Marc Jean-Bernard (born 14 May 1952) is a French philosopher, academic, writer, classical guitarist and musicologist. Among the main academic interests reflected in his research and publications are Philosophy, Aesthetics,

Musicology Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, ...

, Cultural Diplomacy,

Austrian culture Austrian culture is characterised by historical and modern influences, including a history of interaction primarily between Celtic, Roman, Slavic and Germanic peoples. Austria is particularly known for its classical music, folk music, baroq ...

Latin American culture The culture of Latin America is the formal or informal expression of the people of Latin America and includes both high culture (literature and high art) and popular culture (music, folk art, and dance), as well as religion and other customary prac ...

Italian culture The culture of Italy encompasses the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, and customs of the Italian peninsula throughout history. Italy has been a pivotal center of civilisation, playing a crucial role in the development of Western culture. I ...

Diplomacy Diplomacy is the communication by representatives of State (polity), state, International organization, intergovernmental, or Non-governmental organization, non-governmental institutions intended to influence events in the international syste ...

, and generally the

hermeneutics Hermeneutics () is the theory and methodology of interpretation, especially the interpretation of biblical texts, wisdom literature, and philosophical texts. As necessary, hermeneutics may include the art of understanding and communication. ...

of culture. He is currently based at the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico (Spanish language, Spanish: ''Universidad de Puerto Rico;'' often shortened to UPR) is the main List of state and territorial universities in the United States, public university system in the Commonwealth (U.S. i ...

San Juan San Juan, Spanish for Saint John (disambiguation), Saint John, most commonly refers to: * San Juan, Puerto Rico * San Juan, Argentina * San Juan, Metro Manila, a highly urbanized city in the Philippines San Juan may also refer to: Places Arge ...

Early life and education

Jean-Bernard was born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

into a family of

intellectual An intellectual is a person who engages in critical thinking, research, and Human self-reflection, reflection about the nature of reality, especially the nature of society and proposed solutions for its normative problems. Coming from the wor ...

s and

lawyers A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as wel ...

and began studying very early classical music (piano and classical guitar). He completed philosophy

Bachelor's A bachelor's degree (from Medieval Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six years ( ...

and

Master's A master's degree (from Latin ) is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional prac ...

degrees at

Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne University (), also known as Paris 1 (or Paris I) and Panthéon-Sorbonne University (or, together with Sorbonne University and Sorbonne Nouvelle University, simply as the Sorbonne), is a Public university, public rese ...

, where he was formed by philosophers such as Jacques Bouveresse, his professor of Logic and then his Director of Doctoral Thesis on Wittgenstein; and for the Philosophy of Music

Vladimir Jankélévitch Vladimir Jankélévitch (; 31 August 1903 – 6 June 1985) was a French philosopher and musicologist. Biography Jankélévitch was the son of Ukrainian Jewish parents, who had emigrated to France. In 1922 he started studying philosophy at the � ...

, his professor of Moral and Political Philosophy. In doctoral school at Paris I, he studied specifically

Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel (27 August 1770 – 14 November 1831) was a 19th-century German idealist. His influence extends across a wide range of topics from metaphysical issues in epistemology and ontology, to political philosophy and t ...

's ''

Aesthetics Aesthetics (also spelled esthetics) is the branch of philosophy concerned with the nature of beauty and taste (sociology), taste, which in a broad sense incorporates the philosophy of art.Slater, B. H.Aesthetics ''Internet Encyclopedia of Ph ...

'', ''Wittgenstein theory of Representation (Abbildung) in the

Tractatus logico-philosophicus The ''Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus'' (widely abbreviated and Citation, cited as TLP) is the only book-length philosophical work by the Austrian philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein that was published during his lifetime. The project had a broad goal ...

for his DEA, and then wrote his doctoral thesis on Wittgenstein and the Idea of Culture'', exposing the aesthetic and cultural resonance of

Ludwig Wittgenstein Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein ( ; ; 26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrian philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. From 1929 to 1947, Witt ...

