Michel Serres (; 1 September 1930 – 1 June 2019) was a French

philosopher A philosopher is a person who practices or investigates philosophy. The term ''philosopher'' comes from the grc, φιλόσοφος, , translit=philosophos, meaning 'lover of wisdom'. The coining of the term has been attributed to the Greek th ...

, theorist and writer. His works explore themes of science, time and death, and later incorporated

prose Prose is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the fo ...

Life and career

The son of a bargeman, Serres entered France's naval academy, the

École Navale École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, Savoi ...

, in 1949 and the

École Normale Supérieure École may refer to: * an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée) * École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France * École, S ...

in 1952. He aggregated in 1955, having studied

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. ...

. He spent the next few years as a naval officer before finally receiving his

doctorate A doctorate (from Latin ''docere'', "to teach"), doctor's degree (from Latin ''doctor'', "teacher"), or doctoral degree is an academic degree awarded by universities and some other educational institutions, derived from the ancient formalism ''l ...

( doctorat ès lettres) in 1968 from the

University of Paris , image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg , image_size = 150px , caption = Coat of Arms , latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis , motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin) , mottoeng = Here and a ...

(with a thesis titled ''Le Système de Leibniz et ses modèles mathématiques''), and began teaching in 1969 at the

University of Paris I A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

. As a child, Serres witnessed firsthand the violence and devastation of war. "I was six for my first dead bodies," he told

Bruno Latour Bruno Latour (; 22 June 1947 – 9 October 2022) was a French philosopher, anthropologist and sociologist.Wheeler, Will. ''Bruno Latour: Documenting Human and Nonhuman Associations'' Critical Theory for Library and Information Science. Libraries ...

. These formative experiences led him consistently to eschew

scholarship A scholarship is a form of financial aid awarded to students for further education. Generally, scholarships are awarded based on a set of criteria such as academic merit, diversity and inclusion, athletic skill, and financial need. Scholars ...

based upon models of war, suspicion, and

criticism Criticism is the construction of a judgement about the negative qualities of someone or something. Criticism can range from impromptu comments to a written detailed response. , ''"the act of giving your opinion or judgment about the good or bad q ...

. Over the next twenty years, Serres earned a reputation as a spell-binding lecturer and as the author of remarkably beautiful and enigmatic prose so reliant on the sonorities of French that it is considered practically untranslatable. He took as his subjects such diverse topics as the mythical

Northwest Passage The Northwest Passage (NWP) is the sea route between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans through the Arctic Ocean, along the northern coast of North America via waterways through the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. The eastern route along the ...

, the concept of the

parasite Parasitism is a close relationship between species, where one organism, the parasite, lives on or inside another organism, the host, causing it some harm, and is adapted structurally to this way of life. The entomologist E. O. Wilson h ...

, and the explosion of the Space Shuttle Challenger. More generally Serres was interested in developing a

philosophy of science Philosophy of science is a branch of philosophy concerned with the foundations, methods, and implications of science. The central questions of this study concern what qualifies as science, the reliability of scientific theories, and the ultim ...

which does not rely on a

metalanguage In logic and linguistics, a metalanguage is a language used to describe another language, often called the ''object language''. Expressions in a metalanguage are often distinguished from those in the object language by the use of italics, quota ...

in which a single account of science is privileged and regarded as accurate. To do this he relied on the concept of

translation Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. The English language draws a terminological distinction (which does not exist in every language) between ''transla ...

between accounts rather than settling on one as authoritative. For this reason Serres has relied on the figure of

Hermes Hermes (; grc-gre, Ἑρμῆς) is an Olympian deity in ancient Greek religion and mythology. Hermes is considered the herald of the gods. He is also considered the protector of human heralds, travellers, thieves, merchants, and orat ...

(in his earlier works) and

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles ...

s (in more recent studies) as messengers who translate (or map) back and forth between domains (i.e., between maps). In 1990, Serres was elected to the

Académie française An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary or tertiary higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membership). The name traces back to Plato's school of philosop ...

, in recognition of his position as one of France's most prominent intellectuals. He was an influence on intellectuals such as

, Robert Pogue Harrison, and

Jonathan Bate Sir Andrew Jonathan Bate, CBE, FBA, FRSL (born 26 June 1958), is a British academic, biographer, critic, broadcaster, poet, playwright, novelist and scholar. He specialises in Shakespeare, Romanticism and Ecocriticism. He is Foundation Prof ...

. He served as a Professor of French at

Stanford University Stanford University, officially Leland Stanford Junior University, is a private research university in Stanford, California. The campus occupies , among the largest in the United States, and enrolls over 17,000 students. Stanford is conside ...

