Étienne Henri Gilson (; 13 June 1884 – 19 September 1978) 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 ...

and historian of philosophy. A

scholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...

medieval philosophy Medieval philosophy is the philosophy that existed through the Middle Ages, the period roughly extending from the fall of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century until after the Renaissance in the 13th and 14th centuries. Medieval philosophy, ...

, he originally specialised in the thought of Descartes; he also philosophized in the tradition of

Thomas Aquinas Thomas Aquinas, Dominican Order, OP (; it, Tommaso d'Aquino, lit=Thomas of Aquino, Italy, Aquino; 1225 – 7 March 1274) was an Italian Dominican Order, Dominican friar and Catholic priest, priest who was an influential List of Catholic philo ...

, although he did not consider himself a Neo-Thomist philosopher. In 1946 he attained the distinction of being elected an "Immortal" (member) of 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 ...

. He was nominated for the

Nobel Prize in Literature ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , caption = , awarded_for = Outstanding contributions in literature , presenter = Swedish Academy , holder = Annie Ernaux (2022) , location = Stockholm, Sweden , year = 1901 , ...

Biography

Born in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...

into a

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: * Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...

family originally from

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The ...

, Gilson attended the

minor seminary A minor seminary or high school seminary is a secondary day or boarding school created for the specific purpose of enrolling teenage boys who have expressed interest in becoming Catholic priests. They are generally Catholic institutions, and de ...

at Notre-Dame-des-Champs, then finished his secondary education at the

Lycée Henri IV In France, secondary education is in two stages: * ''Collèges'' () cater for the first four years of secondary education from the ages of 11 to 15. * ''Lycées'' () provide a three-year course of further secondary education for children betwee ...

. After finishing his military service, during which he began to read

René Descartes René Descartes ( or ; ; Latinized: Renatus Cartesius; 31 March 1596 – 11 February 1650) was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and science. Ma ...

, he studied for his ''

licence A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

'' (bachelor's degree), focusing on the influence of

scholasticism Scholasticism was a medieval school of philosophy that employed a critical organic method of philosophical analysis predicated upon the Aristotelian 10 Categories. Christian scholasticism emerged within the monastic schools that translat ...

on Cartesian thought. After studying at the Sorbonne under

Victor Delbos Étienne Marie Justin Victor Delbos (26 September 1862, Figeac – 16 June 1916, Paris) was a Catholic philosopher and historian of philosophy. Delbos was appointed a lecturer at the Sorbonne in 1902. In 1911 he became a member of the Académie des ...

(1862–1916), and Lucien Lévy-Bruhl and at the

Collège de France The Collège de France (), formerly known as the ''Collège Royal'' or as the ''Collège impérial'' founded in 1530 by François I, is a higher education and research establishment ('' grand établissement'') in France. It is located in Paris n ...

under

Henri Bergson Henri-Louis Bergson (; 18 October 1859 – 4 January 1941) was a French philosopherHenri Bergson. 2014. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 13 August 2014, from https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/61856/Henri-Bergson Le Roy, ...

, he finished his degree in Philosophy in 1906. In 1908, he married Thérèse Ravisé of Melun, and he taught in the high schools of

Bourg-en-Bresse Bourg-en-Bresse (; frp, Bôrg) is the prefecture of the Ain department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Located northeast of Lyon, it is the capital of the ancient province of Bresse ( frp, Brêsse, links=no). In 2018, ...

, Rochefort,

Tours Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the prefecture of the department of Indre-et-Loire. The commune of Tours had 136,463 inhabitants as of 2018 while the population of the whole metro ...

, Saint-Quentin and

Angers Angers (, , ) is a city in western France, about southwest of Paris. It is the prefecture of the Maine-et-Loire department and was the capital of the province of Anjou until the French Revolution. The inhabitants of both the city and the pr ...

. In 1913, while employed in teaching at the

University of Lille The University of Lille (french: Université de Lille, abbreviated as ULille, UDL or univ-lille) is a French public research university based in Lille, Hauts-de-France. It has its origins in the University of Douai (1559), and resulted from th ...

, he defended his doctoral dissertation at 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 ...

on "Liberty in Descartes and Theology". His career was interrupted by the outbreak of

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, as he was drafted into the

French Army History Early history The first permanent army, paid with regular wages, instead of feudal levies, was established under Charles VII of France, Charles VII in the 1420 to 1430s. The Kings of France needed reliable troops during and after the ...

as a sergeant. He served on the front and took part in the

Battle of Verdun The Battle of Verdun (french: Bataille de Verdun ; german: Schlacht um Verdun ) was fought from 21 February to 18 December 1916 on the Western Front in France. The battle was the longest of the First World War and took place on the hills north ...

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 the

Russian language Russian (russian: русский язык, russkij jazyk, link=no, ) is an East Slavic language mainly spoken in Russia. It is the native language of the Russians, and belongs to the Indo-European language family. It is one of four living E ...

and

St. Bonaventure Bonaventure ( ; it, Bonaventura ; la, Bonaventura de Balneoregio; 1221 – 15 July 1274), born Giovanni di Fidanza, was an Italian Catholic Franciscan, bishop, cardinal, scholastic theologian and philosopher. The seventh Minister G ...

