La pensée de midi: archéologie d'une gauche libertaire

by Michel Onfray

La gauche est en capilotade et sa refondation est d’actualité. Certains veulent l’appuyer sur le centre, d’autres sur la gauche antilibérale. Or, cette dernière semble ne pas vouloir devenir adulte tant qu’elle refuse un réel jeu dialectique entre son éthique de conviction et son éthique de responsabilité. Il faudrait donc une gauche aussi amoureuse de la liberté que la gauche libérale et aussi radicale que l’extrême gauche. Cette formule n’est pas une chimère, car elle a bel et bien existé : il s’agit de la gauche libertaire

Au XXe siècle, elle repose, pour partie, sur le triangle Georges Palante, Jean Grenier et Albert Camus. L’auteur de L’Homme révolté, antitotalitaire et libertaire, a fourni une pensée qui se proposait d’examiner ce chantier que sa mort, malheureusement, aura laissé ouvert. Notre Pensée de midi est un hommage à ces trois hérauts libertaires, en même temps qu’une invitation à s’inscrire dans ce sillage.

106 pages, Paperback

First published September 13, 2007

About the author

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.