. His most enduring book is ''Le contrat naturel'' (1990), a highly prescient work addressing the need for philosophy to address the climate crisis. In an interview with Hans Ulrich Obrist, Serres expressed interest in the

emergence In philosophy, systems theory, science, and art, emergence occurs when an entity is observed to have properties its parts do not have on their own, properties or behaviors that emerge only when the parts interact in a wider whole. Emergenc ...

of a new

political philosophy Political philosophy or political theory is the philosophical study of government, addressing questions about the nature, scope, and legitimacy of public agents and institutions and the relationships between them. Its topics include politics, ...

that addresses the

digital Digital usually refers to something using discrete digits, often binary digits. Technology and computing Hardware *Digital electronics, electronic circuits which operate using digital signals ** Digital camera, which captures and stores digital ...

context of the 21st century, "I think that out of this place of no law that is the Internet there will soon emerge a new law, completely different from that which organized our old metric space." Serres was a vocal enthusiast for freely accessible knowledge, especially

Wikipedia Wikipedia is a multilingual free online encyclopedia written and maintained by a community of volunteers, known as Wikipedians, through open collaboration and using a wiki-based editing system. Wikipedia is the largest and most-read refer ...

. In 2012, Serres was awarded the Meister Eckhart Prize and in 2013 he was awarded the

Dan David Prize The Dan David Prize is a major international award that recognizes and supports outstanding contributions to the study of history and other disciplines that shed light on the human past. It awards nine prizes of $300,000 each year to outstanding ...

. He died on 1 June 2019, at the age of 88.

Publications

* 1968: ''Le Système de Leibniz et ses modèles mathématiques'',

Presses universitaires de France Presses universitaires de France (PUF, English: ''University Press of France''), founded in 1921 by Paul Angoulvent (1899–1976), is the largest French university publishing house. Recent company history The financial and legal structure of ...

, rééd. 1982 * 1969: ''Hermès I, la communication'', Éditions de Minuit, reprint. 1984 * 1972: ''Hermès II, l'interférence'', Éditions de Minuit * 1974: ''Hermès III, la traduction'', Éditions de Minuit * 1974: ''Jouvences. Sur Jules Verne'', Éditions de Minuit * 1975: ''Auguste Comte. Leçons de philosophie positive'', (in collaboration), tome I,

Éditions Hermann Éditions Hermann () is a French publishing house founded in 1876, by the French professor of mathematics Arthur Hermann. It publishes books on science and the arts. ''Éléments de mathématique'' Hermann is noted for publishing several volu ...

* 1975: ''Esthétiques sur Carpaccio'', Hermann * 1975: ''Feux et signaux de brume. Zola'', Grasset, * 1977: ''Hermès IV, La distribution'', Éditions de Minuit, reprint. 1981 * 1977: ''La Naissance de la physique dans le texte de Lucrèce'', Éditions de Minuit * 1980: ''Hermès V, Le passage du Nord-ouest'', Éditions de Minuit, Paris * 1980: ''Le Parasite'', Grasset * 1982: ''Genèse'', Grasset * 1983: ''Détachement'',

Flammarion Flammarion may refer to: * Camille Flammarion (1842–1925), French astronomer and author * Gabrielle Renaudot Flammarion (1877–1962), French astronomer, wife of Camille Flammarion * Flammarion engraving by unknown artist; appeared in a book by C ...

* 1983: ''Rome. Le livre des fondations'', Grasset * 1985: '' Les Cinq Sens'', Grasset; reprint.

Fayard Fayard (complete name: ''Librairie Arthème Fayard'') is a French Paris-based publishing house established in 1857. Fayard is controlled by Hachette Livre. In 1999, Éditions Pauvert became part of Fayard. Claude Durand was director of Fayar ...

, 2014 * 1987: ''L'Hermaphrodite'', Flammarion * 1987: ''Statues'', François Bourin * 1989: ''Éléments d'histoire des sciences'', (in collaboration), Bordas * 1990: ''Le Contrat naturel'', François Bourin, Paris (''The Natural Contract'' (1995),

University of Michigan Press The University of Michigan Press is part of Michigan Publishing at the University of Michigan Library. It publishes 170 new titles each year in the humanities and social sciences. Titles from the press have earned numerous awards, including ...

(English translation by Elizabeth MacArthur and William Paulson) * 1991: ''Le Tiers-instruit'', François Bourin * 1991: ''Discours de réception de Michel Serres à l'Académie française et réponse de Bertrand Poirot-Delpech'', François Bourin * 1992: ''Éclaircissements'', (interviews with

