French Philosophy Trivia Quiz

Answer: Auguste Comte

Comte (1798-1857) is generally regarded as the founder of positivism, a philosophical doctrine that relies heavily on the use of scientific methods to study and understand the natural world. He is also considered the first "philosopher of science" in the modern sense of the term.

Among his contributions to philosophy, his "Law of the three stages" is one of the most remarkable: it states that human knowledge has progressed through three stages: the theological (based on religious and supernatural explanations for natural phenomena), the metaphysical (based on abstract concepts and principles), and the positive stage (based on scientific methods and observation)

Furthermore, Comte was the first to propose the use of scientific methods to study society and human behavior in social contexts, giving way to the development of Sociology, of which he is also considered a founder.

Answer: Jean-Paul Sartre

Sartre (1905-1980) played a significant role in the development of Existentialism, doctrine that argues that individuals must create their own values and determine the meaning of their own lives by themselves, instead of relying on external standards and norms.

His thought was based on the idea that individuals don't have an inherent nature that determines their choices. First, they must be created; then, they determine their essence through their actions in life. In other words, existence (creation) precedes essence.

In a similar order of ideas, Sartre believed that human existence is initially characterized by a sense of "nothingness", as every person doesn't have a meaning for their life from the start, but instead they must create it.

Answer: Peter Abelard

Peter Abelard (1079-1142) focused his philosophical thought on the ecclesiastic doctrines, aiming at giving them a more rational expression. While some of his ideas were condemned, others have been well received and accepted by the Church.

One such doctrine was the idea that unbaptized infants didn't go straight to Hell, as it was believed until then, but instead to a special area of Limbo denominated "Limbus Infantium". While this meant that they would feel no pain, they would also not receive any supernatural happiness due to not being able to see the deity that created them. This theory was accepted by Pope Innocent III, amending the former idea postulated by Augustine of Hippo.

Another of his prime ideas, or at least one he helped establish, was the Moral Influence Theory of Atonement. Before its introduction, it was believed that Christ's death served the purpose of satisfying God's wrath, and paying the penalty for the sins of humankind (which was known as the Satisfaction Theory of Atonement). Instead, Abelard (among others) stated that His death was an example of God's mercy and love, and that it wasn't a sacrifice, but an example that all Christians should follow in their lives.

Answer: Montesquieu

Charles Louis de Secondat (1689-1755), generally known as just Monstequieu, made important contributions to political philosophy, with his most famous theory being the separation of government powers into the executive, legislative and judicial branches, a system that has been adopted by most modern democracies.

As a judge, his studies on law were also of great depth and relevance. One of his most famous works, "The Spirit of the Laws" (1748), analyzes the main forms of government that existed back in that time, covering the relationships of power, the extension of citizens' rights, and the existence, or lack thereof, of a fixed set of laws that limit the authority of the ruler.

Montesquieu's works were a major influence on many Enlightenment authors and on prominent political figures of the following centuries.

Answer: Rene Descartes

A truly brilliant mind, Rene Descartes (1596-1650) is considered by many as the father of modern philosophy, but he also excelled in science and mathematics, with his main advancement in this area being the integration of algebra and geometry into the new field of analytic geometry.

Regarding philosophy, his most famous contribution is the principle of "Cogito, ergo sum" ("I think, therefore I am"). With this assertion, he concludes that the fact that a person thinks, undoubtedly implies that such person actually exists, serving as proof of the reality of the mind.

On the basis of this principle, one of the most important in the development of Western Philosophy, Descartes studied the connection between body and mind, and the way that both interact with each other, recognizing that both are separate entities. This led to the coining of the term "Cartesian dualism", which went on to influence the works of many other thinkers and philosophers.

Answer: Henri Bergson

Henri-Louis Bergson (1859-1941), while not as famous as some of his peers, was a very influential philosopher during the early half of the 20th century.

He introduced three essential concepts in his thinking. One of them is the argument that reality is best understood through processes of experience and intuition, rather than by abstract rationalism. The second is the theory of Duration, related to the perception of time and consciousness, which states, in simple words, that time cannot be measured using scientific and mathematical principles, and that its perception depends on each individual's intuition and imagination. The third is the concept of "Elan Vital" (often translated as "vital impetus"), related with the previous two, which is a hypothetical explanation of the development of organisms related with consciousness.

Bergson won the 1927 Nobel Prize in Literature, and was honored with the Grand-Croix de la Legion d'honneur, France's greatest honor, in 1930.

Answer: Voltaire

Francois-Marie Arouet (1694-1778), known by his pen name M. de Voltaire, was a famous thinker who based many of his works on sarcastic criticisms of the established institutions, particularly the Roman Catholic Church.

He was an ardent advocate for freedom of religion and of speech, and for the separation of church and state, breaking from the medieval idea that monarchs ruled by a divine mandate. He also coined the term Philosophy of History; as its name implies, it's the study of history through a philosophical scope.

Voltaire was also a very prolific and influential writer, one of the first to be internationally successful. His most famous work, "Candide", is a satirical novella that ridicules many great thinkers and notable events of the time.

Answer: Michel Foucault

Paul-Michel Foucault (1926-1984) ranks among the most well known modern French philosophers. His work is mostly centered in the relationship between knowledge and power, and how it is used as a form of social control.

He analyzed power in two aspects: empirical and theoretical (though he considered that his approach was more a method than a theory, since he generally criticized theories arguing that they can't explain everything in full). In the former sense, he distinguished three types of power: sovereign (like the absolute monarchies; a minoritary group exerts the power over the normal, or "oppressed" masses), disciplinary (aimed at individuals, not as a means to repress interests or desires, but rather to reconstruct or redirect them), and "biopower" (power over populations instead of over individuals; it's based on norms that are internalized by people, instead of external force)

Answer: Paul Ricoeur

Jean Paul Gustave Ricoeur (1913-2005) focused his philosophy on the field of hermeneutics and phenomenology. He is famous for unifying both currents of thought, applying hermeneutics not only to written text, but also to the relation between each self and what lies outside of it. Ricoeur understood hermeneutics as the link between the self and the symbol, and the dialectical engagement between the two.

Answer: Jean-Jacques Rousseau

While not strictly French, as he was born in Geneva, Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778) introduced key concepts of political philosophy that were to set the basis of modern political, economic, and educational thought, as well as influencing major intellectual and political movements of the era.

In his most relevant works, "The Discourse on Inequality" and "The Social Contract", he addresses the inefficiencies of the monarchies of the time and their pernicious effects on society. His statement that people are the only one that possess the legitimate right and power to rule the society, was instrumental in the advent of the French Revolution.