's philosophical corpus in relation to Austrian/German culture and music.Wittgenstein and the Idea of Culture

Career

In 1978, while working on his doctorate at the Sorbonne, Jean-Bernard started a career as a

classical guitar The classical guitar, also known as Spanish guitar, is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string (music), string instrument with strings made of catgut, gut or nylon, it is a precursor of the ...

ist, conductor, and

musicologist Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, f ...

. He performed extensively as a soloist and conductor until 2000. An important experience as an intellectual and musician has been his radio contribution to Radio France (RFI, 1988-1993, producing cultural radio broadcasting, specially on classical music. Marc Jean-Bernard is still performing as a soloist in summer, giving specially Concert Lectures regularly in England (2015-2021). Even performing European repertoire, he has always been strongly interested in

Latin American music The music of Latin America refers to music originating from Latin America, namely the Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese-speaking regions of the Americas south of the United States. Latin American music highly incorpor ...

literature Literature is any collection of Writing, written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially novels, Play (theatre), plays, and poetry, poems. It includes both print and Electroni ...

, and

, and has examined Latin American music's narrative and mythical dimensions from a philosophical standpoint. Furthermore, he moved to

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

and began teaching philosophy of language at the state

University of Valle The University of Valle (), also called Univalle, is a public, departmental, coeducational, research university based primarily in the city of Cali, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. It is the largest higher education institution by student populatio ...

Cali Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,280,522 residents estimate by National Administrative Department of Statistics, DANE in 2023. The city span ...

; he also joined the Conservatory Antonio María Valencia as the dean of music faculty. See the article published in the diary in Cali: ''Marc Jean-Bernard, músico y filósofo - Un guitarrista de talla munidal: ''Marc Jean-Bernard, Decano de música en el conservatorio Antonio María Valencia, un importante artista radicado en Cali'', with photo, JPEG. In 2004, he was nominated as a

consul Consul (abbrev. ''cos.''; Latin plural ''consules'') was the title of one of the two chief magistrates of the Roman Republic, and subsequently also an important title under the Roman Empire. The title was used in other European city-states thro ...

of France in

Puerto Rico ; abbreviated PR), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, is a Government of Puerto Rico, self-governing Caribbean Geography of Puerto Rico, archipelago and island organized as an Territories of the United States, unincorporated territo ...

and left Colombia to become a Dean of Music Faculty at the Puerto Rico Conservatory of Music and then professor of Humanities at the

(UPR) in

. He is currently Catedréatico and Senator for his Faculty As consul, he has been involved in the development of French culture and

European studies European studies is a field of study offered by many academic colleges and universities that focuses on the History of Western civilization and the evolution of Western culture, as well as on current developments in European integration. Some ...

in Puerto Rico, in conjugation with European universities. He became the director of the International Studies program at UPR (General Studies) in 2009. At the UPR, Dr. Marc Passerieu dit Jean-Bernard taught Humanities, Aesthetics of Architecture (Master's degree), Theory and Practice of International Diplomacy. More philosophical interests include the cultural dialogue between Europe and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

, with a topical emphasis on

Latin America Latin America is the cultural region of the Americas where Romance languages are predominantly spoken, primarily Spanish language, Spanish and Portuguese language, Portuguese. Latin America is defined according to cultural identity, not geogr ...

and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

from the diplomatic relations and cultural perspectives. In 2010, he became the dean of Puerto Rico's

consular corps Consular corps (from and commonly abbreviated ''CC'') is a concept analogous to diplomatic corps, but concerning the staff, estates and work of a consulate. "While ambassadors and diplomatic staff are devoted to bettering all categories of th ...

, founded in 2014 the first Institute of International Relations of Puerto Rico, a nonprofit

think tank A think tank, or public policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-governme ...