), François Bourin * 1993: ''La Légende des Anges'', Flammarion * 1993: ''Les Origines de la géométrie'', Flammarion * 1994: ''Atlas'', Julliard * 1995: ''Éloge de la philosophie en langue française'', Fayard * 1997: ''Nouvelles du monde'', Flammarion * 1997: ''Le trésor. Dictionnaire des sciences'', (in collaboration), Flammarion, Paris * 1997: ''À visage différent'', (in collaboration), Hermann * 1999: ''Paysages des sciences'', (in collaboration), Le Pommier * 2000: ''Hergé, mon ami'', Éditions Moulinsart * 2001: ''Hominescence'', Le Pommier * 2002: ''Variations sur le corps'', Le Pommier, 1999; édition texte seul, Le Pommier * 2002: ''Conversations, Jules Verne, la science et l'homme contemporain, 1re version'', Revue Jules Verne 13/14, Centre international Jules-Verne, Amiens * 2003: ''L'Incandescent'', Le Pommier * 2003: ''Jules Verne, la science et l'homme contemporain'', Le Pommier * 2004: ''Rameaux'', Le Pommier * 2006: ''Récits d'humanisme'', Le Pommier * 2006: ''Petites chroniques du dimanche soir'', Le Pommier * 2006: ''L'Art des ponts : homo pontifex'', Le Pommier * 2007: ''Le Tragique et la Pitié. Discours de réception de René Girard à l'Académie française et réponse de Michel Serres'', Le Pommier * 2007: ''Petites chroniques du dimanche soir 2'', Le Pommier * 2007: ''Carpaccio, les esclaves libérés'', Le Pommier * 2008: ''Le Mal propre : polluer pour s'approprier ?'', Le Pommier, coll. « Manifestes » * 2008: ''La Guerre mondiale'', Le Pommier * 2009: ''Écrivains, savants et philosophes font le tour du monde'', Le Pommier, coll. « Les Essais » * 2009: ''Temps des crises'', Le Pommier, coll. « Manifestes », * 2009: ''Van Cleef et Arpels, Le Temps poétique'', with Franco Cologni and Jean-Claude Sabrier, Cercle d'Art, coll. « La collection » * 2009: Petites chroniques ''du dimanche soir 3'', Le Pommier * 2010: Biogée, Éditions-dialogues.fr/Le Pommier * 2011: ''Musique'', Éditions Le Pommier * 2012: '' Petite Poucette'', Éditions Le Pommier * 2012: ''Andromaque, veuve noire'', Éditions de l’Herne * 2013: ''Les Temps nouveaux ''(coffret), Le Pommier * 2014: ''Pantopie, de Hermès à Petite Poucette ''(avec Martin Legros et Sven Ortoli), Le Pommier * 2014: ''Petites Chroniques du dimanche'' tome VI, Le Pommier * 2014: ''Yeux'', Le Pommier * 2015: ''Le gaucher boiteux : puissance de la pensée'', Le Pommier * 2015: ''Écrivains, savants et philosophes font le tour du monde'', Le Pommier * 2015: ''Du bonheur, aujourd'hui'' (with Michel Polacco), Le Pommier * 2015: ''Solitude. Dialogue sur l'engagement'' (with Jean-François Serres), Le Pommier * 2016: ''De l'impertinence, aujourd'hui'' (with Michel Polacco), Le Pommier * 2016 : ''Darwin, Bonaparte et le Samaritain : une philosophie de l'histoire'', Paris, Le Pommier * 2017 : ''De l'Amitié, aujourd'hui'' (avec Michel Polacco), Paris, Le Pommier * 2017 : ''C'était mieux avant !'', Paris, Le Pommier * 2018 : ''Défense et illustration de la langue française aujourd'hui'', (avec Michel Polacco), Paris, Le Pommier * 2019 : ''Morales espiègles'', Paris, Le Pommier

Notes

References

* Alan D. Schrift (2006), ''Twentieth-Century French Philosophy: Key Themes and Thinkers'', Blackwell Publishing.

External links

*
Online Collaboration regarding Serres work

art, writing: michel serres (1995)
Interview with Serres by Hari Kunzru including a brief exchange on the relationship of Serres to Deleuze.
Steven Connor's website, with links to his writing on Serres
*

by Robert P. Harrison *
L'Académie française

Michel Serres talks to François-Bernard Huyghe in the Unesco Courier
*
Serres speaking about wikipedia very enthusiastically

Michel Serres, one of France's 'immortels,' tells the 'grand récit' at Stanford
by

Cynthia Haven Cynthia L. Haven is an American literary scholar, author, critic, Slavicist, and journalist. Her books includ''Evolution of Desire: A Life of René Girard'' which the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' named one of the top books of 2018, and Czesław Mi ...

, Stanford Report, May 27, 2009.
issuu.comObituary in Radical Philosophy
Autumn 2019 by Lucie Kim-Chi Mercier {{DEFAULTSORT:Serres, Michel 1930 births 2019 deaths 20th-century French philosophers 21st-century French philosophers Continental philosophers École Normale Supérieure alumni University of Paris alumni Members of the Académie Française Members of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts People from Agen People from Vincennes Philosophers of science Stanford University Department of French and Italian faculty Pantheon-Sorbonne University faculty French male non-fiction writers Winners of the Prix Broquette-Gonin (literature) Prix Médicis essai winners Grand Officiers of the Légion d'honneur Grand Cross of the Ordre national du Mérite