The Idealist Illusion and Other Essays: Translation and Introduction by Fiachra Long Annotations by Fiachra Long and Claude Troisfontaines

167 Pages·2000·3.87 MB·English

by  Maurice Blondel (auth.)

THE IDEALIST ILLUSION
AND
OTHER ESSAYS
STUDIES IN PHILOSOPHY AND RELIGION
Volume 22
The titles published in this series are listed at the end of this volume.
THE IDEALIST ILLUSION
AND OTHER ESSAYS
Translation and Introduction by Fiachra Long
Annotations by Fiachra Long and Claude Troisfontaines
by
MAURICE BLONDEL
SPRINGER-SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, B.V.
A c.I.P. Catalogue record for this book is available from the Library of Congress.
ISBN 978-90-481-5595-8 ISBN 978-94-015-9363-2 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-94-015-9363-2
Translated from the French language by Fiachra Long,
Maurice Blondel: Oeuvres completes, tome II, © PUF, 1997.
With kind permission of Presses Universitaires de France (PUF), Paris, France
Printed on acid-free paper
All Rights Reserved
© 2000 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht
Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 2000
Softcover reprint of the hardcover 1st edition 2000
No part of the material protected by this copyright notice may be reproduced or
utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,
including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and
retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner.
To Margaret (Maire ad), good mother and friend, in loving memory
CONTENTS
Preface (Claude Troisfontaines) ix
Acknowledgements xi
List of Abbreviations xiii
Examples of Blondel's Script XIV-XV
INTRODUCTION 1
Determining the Parameters 1
Ideas as Dynamic Motions 3
Blondel's Science of Practice 9
Ideas as Instruments 11
Blondel's Action (1893) 17
The Fallout from Action (1893) 31
The Three Articles 41
The Idealist Illusion 41
The Elementary Principle 45
Aristotle 48
Kant 50
Bergson 52
The Starting Point 57
Jouffroy 58
This Translation 65
MAURICE BLONDEL:
The Idealist Illusion 75
Critical Notes 89
The Elementary Principle ofa Logic of the Moral Life 95
Critical Notes 110
The Starting Point ofP hilosophical Research
January 1906 114
June 1906 129
Critical Notes 145
Index 149
Appendix 151
Vll
PREFACE
I was very happy when in 1997 Fiachra Long came to spend part of his sabbatical
leave at the Archives Maurice Blondel at Louvain-Ia-Neuve. This allowed him to
bring together and complete his translation of three important articles from Maurice
Blondel, known as the philosopher of Aix-en-Province. These three articles fonn a
unity: they make explicit certain aspects of the method used in the great thesis of
1893, Action. This thesis, it is well known, aroused many polemic debates after its
appearance. Thomist theologians accused Blondel of turning back towards Kantian
idealism whereas the philosophers of the Revue de metaphysique et de morale
accused him on the contrary of falling back on a pre-critical realism. The three
articles translated here, each in its own way, attempt to pass beyond these two
opposite charges.
The Idealist Illusion (1898) underlines the fact that the content of consciousness
should be unfurled as it appears, by withdrawing from any idealist or realist
prejudice, before judging the consistency of its content as a whole. In this way
Blondel supports the "phenomenological" method used in his thesis. The Elementary
Principle of a Logic of the Moral Life (1903) is a very well-worked text which
shows that "the logic of possession and privation" is broader than "the logic of
amnnation and negation." Using these words, Blondel develops certain striking
laws of action such as that of the "parallelogram of contrary forces." Finally The
Starting Point of Philosophical Research (1906) establishes how the operation of
philosophy relies in tum on prospection and reflection. Blondel can then claim that
his philosophy is both the "thought oflife" and the "life of thought."