.He is currently Consul Emeritus at the Consular Corps. In 2004, he was elected a member of the Academy of the Arts and Sciences of

and, in 2005, was made a commander of the Order of the Baron of Humbolt. In this category of awards and decorations, he was Elected Knight of Merit of the Order: "Sacred and Military Constantine Order of Saint George" (St. Patrick's Cathedral, New York 04/03/2019). As a musician, he has collaborated and played guitar on a number of albums, including

Joaquín Rodrigo Joaquín Rodrigo Vidre, 1st Marquess of the Gardens of Aranjuez (; 22 November 1901 – 6 July 1999), was a Spanish composer and a virtuoso pianist. He is best known for composing the '' Concierto de Aranjuez'', a cornerstone of the classical g ...

's ''L’Oeuvre pour Guitare'' and ''Fantasia para un Gentilhombre'',

Leo Brouwer Juan Leovigildo Brouwer Mezquida (born March 1, 1939) is a Cubans, Cuban composer, conducting, conductor, and classical guitarist. He is a Member of Honour of the International Music Council. Early years Brouwer was born in Havana, Cuba. When he ...

's ''Works for Solo Guitar'',

Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco (3 April 1895 – 16 March 1968) was an Italian composer, pianist and writer. He was known as one of the foremost guitar composers in the twentieth century with almost one hundred compositions for that instrument. In ...

's ''Complete Works for Solo Guitar, Vol. 1'' and

Heitor Villa-Lobos Heitor Villa-Lobos (March 5, 1887November 17, 1959) was a Brazilian composer, conductor, cellist, and classical guitarist described as "the single most significant creative figure in 20th-century Brazilian art music". Villa-Lobos has globally bec ...

' ''Mélodies pour soprano et Guitare'' and ''Bachianas Brasileiras'' (5th edition). Completing the series of Works for solo guitar already published is currently part of his commitments and projects.

Philosophical work

Jean-Bernard's philosophical studies at the University of Paris I. Sorbonne and further writings were centered on continental History of Philosophy, Philosophy of Language (Doctoral school) and aesthetics of music, revealing an early double comparative interest for Husserlian Phenomenology and

entire philosophical work. This open view of phenomenology and cultural hermeneutics, revealed by his conferences and his ''Tractatus musico-philosophicus'' (Vol. I. ''Filosofía y estética musical'',2012), implied the commentary of thinkers as

Wittgenstein Ludwig Josef Johann Wittgenstein ( ; ; 26 April 1889 – 29 April 1951) was an Austrian philosopher who worked primarily in logic, the philosophy of mathematics, the philosophy of mind, and the philosophy of language. From 1929 to 1947, Witt ...

Merleau-Ponty Maurice Jean Jacques Merleau-Ponty. ( ; ; 14 March 1908 – 3 May 1961) was a French phenomenological philosopher, strongly influenced by Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger. The constitution of meaning in human experience was his main interest ...

Schopenhauer Arthur Schopenhauer ( ; ; 22 February 1788 – 21 September 1860) was a German philosopher. He is known for his 1818 work '' The World as Will and Representation'' (expanded in 1844), which characterizes the phenomenal world as the manife ...

Nietzsche Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche (15 October 1844 – 25 August 1900) was a German philosopher. He began his career as a classical philologist, turning to philosophy early in his academic career. In 1869, aged 24, Nietzsche became the youngest pro ...

Adorno Theodor W. Adorno ( ; ; born Theodor Ludwig Wiesengrund; 11 September 1903 – 6 August 1969) was a German philosopher, musicologist, and social theorist. He was a leading member of the Frankfurt School of critical theory, whose work has come ...

Gabriel Marcel Gabriel Honoré Marcel (7 December 1889 – 8 October 1973) was a French philosopher, playwright, music critic and leading Christian existentialist. The author of over a dozen books and at least thirty plays, Marcel's work focused on the moder ...

and

Roger Scruton Sir Roger Vernon Scruton, (; 27 February 194412 January 2020) was an English philosopher, writer, and social critic who specialised in aesthetics and political philosophy, particularly in the furtherance of Conservatism in the United Kingdom, c ...

