Les Ultras des Lumières

Contre-histoire de la philosophie #4

by Michel Onfray

Dans ce quatrième volume de la Contre-histoire de la philosophie, qui explore les angles morts de la philosophie officielle et universitaire, le siècle dit des Lumières est à son tour revu et corrigé : Voltaire et Rousseau fustigent les athées, l’Encyclopédie veut les mettre à mort, pendant que se formule une pensée hédoniste, matérialiste, révolutionnaire, mais pas comme l’historiographie marxiste l’a prétendu. Les « ultras des Lumières » définissent une radicalité matérialiste, avec Meslier et La Mettrie, ainsi qu’une sensibilité jamais nommée, l’utilitarisme français, incarnée par Maupertuis, Helvétius, d’Holbach. Et éclairent enfin la pensée féodale d’un Sade délinquant relationnel, contre-révolutionnaire, précurseur du fascisme, aux antipodes du grand libérateur qu’on se plaît habituellement à glorifier.

Genres: Philosophy, Nonfiction

338 pages

First published April 18, 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.

Reviews

[Patricia Rivas Lis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cuánto daño hizo la Ilustración.

[Francisco Barrios · Rating 4 out of 5]

¿Quiénes fueron los filósofos revolucionarios del llamado "Siglo de las Luces" en Francia? ¿Rousseau y Voltaire, quienes eran abiertamente deístas, idealistas, alineados con la monarquía reinante, pero proclives al triunfo liberal de una nueva clase social (la burguesía) sobre la nobleza?

En este libro, el filósofo francés Michel Onfray nos invita a acercarnos a los verdaderos "Ultras" de la filosofia francesa del siglo XVIII a través de cuatro hilos conductores: el ateísmo, el materialismo, el hedonismo y la revolución.

No es sorpresa, entonces, que Onfray desentierre pensadores tan originales y revolucionarios como Jean Meslier ("el cura ateo"), Julien Offray de la Mettrie, Helvecio o D'Holbach (sin olvidar al Marqués incómodo, Sade), entre los que puede buscarse el origen del materialismo, del sensualismo o del utilitarismo (que llegará a su exacerbación con Bentham en Gran Bretaña).

Un libro único para el lector hispanohablante que puede acercarse de esta manera a textos que no existen traducidos al español (o que están agotados desde hace mucho tiempo como, por ejemplo, el Testamento de Meslier), de la mano de un tipo polémico, irascible e igualitario como Onfray. Muy recomendable.

[Simone · Rating 2 out of 5]

Inutilmente polemico e contenuto sciatto, se volete leggere un libro sullo stesso argomento (i filosofi illuministi radicali) scritto come si deve vi consiglio
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

[Barone]

Grandissimo ed interessantissimo libro. Un vero antidoto al conformismo del pensiero. Leggetelo!!!