reading
edit- Biographical sketch (in French) Academie Francaise
- Étienne Gilson,The Christian Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas, University of Notre Dame Press, Indiana, 1956,ISBN 0-268-00801-9
- Charles J. O'Neill (ed.),An Étienne Gilson Tribute, The Marquette University Press, 1959.
- Antonio Livi,Étienne Gilson: filosofia cristiana e idea del limite critico, Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, 1970
- Laurence K. Shook,Etienne Gilson, Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies, Toronto, 1984,ISBN 0-88844-706-X
- Henri Gouhier,Étienne Gilson : trois essais, Vrin, 1993, p. 75
- Francesca Aran Murphy,Art and intellect in the philosophy of Etienne Gilson, University of Missouri Press, Columbia, 2004,ISBN 0-8262-1536-X
- Michel, Florian (translated by James G. Colbert)Etienne Gilson: An Intellectual and Political Biography. Washington, DC.Catholic University of America Press, 2023.