Michel Onfray’s Followers (523)

Michel Onfray

Born

in Argentan, France

January 01, 1959

Website

http://mo.michelonfray.fr/

Twitter

michelonfray

Genre

Philosophy, Nonfiction

Influences

Friedrich Nietzsche, Michel de Montaigne, Diogenes of Sinope, Epicurus ...more

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Michel Onfray is a French philosopher. Born to a family of Norman farmers, he graduated with a Ph.D. in philosophy. He taught this subject to senior students at a technical high school in Caen between 1983 and 2002, before establishing what he and his supporters call the Université populaire de Caen, proclaiming its foundation on a free-of-charge basis, and the manifesto written by Onfray in 2004 (La communauté philosophique). However, the title 'Popular University' is misleading, although attractive, as this 'University' provides no services other than the occasional delivery of lectures - there is no register of students, no examination or assessment, and no diplomas. After all, 'ordinary' French University lectures are open to all, free Michel Onfray is a French philosopher. Born to a family of Norman farmers, he graduated with a Ph.D. in philosophy. He taught this subject to senior students at a technical high school in Caen between 1983 and 2002, before establishing what he and his supporters call the Université populaire de Caen, proclaiming its foundation on a free-of-charge basis, and the manifesto written by Onfray in 2004 (La communauté philosophique). However, the title 'Popular University' is misleading, although attractive, as this 'University' provides no services other than the occasional delivery of lectures - there is no register of students, no examination or assessment, and no diplomas. After all, 'ordinary' French University lectures are open to all, free of charge. Nor is the content of the Université populaire de Caen radical in French terms, it is in its way, a throwback to less democratic traditions of learning. Both in his writing and his lecturing, Onfray's approach is hierarchical, and elitist. He prefers to say though that his 'university' is committed to deliver high-level knowledge to the masses, as opposed to the more common approach of vulgarizing philosophic concepts through easy-to-read books such as "Philosophy for Well-being".

Onfray writes obscurely that there is no philosophy without psychoanalysis. Perhaps paradoxically, he proclaims himself as an adamant atheist (something more novel in France than elsewhere - indeed his book, 'Atheist Manifesto', was briefly in the 'bestsellers' list in France) and he considers religion to be indefensible. He instead regards himself as being part of the tradition of individualist anarchism, a tradition that he claims is at work throughout the entire history of philosophy and that he is seeking to revive amidst modern schools of philosophy that he feels are cynical and epicurean. His writings celebrate hedonism, reason and atheism.

He endorsed the French Revolutionary Communist League and its candidate for the French presidency, Olivier Besancenot in the 2002 election, although this is somewhat at odds with the libertarian socialism he advocates in his writings.[citation needed] In 2007, he endorsed José Bové - but eventually voted for Olivier Besancenot - , and conducted an interview with the future French President, who he declared was an 'ideological enemy' Nicolas Sarkozy for Philosophie Magazine.

Onfray himself attributes the birth of a philosophic communities such as the université populaire to the results of the French presidential election, 2002. ...more

734 posts
Michel Onfray's Blog

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Michel Onfray - André Bercoff, tout sera dit (Tocsin) - 04.05.2025

⚡️MICHEL ONFRAY LÈVE LE TABOU Il répondra aux accusations sur sa vision de la gestion du Covid, du pape François, du conclave, des pannes ciblées en Espagne et au Portugal et de la cyberguerre à venir... 🗣️Avec André Bercoff, tout sera dit. Sans filtre...

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Published on May 04, 2025 21:17

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Michel Onfray’s books

Average rating: 3.75 · 10,935 ratings · 980 reviews · 388 distinct works • Similar authors

	Atheist Manifesto: The Case Against Christianity, Judaism, and Islam 3.76 avg rating — 3,876 ratings — published 2005 — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Nietzsche, se créer liberté by Michel Onfray, Maximilien Le Roy (Illustrator) 3.63 avg rating — 609 ratings — published 2010 — 19 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Teoría del viaje: Poética de la geografía 3.63 avg rating — 532 ratings — published 2007 — 18 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Hedonist Manifesto: The Power to Exist by Michel Onfray, Joseph McClellan (Translator) 3.72 avg rating — 502 ratings — published 2000 — 35 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Antimanuel de philosophie 3.83 avg rating — 399 ratings — published 2001 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Le crépuscule d'une idole - l'affabulation freudienne 3.82 avg rating — 321 ratings — published 2010 — 27 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Cosmos : Une ontologie matérialiste 3.84 avg rating — 306 ratings — published 2015 — 17 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Décadence: De Jésus à Ben Laden, vie et mort de l'Occident 3.98 avg rating — 256 ratings — published 2016 — 19 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Les sagesses antiques 4.06 avg rating — 216 ratings — published 2006 — 22 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Penser l'islam 3.43 avg rating — 226 ratings — published 2016 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Michel Onfray…

Series by Michel Onfray

Contre-histoire de la philosophie (9 books)
by

Michel Onfray

3.81 avg rating — 1,072 ratings

Brève encyclopédie du monde (3 books)
by

Michel Onfray

3.89 avg rating — 680 ratings

Contre-Histoire de la philosophie (11 books)
by

Michel Onfray

3.65 avg rating — 657 ratings

Journal hédoniste (5 books)
by

Michel Onfray

3.28 avg rating — 54 ratings

Front Populaire (15 books)
by

Michel Onfray

3.89 avg rating — 19 ratings

More series by Michel Onfray…

Quotes by Michel Onfray (?)

“You cannot kill a breeze, a wind, a fragrance; you cannot kill a dream or an ambition.”
― Michel Onfray

1948 likes

“The three monotheism share a series of identical forms of aversion: hatred of reason and intelligence; hatred of freedom; hatred of all books in the name of one book alone; hatred of sexuality, women,and pleasure; hatred of feminine; hatred of body, of desires, of drives. Instead Judaism, Christianity, and Islam extol faith and belief, obedience and submission, taste for death and longing for the beyond, the asexual angel and chastity, virginity and monogamous love, wife and mother, soul and spirit. In other words, life crucified and nothingness exalted.”
― Michel Onfray, Atheist Manifesto: The Case Against Christianity, Judaism, and Islam

46 likes

“Not having children derives not from dislike, but from love too great to bring them into this world, too limited, too vain, too cruel.”
― Michel Onfray, Les vertus de la foudre

tags: antinatalism

27 likes

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Michel Onfray’s Followers (523)

Michel Onfray

734 postsMichel Onfray's Blog

Michel Onfray - André Bercoff, tout sera dit (Tocsin) - 04.05.2025

Combine EditionsMichel Onfray’s books

Series by Michel Onfray

Topics Mentioning This Author

734 posts
Michel Onfray's Blog

Combine Editions
Michel Onfray’s books