These three texts add a number of insightful clarifications to the philosophy
announced by Blondel. They are very useful in promoting a better understanding of
this philosophy, especially in English speaking countries. Indeed this is the first time
that these texts have appeared in English. Besides, these translations base
themselves on the new edition of the text appearing in the Oeuvres completes. Nine
volumes are planned in this series: the first two have appeared in 1995 and 1997 and
a third volume is imminent. Originally I prepared different notes for these Oeuvres
completes but had to leave them aside. But Fiachra Long's project has given me the
opportunity to collaborate on some of the scientific notes accompanying these
translated texts. Hence English-speaking readers now have more infonnation than
French readers about these three texts.
Readers will also certainly benefit from Fiachra Long's excellent introduction.
After having pointed out the main stages in Blondel's career, this introduction
sketches briefly the argument of Action (1893) and outlines the opposite reactions
aroused by the work. The context being thus recalled, the author places the thought
of each article very precisely in its context. It is noticeable that Fiachra Long
attributes great importance to the Scottish "common sense" school. It is a fact that
Reid's school had a considerable influence on the first French spiritualism of Royer
Collard and Victor Cousin. It was only to be expected that Fiachra Long would
signal this point of contact with Anglo-Saxon philosophy, often closer to Locke than
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to Descartes. A second wave of French spiritualism (inaugurated by Lachelier and
Boutroux) would have to take other sources into consideration, such as Kant. It is
nevertheless the case that French spiritualism always wanted to rejoin spontaneous
thought and to give a rational justification for the data of "common sense." Blondel
himself said that the "science of practice," though extensive and indirect, ended up
confirming those always more direct conclusions of "practical science."
In similar fashion Fiachra Long shows very clearly the differences separating
Blondel from Bergson as well as pragmatism. These philosophies are not identical
even if a common concern for concrete thought is to be found in them. Bergson's
intuitionism and James' pragmatism seem, however, in Blondel's eyes to have
sacrificed reflection and the concept in favour of a sympathy with things or an
exclusive concern with vitality. Some would perhaps be surprised by Blondel's
defence of the rights of the intelligence by an author often considered anti
intellectual. Fiachra Long modestly suggests that on that point there has been an
evolution in Blondel's thinking towards a more "classical" philosophy while
avoiding the myth of mysticism conferred on the philosophy of action. It remains
that this philosophy always wanted to have practical application. In this regard
Fiachra Long draws out the implications of Blondel's thought for an educational
project, which offers a place to all the human faculties. This is the very original and
new standpoint emerging from his very interesting introduction. On this basis I
would like to see this work fmding a very wide audience among the English
speaking public who will not fail to recognise in it some of its own most constant
concerns.
Claude Troisfontaines
a
Professeur l'Universite Catholique de Louvain
Directeur du Centre d' Archives Maurice Blondel
May 2000
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many people helped me both formally and informally in bringing this work together.
My own parents, both of whom were still living at the time I started this project,
experienced the joys and sorrows of earlier attempts. Br Colm Keating RIP
sanctioned my Visiting Professorship to Iona in 1987 where this project began.
Maurie Mc Callum, whom I met in Rome, encouraged the translations and also Bob
Durning of Iona College, New York met with me regularly to discuss ideas.
President 1. D. 0 Driscoll and all the staff oflona College, New York, welcomed me
warmly. Since then there have been many encouraging words from friends and
colleagues.
I would like to thank colleagues at VCC, the staff of the Education Department,
the staff of the Helpdesk, Computer Centre and Printing Office, Peter Flynn,
Edmund Burke and especially Claire Butler, who provided excellent teclmical and
secretarial support in moments of stress. I would like to acknowledge VCC Arts
Faculty Research Grants, which I used several times to further this study, and a
period of sabbatical leave in 1998 facilitated by Professor Aine Hyland gave me the
opportunity to rekindle this project in the context of some educational work. A
special thanks to Madeleine Mc Namara for taking so much care in looking over
some early drafts of the translations and to Michael Jackson.