. Marc Jean-Bernard stressed the original unity between philosophy, theology and music -which is rooted in

western culture Western culture, also known as Western civilization, European civilization, Occidental culture, Western society, or simply the West, refers to the Cultural heritage, internally diverse culture of the Western world. The term "Western" encompas ...

since the ancient Greek Theory of Music, the Medieval ontology of Music and the Renaissance philosophy of music-, has to be rethought and overcome with the acknowledgement of the internal relation between Mousiké, lógos and αρμονια. This perspective stresses cultural

, and

musicology Musicology is the academic, research-based study of music, as opposed to musical composition or performance. Musicology research combines and intersects with many fields, including psychology, sociology, acoustics, neurology, natural sciences, ...

for the problem of universal unity and diversity in cultures. This open and comparative hermeneutics is focused on both practical and theoretical dimensions. The original horizon of his philosophical thinking and practice synthesizes an organic set of axiological investigations, corresponding to a unified epistemic methodology that embraces cultural hermeneutics, aesthetics, ethics and cultural diplomacy. His construction of ethical and esthetical responsibility stands as a philosophical ''

cantus firmus In music, a ''cantus firmus'' ("fixed melody") is a pre-existing melody forming the basis of a polyphonic composition. The plural of this Latin term is , although the corrupt form ''canti firmi'' (resulting from the grammatically incorrect trea ...

''for the understanding of cultural

polyphony Polyphony ( ) is a type of musical texture consisting of two or more simultaneous lines of independent melody, as opposed to a musical texture with just one voice ( monophony) or a texture with one dominant melodic voice accompanied by chord ...

. Jean-Bernard seeks to provide a philosophical account of

cognitive science Cognitive science is the interdisciplinary, scientific study of the mind and its processes. It examines the nature, the tasks, and the functions of cognition (in a broad sense). Mental faculties of concern to cognitive scientists include percep ...

s in the field of philosophy of consciousness and culture. The extension of research in

philosophy of mind Philosophy of mind is a branch of philosophy that deals with the nature of the mind and its relation to the Body (biology), body and the Reality, external world. The mind–body problem is a paradigmatic issue in philosophy of mind, although a ...

and

continental philosophy Continental philosophy is a group of philosophies prominent in 20th-century continental Europe that derive from a broadly Kantianism, Kantian tradition.Continental philosophers usually identify such conditions with the transcendental subject or ...

assigns a theoretical imperative to ethical and cultural investigations. His research on intentionality and subjectivity induces a deep revision of the dichotomy between the transcendental and analytical accounts of

phenomenology Phenomenology may refer to: Art * Phenomenology (architecture), based on the experience of building materials and their sensory properties Philosophy * Phenomenology (Peirce), a branch of philosophy according to Charles Sanders Peirce (1839� ...

. In his writings and conferences, he develops methodologically the clear conceptual grammar of the term

intentionality Intentionality is the mental ability to refer to or represent something. Sometimes regarded as the ''mark of the mental'', it is found in mental states like perceptions, beliefs or desires. For example, the perception of a tree has intentionality ...

, unifying rigorously its phenomenological and cognitive meaning. Then, a non-reductive perspective on mind and psychism examines cognitive intentionality (representational consciousness of cognition) and affective intentionality (non-representational consciousness, following both the phenomenological description of consciousness and the legacy of Wittgenstein’s investigations on perception, knowledge, and psychology. In his musical or philosophical essays and papers, Jean-Bernard stressed the relevance of values in the aesthetic experience considered as a counterpoint of hermeneutic gestures. This insight on symbolic consciousness and truth-content of art is exemplified throughout two ontological interconnected fields: music and architecture. Considering the non-representational and representational semantics of these fields, the temporization and spatialization gestures implied in design and composition embrace the entire sphere of dwelling in a given world, what we call an esthetical ''oikonomia''. This connection between temporality and spatiality is exposed through recent examples, where axiological and "immunological" claims of a harmonic world are creatively expressed. These paradigmatic topics, focused on architectural design and musical compositions, are chosen between contemporary works from European, Japanese, North, and South American cultures. The first two volumes of his ''Phénoménologie du Dialogue'', a trilogy written in French (Paris, 2019, 2021) crystallized the claim for dialogue between cognitive and hermeneutics approaches in aesthetics, ethics, and comparative theory of civilization. His dialogical perspective entails new methodological demands applied to cultural diversity. Phenomenological, grammatical, and cognitive approaches of today’s aesthetic endeavor induce a corresponding insight into the role of effective intentionality in ethics. He assumes that we are led to a synoptic view of responsibility, within a non-reductive frame. Responsibility, linking Wittgenstein to

