Louis Gabriel Ambroise de Bonald
Encyclopedia
Louis Gabriel Ambroise, Vicomte de Bonald (2 October 1754, Le Monna (part of Millau
), Rouergue
(now Aveyron
) - 23 November 1840, Le Monna), was a French
counter-revolutionary philosopher and politician
.
, he emigrated in 1791, joined the army of the Prince of Condé
, soon settling in Heidelberg
. There he wrote his first important work, the highly conservative Theorie du pouvoir politique et religieux (3 vols., 1796; new ed., Paris, 1854, 2 vols.), which the Directory
condemned.
Upon returning to France, he found himself an object of suspicion and at first lived in retirement. In 1806, he, along with Chateaubriand and Joseph Fiévée
, edited the Mercure de France
. Two years later, he was appointed counsellor of the Imperial University, which he had often attacked previously. After the Bourbon Restoration
he was a member of the council of public instruction, and from 1815 to 1822, he served as a deputy in the French National Assembly. His speeches were extremely conservative and he advocated literary censorship
. In 1825, he argued strongly in favor of the Anti-Sacrilege Act
, including its prescription of the death penalty under certain conditions.
In 1822, he was made Minister of State, and presided over the censorship commission. In the following year, he was made a peer, a dignity which he had lost by refusing to take the required oath in 1803. In 1816, he was appointed to the Académie française
. In 1830, he retired from public life and spent the remainder of his days on his estate at Le Monna.
He had four sons, two of whom, Victor
and Louis
, led lives of some note.
, Lamennais
, Ballanche and baron Ferdinand d'Eckstein. His writings are mainly on social and political philosophy, and are based ultimately on one great principle, the divine origin of language
. In his own words, "L'homme pense sa parole avant de parler sa pensée" (man thinks his speech before saying his thought); the first language contained the essence of all truth. From this he deduces the existence of God
, the divine origin and consequent supreme authority of the Holy Scriptures, and the infallibility
of the Catholic Church.
While this thought lies at the root of all his speculations, there is a formula of constant application. All relations may be stated as the triad of cause, means and effect, which he sees repeated throughout nature. Thus, in the universe
, he finds the first cause as mover, movement as the means, and bodies as the result; in the state, power as the cause, ministers as the means, and subjects as the effects; in the family, the same relation is exemplified by father, mother and children. These three terms bear specific relations to one another; the first is to the second as the second to the third. Thus, in the great triad of the religious world—God, the Mediator, and Man—God is to the God-Man as the God-Man is to Man. On this basis, he constructed a system of political absolutism.
Bonald's French style is remarkably fine; ornate, but pure and vigorous. Many fruitful thoughts are scattered among his works, but his strength lay in the vigour and sincerity of his statements rather than in cogency of reasoning.
The True and Only Wealth of Nations: Essays on Family, Society and Economy, trans. by Christopher Blum. Ave Maria University Press (2006) ISBN 1-932589-31-7
Millau
Millau is a commune in the Aveyron department in southern France. It is located at the confluence of the Tarn and Dourbie rivers.-History:...
), Rouergue
Rouergue
Rouergue is a former province of France, bounded on the north by Auvergne, on the south and southwest by Languedoc, on the east by Gévaudan and on the west by Quercy...
(now Aveyron
Aveyron
Aveyron is a département in southern France named after the Aveyron River.- History :Aveyron is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790....
) - 23 November 1840, Le Monna), was a French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
counter-revolutionary philosopher and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
.
Life
Disliking the principles of the RevolutionFrench Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, he emigrated in 1791, joined the army of the Prince of Condé
Louis Joseph de Bourbon, prince de Condé
Louis Joseph de Bourbon was Prince of Condé from 1740 to his death. A member of the House of Bourbon, he held the prestigious rank of Prince du Sang.-Biography:...
, soon settling in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
. There he wrote his first important work, the highly conservative Theorie du pouvoir politique et religieux (3 vols., 1796; new ed., Paris, 1854, 2 vols.), which the Directory
French Directory
The Directory was a body of five Directors that held executive power in France following the Convention and preceding the Consulate...
condemned.
Upon returning to France, he found himself an object of suspicion and at first lived in retirement. In 1806, he, along with Chateaubriand and Joseph Fiévée
Joseph Fiévée
Joseph Fiévée was a French journalist, novelist, essayist, playwright, civil servant and secret agent...
, edited the Mercure de France
Mercure de France
The Mercure de France was originally a French gazette and literary magazine first published in the 17th century, but after several incarnations has evolved as a publisher, and is now part of the Éditions Gallimard publishing group....
