Maurice Blondel

Maurice Blondel (born November 2, 1861, Dijon, France—died June 4, 1949, Aix-en-Provence) was a French dialectical philosopher who formulated a “philosophy of action” that integrated classical Neoplatonic thought with modern pragmatism in the context of a Christian philosophy of religion.

He studied at the École Normale Supérieure under Léon Ollé-Laprune and first formulated his philosophy in L’Action: essai d’une critique de la vie et d’une science de la pratique (1893; Action: Essay on a Critique of Life and a Science of Practice). Blondel was influenced by the theory that belief is a matter of will as well as logical demonstration. For him, the term action was comprehensive and meant the dynamism of life in all its manifestations; it includes all the conditions that contribute to the gestation, birth, and expansion of the free act. He argued that proving that God exists is not the question; it is determining what attitude a person should take regarding the possibility of receiving eternal life with God.

Among Blondel’s principal writings are La Pensée, 2 vol. (1934; “Thought”), and Exigences philosophiques du Christianisme (1950; “Philosophical Demands of Christianity”).

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