. He was later awarded the

Croix de Guerre The ''Croix de Guerre'' (, ''Cross of War'') is a military decoration of France. It was first created in 1915 and consists of a square-cross medal on two crossed swords, hanging from a ribbon with various degree pins. The decoration was first awa ...

for bravery in action. In 1919, he became professor of the

history of 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. Some ...

at the

University of Strasbourg The University of Strasbourg (french: Université de Strasbourg, Unistra) is a public research university located in Strasbourg, Alsace, France, with over 52,000 students and 3,300 researchers. The French university traces its history to the ea ...

. From 1921 to 1932, he taught the history of

at the

. As an internationally renowned thinker, Gilson was first, along with

Jacques Maritain Jacques Maritain (; 18 November 1882 – 28 April 1973) was a French Catholic philosopher. Raised Protestant, he was agnostic before converting to Catholicism in 1906. An author of more than 60 books, he helped to revive Thomas Aquinas fo ...

, to receive an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...

in philosophy from the

Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas A pontifical ( la, pontificale) is a Christian liturgical book containing the liturgies that only a bishop may perform. Among the liturgies are those of the ordinal for the ordination and consecration of deacons, priests, and bishops to Holy ...

(''Angelicum'') in 1930. He also taught for three years at

Harvard Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. At the invitation of the

Congregation of St. Basil The Congregation of St. Basil ( la, Congregatio a Sancto Basilio), abbreviated CSB, also called the Basilians, is a Roman Catholic clerical religious congregation of Pontifical Right for men (priests, seminarians and lay associates). It is an ap ...

, he set up the

Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies The Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies (PIMS) is a research institute in the University of Toronto that is dedicated to advanced studies in the culture of the Middle Ages. Governance The Roman Catholic Archbishop of Toronto, currently T ...

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

in conjunction with St. Michael's College at

the University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

, which hosts an annual Étienne Gilson Lecture. He was elected to the

in 1946. With the death of his wife, Thérèse Ravisé, on 12 November 1949 Gilson endured a considerable emotional shock. In 1951, he relinquished his chair to Martial Gueroult at the

to devote himself completely to the Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies until 1968. He knew the

Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

theologian and cardinal

Henri de Lubac Henri-Marie Joseph Sonier de Lubac (; 20 February 1896 – 4 September 1991), better known as Henri de Lubac, was a French Jesuit priest and cardinal who is considered one of the most influential theologians of the 20th century. His writin ...

. Their correspondence has been published. Although Gilson was primarily a historian of philosophy, he was also at the forefront of the 20th century revival of

Thomism Thomism is the philosophical and theological school that arose as a legacy of the work and thought of Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274), the Dominican philosopher, theologian, and Doctor of the Church. In philosophy, Aquinas' disputed questions ...

, along with

. His work has received critical praise from

Richard McKeon Richard McKeon (; April 26, 1900 – March 31, 1985) was an American philosopher and longtime professor at the University of Chicago. His ideas formed the basis for the UN's Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Life, times, and influences McKe ...

Work

Gilson undertook to analyze

from a historical perspective. To Gilson, Thomism is certainly not identical with

in the pejorative sense, but indeed rather a revolt against it.The Christian Philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas, University of Notre Dame Press, Indiana, 1956, pp. 366–367 Gilson considered the philosophy of his own era to be deteriorating into a science which would signal humanity's abdication of the right to judge and rule nature, humanity made 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 it was the revival of the philosophy of

that opens the way out of that danger zone. 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. 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.

Publications

*''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. *''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. *''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

*''The Philosophy of St Thomas Aquinas'', edited by G. A. Elrington, translated by Edward Bullough (Cambridge: W. Heffer, 1924) *''The Spirit of Mediaeval Philosophy'', translated by A. H. C. Downes (London:

Sheed and Ward Sheed and Ward was a publishing house founded in London in 1926 by Catholic activists Frank Sheed and Maisie Ward. The head office was moved to New York in 1933. The United States assets of Sheed and Ward have been owned by Rowman & Littlefield ...

, 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 by

Illtyd Trethowan Illtyd Trethowan (12 May 1907 – 30 October 1993), born Kenneth Trethowan, was an English Benedictine monk, Roman Catholic priest, philosopher, theologian, and author. Early life Born at Salisbury in 1907, Trethowan was the son of Wi ...

and F. 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 by Maisie Ward (London: Sheed and Ward, 1953) *''The Christian Philosophy of St Thomas Aquinas'', translated by L. K. Shook (London: Gollancz, 1957) *''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) *''The Arts of the Beautiful'' (New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1965)
''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 The Catholic University of America Press, also known as CUA Press, is the publishing division of The Catholic University of America. Founded on November 14, 1939, and incorporated on July 16, 1941,Roy J. Deferrari ''Memoirs of the Catholic Unive ...

, 2020) Gilson's "Painting and Reality" (1957), was also published in English.

References

External links

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