Martial Gueroult facts for kids

Martial Gueroult (French: [ɡeʁu]; 15 December 1891 – 13 August 1976) was an important French philosopher. He spent most of his research time studying philosophy from the 17th and 18th centuries. He also focused on the history of philosophy itself.

Life of Martial Gueroult

Martial Gueroult was born in Le Havre, a city in northwestern France, on December 15, 1891. He was a veteran (someone who served in the military) of both the First and Second World Wars. For his bravery, he received the Légion d’Honneur (Legion of Honour) and was awarded the Croix de Guerre (Cross of War) twice.

While he was a prisoner of war in Germany, Gueroult started writing his first philosophy book. This book was about Johann Gottlieb Fichte, another philosopher. Later, it became a well-known work called L’Évolution et la structure de la doctrine de la science chez Fichte (The Evolution and Structure of Fichte’s Doctrine of Science).

Academic Career

Gueroult's first job as a professor was at the University of Strasbourg. In the 1930s, he spent some time teaching at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. There, he worked with other French thinkers like Claude Lévi-Strauss. They helped to create new social science programs for the university.

Later, Gueroult returned to France to teach at the Sorbonne. In 1951, he took over the position of Étienne Gilson at the Collège de France. Gueroult changed the name of his position to "History and Technology of Philosophical Systems." He stayed there until he retired in 1962.

Gueroult's Ideas

Martial Gueroult paid very close attention to the history of philosophy in his work. He believed that studying the history of philosophy was just as important as philosophy itself. He also insisted that philosophy should be very systematic, meaning it should follow a clear and logical order.

Gueroult did not believe in using "transcendence" (ideas beyond normal human experience) in his philosophical studies. He had a famous debate with another philosopher named Ferdinand Alquié about Descartes. Gueroult studied Descartes' ideas "according to the order of reasons." This meant he looked at them as a complete system at one point in time (synchronically). Alquié, however, was more interested in how Descartes' ideas changed over time (diachronically).

Gueroult was very interested in understanding how a history of philosophy could even be possible. He started writing a major work called Dianoématique, but he passed away before finishing it. This work had two parts. The first part was about the "History of the history of philosophy." The second part, "Philosophy of the history of philosophy," asked a big question: How can we have a history of philosophy if philosophy tries to find eternal truths, but history often makes us doubt things?

Influence of Gueroult

Martial Gueroult's ideas have mostly influenced thinkers in France. His books are now considered important works in the history of philosophy there. He had a big impact on many famous 20th-century French thinkers. These include Michel Foucault, Pierre Bourdieu, and Gilles Deleuze.

See also

In Spanish: Martial Gueroult para niños