La pensée de Spinoza et la naissance de l’intellectuel démocratique dans la France du tournant du siècle
Vincent Duclert
The creation of La Revue de métaphysique et de morale (The Review of Metaphysics and Ethics) in 1893 indicated a turning-point of philosophy in France. The critical abilities of this philosophical trend got confirmation during the « affaire Dreyfus », since the main leaders of the publication committed themselves as philosophers in the republican city. By demonstrating that scientific knowledge could give rise to a criticism of the political power, Léon Brunschvicg, Élie Halévy ou Xavier Léon contributed to make the commitment for Dreyfus the main part of the progress of democracy. On this occasion, the question of their Jewish identity was quickly overtaken. The philosophical option of the RMM allowed to teach civic freedom following intellectual freedom. This encounter of the purest thinking and the most political commitment is enlightened by the figure of Spinoza as important for the training of young philosophers as for the commitment for Dreyfus. The life and the philosophy of Spinoza help explaining the birth of the democratic thinking man.
• Une revue pour un renouveau
• L’exigence d’une démarche
• Le passage par Spinoza
• Un laboratoire du spinozisme
• L’intellectuel démocratique