Action (1893): Essay on a Critique of Life and a Science of Practice

by Maurice Blondel, Oliva Blanchette (Translator)

Overview

Action was once a prominent theme in philosophical reflection. It figured prominently in Aristotelian philosophy, and the medieval Scholastics built some of their key adages around it. But by the time Maurice Blondel came to focus on it for his own philosophical reflection, it had all but disappeared from the philosophical vocabulary. It is no longer possible or legitimate to ignore action in philosophy as it was in France when Blondel appeared on the scene in 1882, when at the age of 21 he first began to focus on action as a dissertation subject, and in 1893, when he defended and published the dissertation now presented here for the English reader.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780268201524
Publisher:	University of Notre Dame Press
Publication date:	12/15/2021
Edition description:	With a new preface
Pages:	480
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.97(d)

About the Author

Maurice Blondel (1861–1949) was a philosopher born in Dijon, France, and educated at the École Normale Supérieure. Blondel defended his thesis, L’action, in 1893 at the Sorbonne. Blondel at first was refused a university position on the grounds of having taken an improperly religious position in his philosophy but finally received a professorship in Aix in 1897. He was the author of a number of books, including Philosophical Exigencies of Christian Religion (University of Notre Dame Press, 2021).

Oliva Blanchette (1929–2021) was professor emeritus of philosophy at Boston College. He was the author and translator of eleven books, including Maurice Blondel’s Philosophical Exigencies of Christian Religion (University of Notre Dame Press, 2021).

Editorial Reviews

Reviews for the 1984 edition of Action:

“Blondel’s masterwork, Action, remains a philosophical classic. It is a book that should be read by every mature philosopher and theologian.” —International Philosophical Quarterly

“This translation by Oliva Blanchette is very welcome and quite readable. . . . [His] introduction is excellent and provides a clear and thorough preparation for the uninitiated reader.” —Philosophy of Religion

“This translation of Blondel’s critique of life, [his] guide to living, is the best introduction to the man and his important kind of thinking, with a special eloquence and moving force in the reading of the whole.” —Religious Studies Review

From the Publisher