Biography:Jules Lachelier

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Short description: French philosopher (1832–1918)
Jules Lachelier
Born
Jules Esprit Nicolas Lachelier

(1832-05-27)27 May 1832
Fontainebleau, France
Died26 January 1918(1918-01-26) (aged 85)
Fontainebleau, France
EducationÉcole Normale Supérieure
University of Paris (Ph.D., 1871)
AwardsConcours général (1850)
Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (1872)
Officier de la Légion d'honneur (1888)
Commandeur de la Légion d'honneur (1903)
Era20th-century philosophy
RegionWestern philosophy
SchoolFrench spiritualism[1][2]
Lebensphilosophie[3]
InstitutionsÉcole Normale Supérieure
Doctoral advisorFélix Ravaisson
Doctoral studentsÉmile Boutroux
Main interests
Metaphysics, epistemology
Notable ideas
Induction grounded in the mind's activity

Jules Esprit Nicolas Lachelier (fr; 27 May 1832 – 26 January 1918) was a French philosopher, most known for his contributions to French spiritualism and his influence on modern French philosophy. He developed a system of rational idealism and was a key figure in the neo-spiritualist movement in French philosophy.[4][5]

His work focused on the relationship between thought and reality, and he attempted to provide a basis for induction in a philosophy of nature. Lachelier's ideas had a significant impact on other philosophers, including Émile Boutroux, Victor Brochard, and Henri Bergson.[6]

Philosophy

Defining himself as an intellectualist, Lachelier set himself on the mission of perpetuating the philosophy of Kant. One of his famous articles, Psychologie et Métaphysique, distinguishes him from Victor Cousin, and lays the foundations of his spiritualist-leaning philosophy.[7]

Lachelier is influenced by Félix Ravaisson, from whom he borrowed the term "spiritual realism" to designate his philosophy. Henri Bergson dedicates his Time and Free Will to Jules Lachelier.[8] Émile Meyerson discusses his theory of induction.[9]

Works

References

  1. Iannone, A. Pablo (2013). Dictionary of World Philosophy. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 9781134680436. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Dictionary_of_World_Philosophy/AyB6GXM-CZkC. Retrieved January 5, 2025. "A particular form of spiritualism, frequently called neo-spiritualism, is that formulated by the French philosopher Jules Lachelier (CE 1834-1918), who was the teacher of the French philosophers Emile Boutroux (CE 1845-1921) and Henri Bergson (CE 1859-1941), both of whom are often also considered to exemplify neo-spiritualism. Lachelier advocated a form of spiritual realism whereby the spirit and spontaneity of humans provided an alternative to both idealism and materialism." 
  2. Dupont, Christian (2013). Phenomenology in French Philosophy: Early Encounters. Springer Netherlands. p. 33. ISBN 9789400746411. https://www.google.com/books/edition/Phenomenology_in_French_Philosophy_Early/zojHBAAAQBAJ. Retrieved January 5, 2025. 
  3. The Cambridge History of Modern European Thought: Volume 2, The Twentieth Century. Cambridge University Press. August 29, 2019. p. 157. ISBN 9781107097780. https://books.google.com/books?id=m3E8EAAAQBAJ. 
  4. Ballard, Edward G. (1955). "Jules Lachelier's Idealism". The Review of Metaphysics 8 (4): 685–705. ISSN 0034-6632. https://www.jstor.org/stable/20123476. 
  5. Ballard, Edward G. (1960) (in en). The philosophy of Jules Lachelier. doi:10.1007/978-94-011-9522-5. ISBN 978-94-011-8699-5. https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-94-011-9522-5. 
  6. Bachman, Jessica. "Bergson, Henri". https://global.oup.com/us/companion.websites/9780190658298/cast/bergson/. 
  7. Lachelier, Jules (1832-1918) Auteur du texte (1896) (in EN). Du fondement de l'induction; suivi de : Psychologie et métaphysique (2e édition) / par J. Lachelier,.... https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k654177. 
  8. "Henri Bergon: Time and Free Will: Table of Contents". https://brocku.ca/MeadProject/Bergson/Bergson_1910/Bergson_1910_toc.html. 
  9. Meyerson, Émile; Fruteau de Laclos, Frédéric (2011). Du cheminement de la pensée. Bibliothèque des textes philosophiques. Paris: J. Vrin. ISBN 978-2-7116-2186-6.