Etienne Gilson

From New World Encyclopedia
Revision as of 13:37, 20 December 2007 by Keisuke Noda (talk | contribs)


Part of the Politics series on
Christian Democracy

Parties

Christian Democratic parties
Christian Democrat International
European People's Party
European Democratic Party
Euro Christian Political Movement
Christian Dem Org of America

Ideas

Social conservatism
Social market economy
Sphere sovereignty
Communitarianism
Stewardship
Catholic social teaching
Neo-Calvinism
Neo-Thomism

Important documents

Rerum Novarum (1891)
Stone Lectures (Princeton 1898)
Graves de Communi Re (1901)
Quadragesimo Anno (1931)
Laborem Exercens (1981)
Sollicitudi Rei Socialis (1987)
Centesimus Annus (1991)

Important figures

Thomas Aquinas · John Calvin
Pope Leo XIII · Abraham Kuyper
Maritain · Adenauer · De Gasperi
Pope Pius XI · Schuman
Pope John Paul II · Kohl

Politics Portal · edit

Étienne Gilson (June 13, 1884 - September 19, 1978) was a French philosopher and historian, born in Paris.

Life

Gilson taught history of medieval philosophy from 1921 to 1932 at the Sorbonne, where he had previously studied, and then took the chair of medieval philosophy at the Collège de France. In 1929 he helped found the Pontifical Institute of Medieval Studies at Toronto, Canada. Although primarily a historian of philosophy, he was also one of the leaders of the Roman Catholic neo-Thomist movement. He was elected to the Académie Française in 1946.

Work

Gilson took to analyzing Thomism historically. To Gilson, Thomism is not identical with Scholasticism, but rather a revolt against it. Gilson saw a break down of philosophy into a science which would signal man's abdication of the right to judge and rule nature, man 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 Thomas Aquinas that opens the way out of that danger zone.

Gilson was a very popular writer, and his many writings on the history of philosophy, especially medieval philosophy, are widely read and discussed.

Publications

  • La Liberté chez Descartes et la Théologie, Alcan, 1913.
  • Le thomisme, introduction au système de saint Thomas, Vrin, 1919.
  • 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 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.
  • 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.
  • 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

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

External links

Preceded by:
Abel Hermant
Seat 23
Académie française
1946-1978

Succeeded by:
Henri Gouhier

Credits

New World Encyclopedia writers and editors rewrote and completed the Wikipedia article in accordance with New World Encyclopedia standards. This article abides by terms of the Creative Commons CC-by-sa 3.0 License (CC-by-sa), which may be used and disseminated with proper attribution. Credit is due under the terms of this license that can reference both the New World Encyclopedia contributors and the selfless volunteer contributors of the Wikimedia Foundation. To cite this article click here for a list of acceptable citing formats.The history of earlier contributions by wikipedians is accessible to researchers here:

The history of this article since it was imported to New World Encyclopedia:

Note: Some restrictions may apply to use of individual images which are separately licensed.