The collaborative part of this project would not have been possible without the
generosity of Claude Troisfontaines, not only a major scholar on Blondel, but also a
very welcoming host to me at the Blondel Archives over the years. He secured my
visiting status of charge de cours at Louvain-Ia-Neuve in 1998 and then offered me
his scientific notes to add to my proposed translations. I wish to acknowledge his
many kindnesses to me, including his kind agreement to write a preface for this
book. This scholarly cooperation reflects the collaborative spirit I have found in
general with members of the Archives de Blondel and the Institut superieur de
philosoph ie, Louvain-la-Neuve. I would like to thank Genevieve Mosseray for her
friendship and for answering so well my frequent calls on her time, and lately,
Emmanuel Tourpe for his personal, teclmical and exuberant support. Similarly I
want to thank Maja de Keijzer of Kluwer who acted as an encouraging shepherd
over the final stages.
Finally, a word of thanks to my family for their endurance and patience and
especially to my wife, Siobhim, who during my periods of study leave, acted as carer
and guide of our two children. To these especially, I hope it has all been worthwhile.
Xl
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS
(Euvres Maurice Blonde/. (Euvres Completes. Texte etabli et presente par
Claude Troisfontaines. Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1995
(Tome 1), 1997 (Tome 2).
Action (1893) Action (1893). Trans. OB. lanchette. Notre Dame,In: UNDP, 1984.
L'action (1893) L'action (1893). Paris: Presses Universitaires de France, 1973;
(Euvres, I: 15-530.
BL Tresmontant, C. (ed.), Maurice Blondel-Lucien Laberthonniere.
Correspondance philosophique. Paris: Seuil, 1961.
BrB Blanchet, A. (ed.), Henri Bremond-Maurice Blondel. Correspondance.
3 vols. Paris: Aubier, 1970-71.
BV De Lubac, Henri (ed.), Maurice Blondel-Auguste Valensin.
Correspondance (1899-1912). 3 vols. Paris: Aubier, 1957 -1965.
BW De Lubac, Henri (ed.), Blondel-Wehrle. Correspondance. Paris:
Aubier, 1969.
Letter "Lettre sur les exigences de la pen see contemporaine en matiere
d'apologetique et sur la methode de la philosophie dans l'etude du
probleme religieux," Annales de philosophie chretienne 131 (1896):
337-47,467-82,599-616;152 (1896): 131-47,225-67,337-50; rpt. in
Les premiers ecrits de Maurice Blondel. Paris: PUF, 1956, pp. 5-95;
rpt. in (Euvres, II: 101-73; translated by Alexander Dru and Illtyd
Trethowan in Maurice Blondel: Letter on Apologetics and History and
Dogma. London: Harvill Press, 1964.
L'illusion "L'illusion idealiste," in Revue de mhaphysique et de morale 6 (1898):
726-45; rpt. in Les premiers ecrits de Maurice Blondel. Paris: PUF,
1956, pp. 97-122; (Euvres, II: 197-216.
LP Lettres philosophiques de Maurice Blondel. Paris: Aubier-Montaigne,
1961.
MBBib Virgoulay, Rene et Troisfontaines, Claude, Maurice Blondel;
Bibliographie Analytique et Critique. 2 Vols. Louvain: Centre
d' Archives Maurice Blondel, 1975.
PD "Le point de depart de la recherche philosophique," Annales de
philosophie chretienne 151 (1906): 337-60; 152 (1906): 225-50;
(Euvres, II: 529-47 (Part 1),548-69 (Part 2).
Principe "Principe elementaire d'une logique de la vie morale," Bibliographie
du Congres International de la Philosophie. Paris: Colin, 1903, 11:726-
45; rpt. in Les Premiers Ecrits de Maurice Blondel. Paris: PUF, 1956,
pp. 123-47; rpt. in (Euvres, II: 367-86.
RMM Revue de Metaphysique et de Morale
Vocabulaire Andre Lalande, Vocabulaire technique et critique de la philosophie. 2
vols. Paris: Alcan, 1926.
xiii