Emmanuel Levinas Emmanuel Levinas (born Emanuelis Levinas ; ; 12 January 1906 – 25 December 1995) was a French philosopher of Lithuanian Jewish ancestry who is known for his work within Jewish philosophy, existentialism, and phenomenology, focusing on the rel ...

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

and Jankélévitch emphasizes his own exigent core of an infinite philosophical télos and ethical duty. His current''Phenomenology of Dialogue''transforms the field of philosophy of dialogue and opens it to the comparative study of civilizational dialogue.

Selected works

Jean-Bernard has published in French, Spanish, English and Italian(2023). * 2008 ''Paroles et musique dans le monde hispanique''. Éditions Indigo & Côté Femmes, Paris. * 2009: "Estéticas de Pau Casals: el arco entre música y ética" in ''El Arco prodigioso: Perspectivas de Pablo Casals y su legado en Puerto Rico'', ed. Pedro Reina, pp. 71–94. EMS Editores, San Juan. * 2012: ''Tractatus musico-philosophicus, I.: Filosofía y estética musical.'' Editorial Postdata, San Juan. * 2014: "Une triple articulation philosophique, culturelle et politique." ''Reveue de la Fondation Charles de Gaulle'', (177). * 2014: "La aporía del nomos jurídico." ''Revista del Colegio de Abogados y Abogadas de Puerto Rico'', 75(1-2): 291-331. * 2017: "André Malraux, Europa y los destinos de la cultura mundial." ''Revista Umbral'', (2): 81-108. * 2018: ''Phénoménoologie du dialogue, I: Charles de Gaulle, une pensée diplomatique en acte - France-Amérique Latine.'' Éditions Édilivre,

. * 2018: "The Grammars of Mystical Experience in Christian Theological Dialogue." ''Philosophy Study'', 8(4). * 2020: ''Phénoménoologie du dialogue, II: L'expérience mystique et le commandement du dialogue spirituel.'' Éditions Édilivre, Paris. * ''Review of the philosophical paper: The Phenomenological Normativity of “The Self-in-Migration” ''https://www.academia.edu/33350403/ * ''Ontologie de la Participation ''in musicis'' - Participation et présence musicale depuis Gabriel Marcel et Vladimir Jankélévitch''. Congrès de la Société Française de Philosophie, Paris, may, 2021.To be published by Vrin, 2023. * ''La risonanza poetica, musicale ed estética del Risorgimento per l' Unità italiana nel tempo di Vittore Emanuella II''. Conferenza on line, Istituto Nazionale per la Guardia d'Onore alle Reali Tombe del Pantheon. Zoom, March 4, 2023, 1:00 PM. Rewiewd in: Review of the Istituto Nazionale per la Guardia d'Onore alle Reali Tombe del Pantheon. https://www.guardiadonorealpantheon.it/

References

"Estilo de pensamiento y estilo musical
by Jean-Bernard on the Paideia Archive (in Spanish)

on the Paideia Archive
"Understanding and interpreting philosophical harmony: A music offering of the otherness"
by Jean-Bernard on Midline (archive)
Joaquín Rodrigo's best recordings
on ''El Cultural'' (in Spanish)
Primer Festival Musico-Literario
(2009) from Universidad de Puerto Rico (archive; in Spanish)
Jean-Bernard's CV
from Universidad de Puerto Rico (archive; in Spanish) * Press article, Cali, Colombia

External links

Photo of Jean-Bernard
at the Einstein Congress at the University of Puerto Rico (2005) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jean-Bernard, Marc 1952 births University of Paris alumni 20th-century French philosophers 21st-century French philosophers French musicians Living people Hermeneutists French male non-fiction writers