As radicalidades existenciais - Contra-História da Filosofia - Vol. 6

Contre-histoire de la philosophie #6

by Michel Onfray

O século XIX foi o século da Revolução Industrial, do triunfo do liberalismo, mas também das soluções coletivas para o problema da miséria, que deram origem a propostas socialistas, comunistas e anarquistas. Neste volume, Onfray examina outra linha de força que atravessa o século, a de filósofos que propõem soluções individuais: “Essas soluções definem, a despeito de sua heterogeneidade, um continente que chamarei de radicalidades existenciais. ‘Radicalidades’, pois as soluções propostas atacam as coisas pela raiz e propõem nada menos que a organização do mundo a partir de grandes pilares: a Natureza, para Thoreau; o Nada, para Schopenhauer; o Eu, para Stirner. ”

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

376 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

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.

Reviews

[Fulvio Conti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ottimo e provocatorio, come sempre Onfray

[Nicolas]

Dans cette sixième croisade contre l’historiographie dominante, Onfray s’intéresse à Thoreau, Schopenhauer et Stirner ; trois penseurs ayant en commun leur solipsisme radical et leur absence de sens commun.



Onfray nous gratifie d’entrée d’une litanie sur Thoreau, philosophe écologiste technophobe, misanthrope en définitive assez détestable, qui « à la manière de Diogène, veut ensauvager son peuple (p. 96). » Fomentant l’idée d’une utopie communautaire pour in fine s’isoler, on n’éprouve aucune envie de rejoindre le penseur de Walden dans sa cabane au fond du jardin… Notons qu’il y a du Thoreau chez Onfray ; le repli amer, le « Recours aux forêts », la cristallisation d’une pensée autour d’une terre originelle (Argentan) – Heimat et humus constitutif: le terroir-terrier.



Onfray expose ensuite Schopenhauer comme un épicurien moderne, un penseur des lumières romantiques luttant contre l’obscurantisme de l’idéalisme allemand. Comparée à la psychagogie allègre d’un Matzneff dans son « Maîtres et complices », le Schopenhauer d’Onfray suppose un être aux afflictions héréditaires, un hypocondriaque allergique au bruit, aux vêtements démodés et indéfectiblement accompagné d’un caniche. Aussi, chez Onfray, l’on scrute en premier lieu les recoins de la médiocrité humaine, déterminant la genèse de toute pensée ultérieure.



Chez Schopenhauer, « le pessimisme de raison se double d’un optimisme de l’action (p. 258). Un actionnisme encore davantage renforcé chez Stirner dépeint, là encore, comme un raté de l’existence – homme de trop au sens tourguénievien, mais véritable contrepoison à Hegel.



Aussi, dans un siècle entré de plain-pied dans un capitalisme de philistins où – déjà – « tous meurent aujourd’hui de remettre leur vie au lendemain », les trois penseurs se rejoignent dans un même dégoût du travail. Tandis que Thoreau invite à une anastrophe du précepte chrétien : « reposez -vous la semaine pour œuvrer le septième jour », Stirner pratique une éthique de flibustier incitant au vol.



Mais à eux trois, ils représentent surtout le dernier acte d’un cheminement « contre-historique » menant jusqu’à Nietzsche. L’acte de clôture d’une possession philologique, Onfray n’étant jamais sorti indemne de la lecture de Nietzsche ; envoûté, hanté par sa phraséologie. On le comprend.