Martial Guéroult

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Martial Guéroult (Le Havre, 15 December 1891 - Paris, 13 August 1976) was a French philosopher and historian of philosophy, specialized in 17th century philosophy. His work was characterized by a close attention to history of philosophy, which he considered as noble as philosophy itself, and a strong demand for systematicity. He also refused philosophical recourse to transcendence.

[edit] Life

Martial Guéroult first taught in Strasbourg, then in the Sorbonne University before being named as successor of Etienne Gilson at the Collège de France in 1951, where he stayed until 1963. His chair was titled "History and Technology of Philosophical Systems" (Histoire et technologie des systèmes philosophiques). Guéroult's historical works have become classics for many students.

A polemical debate opposed him to Ferdinand Alquié concerning Descartes, as Guéroult was studying him "according to the order of reasons" (synchronically), while Alquié was more interested in his historical evolution, studying him diachronically.

As a philosopher, Guéroult was interested in the "conditions of possibility of a history of philosophy" in general. He died before achieving his opus titled Dianoématique, which was composed of two books, the first one being titled History of the history of philosophy and the second one Philosophy of the history of philosophy. The second volume asked the question: how is a history of philosophy possible, given that philosophy aims as studying eternal truths, and that history is a school of scepticism?

[edit] Works

Bibliography of Martial Guéroult

• History of philosophy.
  • L'Antidogmatisme de Kant et de Fichte, 1920
  • La Philosophie transcendantale de Salomon Maimon, 1929
  • L’Évolution et la structure de la doctrine de la science chez Fichte, 1930
  • Leibniz, Dynamique et métaphysique. Suivi d'une note sur le principe de la moindre action chez Maupertuis, 1934
  • Étendue et psychologie chez Malebranche, 1939
  • Berkeley. Quatre études sur la perception et sur Dieu, 1956
  • Malebranche, 1953-1958
  • Descartes selon l'ordre des raisons, 1953
    • tome 1 : L'Âme et Dieu
    • tome 2 : L'Âme et le corps
  • Spinoza, 1968-1974
    • tome 1 : Dieu (Éthique, livre I)
    • tome 2 : L'Âme (Éthique, livre II)
  • Études sur Fichte, 1979

His book on Spinoza was not achieved, as Guéroult had problems in bridging the passage between the 2nd Book and the 3rd Book of the Ethics, and that he died before.

• Philosophy
  • La Dianoématique
    • livre 1 : Histoire de l'histoire de la philosophie
      • volume 1 : En Occident, des origines jusqu'à Condillac, 1984
      • volume 2 : En Allemagne, de Leibniz à nos jours, 1988
      • volume 3 : En France, de Condorcet à nos jours, 1988
    • livre 2 : Philosophie de l'histoire de la philosophie, 1979

[edit] Influence

Guéroult had a strong influence, notably on

• Pierre Bourdieu, who did under his direction a mémoire on Animadversiones of Leibniz ;
• Gilles Deleuze, who admired his books on Spinoza, Leibniz, Malebranche;
• Michel Foucault;
• Geneviève Rodis-Lewis ;
• Jules Vuillemin, who considered himself as his disciple.