Maine de Biran 1766 – 1824
Maine de Biran (1766 – 1824) was a French philosopher of the Modern era, associated with Continental Philosophy.
Marie-Francois-Pierre Gontier de Biran, known as Maine de Biran, was a French philosopher and statesman, sometimes called the founder of French spiritualism. After service in the royal household and a long career as a magistrate and deputy under successive French regimes, he developed in his Memoir on the Decomposition of Thought and his late Essay on the Foundations of Psychology an introspective philosophy in which the self is known not through the play of external sensations but through the inner experience of effort and willed action. His thought shaped French philosophy from Bergson through Ricoeur.
Key facts
- Nationality
- French
- Era
- Modern
- Movements
- Continental Philosophy
Selected quotes
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Attributed to Maine de Biran:
“I will, therefore I am.”
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Attributed to Maine de Biran:
“The sense of effort is the deepest revelation of the self.”
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Attributed to Maine de Biran:
“The mind is not the spectator but the actor of its own life.”
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Attributed to Maine de Biran:
“True philosophy turns from the world to the inner self.”
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Attributed to Maine de Biran:
“All metaphysics begins in self-consciousness.”
Maine de Biran by topic
Frequently asked about Maine de Biran
- When did Maine de Biran live?
- Maine de Biran was born in 1766 and died in 1824.
- Where was Maine de Biran from?
- Maine de Biran was a French philosopher of the Modern era.
- What philosophical movements is Maine de Biran associated with?
- Maine de Biran was associated with Continental Philosophy.
- What was Maine de Biran known for?
- Marie-Francois-Pierre Gontier de Biran, known as Maine de Biran, was a French philosopher and statesman, sometimes called the founder of French spiritualism.
- How many quotes are attributed to Maine de Biran?
- There are 6 attributed quotations from Maine de Biran in the 1001Philosophers collection, organized by topic.