''Esprit'' is a French literary magazine. The magazine also deals with current events. It is based in Paris.

History and profile

Founded in October 1932 by

Emmanuel Mounier Emmanuel Mounier (; ; 1 April 1905 – 22 March 1950) was a French philosopher, Catholic theologian, teacher and essayist. Biography Mounier was the guiding spirit in the French personalist movement, and founder and director of '' Esprit'', the ...

, it was the principal review of

personalist Personalism is an intellectual stance that emphasizes the importance of human persons. Personalism exists in many different versions, and this makes it somewhat difficult to define as a philosophical and theological movement. Friedrich Schleierm ...

intellectuals of the time. From 1957 to 1976, it was directed by Jean-Marie Domenach. Paul Thibaud directed it from 1977 to 1989. Since 1989 Oliver Mongin has been the director of the magazine. The philosopher Paul Ricœur often collaborated with it. ''Esprit'' is a member of the

Eurozine ''Eurozine '' is a network of European cultural magazines based in Vienna, linking up more than 90 partner journals and just as many associated magazines and institutions from nearly all European countries. ''Eurozine'' is also an online magazin ...

network.

Personalism and the non-conformists

In the 1930s, ''Esprit'' was the main mouthpiece of the Personalists and of the non-conformists of the 1930s. A presentation of the magazine by its authors in 1933 stated that it opposed the "compromission" (compromising) of spiritual values with the established order (which Mounier called "established disorder") and aimed at denouncing their "exploitation by the powers of

Money Money is any item or verifiable record that is generally accepted as payment for goods and services and repayment of debts, such as taxes, in a particular country or socio-economic context. The primary functions which distinguish money are: m ...

, in the social regime, in the government, in the press, etc.Prospectus de présentation de la revue "Esprit"
, presented by Alain-Gérard Slama, on-line course of Sciences-Po, 18 May 2007 " ''Esprit'' opposed partial reforms and aimed at a global rebuilding of the basis of the social edifice. It targeted as opponents "

individualist Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote realizing one's goals and desires, valuing independence and self-reliance, and a ...

materialism Materialism is a form of monism, philosophical monism according to which matter is the fundamental Substance theory, substance in nature, and all things, including mind, mental states and consciousness, are results of material interactions. Acco ...

", claiming that the "capitalist jungle was its ultimate product"; "collectivist materialism", which linked both

Communism Communism () is a political sociology, sociopolitical, political philosophy, philosophical, and economic ideology, economic ideology within the history of socialism, socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a ...

and

Capitalism Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...

, despite their oppositions, in the "same metaphysics"; and the "false

Fascist Fascism ( ) is a far-right, authoritarian, and ultranationalist political ideology and movement. It is characterized by a dictatorial leader, centralized autocracy, militarism, forcible suppression of opposition, belief in a natural soci ...

spiritualism Spiritualism may refer to: * Spiritual church movement, a group of Spiritualist churches and denominations historically based in the African-American community * Spiritualism (beliefs), a metaphysical belief that the world is made up of at leas ...

," which seemed to share the same opponents, but in reality turned towards the "tyrannic idolatry of inferior spiritualities:

racist Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...

exaltation, national passion, anonymous discipline, devotion to the state or the leader" or plain "safeguard of economic interests." The magazine posited itself for the "rebirth" of a "community of personalities," in opposing of both liberal individualism and collectivism, in one word,

mass society Mass society is a concept that describes modern society as a monolithic force and yet a disaggregate collection of individuals. The term is often used pejoratively to refer to a society in which bureaucracy and impersonal institutions have replac ...

"Tout homme, sans exception, a le droit et le devoir de développer sa personalité." (Every man, without exception, has the right and the duty to develop his personality.)

Post-War

''Esprit'' broke with part of its legacy following the

Liberation of France The liberation of France () in the Second World War was accomplished through diplomacy, politics and the combined military efforts of the Allied Powers, Free French forces in London and Africa, as well as the French Resistance. Nazi Germany in ...

, and involved itself in

New Left The New Left was a broad political movement that emerged from the counterculture of the 1960s and continued through the 1970s. It consisted of activists in the Western world who, in reaction to the era's liberal establishment, campaigned for freer ...

movements. The review criticized the systemic use of

torture during the Algerian War Elements from the French Armed Forces used deliberate torture during the Algerian War (1954–1962), creating an ongoing public controversy. Pierre Vidal-Naquet, a renowned French historian, estimated that there were "hundreds of thousands of i ...

, publishing for examples articles by

Pierre Vidal-Naquet Pierre Emmanuel Vidal-Naquet (; 23 July 193029 July 2006) was a French historian who began teaching at the École des hautes études en sciences sociales (EHESS) in 1969. Vidal-Naquet was a specialist in the study of Ancient Greece, but was als ...

. It would also influence in the 1970s the " Second Left," gathered around the Unified Socialist Party (PSU).

References

External links

''Esprit'' home page
*Issue
from 1932 to 1939
an
from 1940 to 1993
in Gallica, the digital library of the Bibliothèque nationale de France 1932 establishments in France French-language magazines French Third Republic Literary magazines published in France Magazines established in 1932 Magazines published in Paris Political magazines published in France Non-conformists of the 1930s {{France-lit-mag-stub