. Two years later, he was appointed counsellor of the Imperial University, which he had often attacked previously. After the Bourbon Restoration
Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution , the end of the First Republic , and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the...
he was a member of the council of public instruction, and from 1815 to 1822, he served as a deputy in the French National Assembly. His speeches were extremely conservative and he advocated literary censorship
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
. In 1825, he argued strongly in favor of the Anti-Sacrilege Act
Anti-Sacrilege Act
The Anti-Sacrilege Act was a French law against blasphemy and sacrilege passed in January 1825 under King Charles X. The law was never applied and was later revoked at the beginning of the July monarchy under King Louis-Philippe.-The draft bill:In April 1824, King Louis XVIII's government, headed...
, including its prescription of the death penalty under certain conditions.
In 1822, he was made Minister of State, and presided over the censorship commission. In the following year, he was made a peer, a dignity which he had lost by refusing to take the required oath in 1803. In 1816, he was appointed to the Académie française
Académie française
L'Académie française , also called the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. The Académie was officially established in 1635 by Cardinal Richelieu, the chief minister to King Louis XIII. Suppressed in 1793 during the French Revolution,...
. In 1830, he retired from public life and spent the remainder of his days on his estate at Le Monna.
He had four sons, two of whom, Victor
Victor de Bonald
Victor de Bonald , son of Louis Gabriel Ambroise de Bonald, followed his father in his exile. He was rector of the academy of Montpellier after the restoration, but lost his post during the Hundred Days. Regaining it at the second restoration, he resigned finally in 1830...
and Louis
Louis Jacques Maurice de Bonald
Louis Jacques Maurice de Bonald was a French cardinal .Born at Millau, he was the son of the philosopher Louis Gabriel Ambroise de Bonald....
, led lives of some note.
Ideas
Bonald was one of the leading writers of the theocratic or traditionalist school, which included de MaistreJoseph de Maistre
Joseph-Marie, comte de Maistre was a French-speaking Savoyard philosopher, writer, lawyer, and diplomat. He defended hierarchical societies and a monarchical State in the period immediately following the French Revolution...
, Lamennais
Hughes Felicité Robert de Lamennais
Hugues-Félicité Robert de Lamennais , was a French priest, and philosophical and political writer.-Youth:Félicité de Lamennais was born at Saint-Malo on June 19, 1782, the son of a wealthy merchant...
, Ballanche and baron Ferdinand d'Eckstein. His writings are mainly on social and political philosophy, and are based ultimately on one great principle, the divine origin of language
Language
Language may refer either to the specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication, or to a specific instance of such a system of complex communication...
. In his own words, "L'homme pense sa parole avant de parler sa pensée" (man thinks his speech before saying his thought); the first language contained the essence of all truth. From this he deduces the existence of God
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
, the divine origin and consequent supreme authority of the Holy Scriptures, and the infallibility
Infallibility
Infallibility, from Latin origin , is a term with a variety of meanings related to knowing truth with certainty.-In common speech:...
of the Catholic Church.
While this thought lies at the root of all his speculations, there is a formula of constant application. All relations may be stated as the triad of cause, means and effect, which he sees repeated throughout nature. Thus, in the universe
Universe
The Universe is commonly defined as the totality of everything that exists, including all matter and energy, the planets, stars, galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space. Definitions and usage vary and similar terms include the cosmos, the world and nature...
, he finds the first cause as mover, movement as the means, and bodies as the result; in the state, power as the cause, ministers as the means, and subjects as the effects; in the family, the same relation is exemplified by father, mother and children. These three terms bear specific relations to one another; the first is to the second as the second to the third. Thus, in the great triad of the religious world—God, the Mediator, and Man—God is to the God-Man as the God-Man is to Man. On this basis, he constructed a system of political absolutism.
Bonald's French style is remarkably fine; ornate, but pure and vigorous. Many fruitful thoughts are scattered among his works, but his strength lay in the vigour and sincerity of his statements rather than in cogency of reasoning.
Quotes
- «Monarchy considers man in his ties with society; a republic considers man independently of his relations to society.»
Works
- 1796 : Théorie du pouvoir politique et religieux
- 1800 : Essai analytique sur les lois naturelles de l’ordre social
- 1801 : Du divorce considéré au XIXe
- 1802 : Législation primitive (3 volumes)
- 1817 : Pensées sur divers sujets
- 1818 : Recherches philosophiques sur les premiers objets des connaissances morales
- 1815 : Réflexions sur l’intérêt général de l’Europe
- 1818 : Observations sur un ouvrage de Madame de Staël
- 1819 : Mélanges littéraires, politiques et philosophiques
- 1830 : Démonstration philosophique du principe constitutif de la société
- 1821 : Opinion sur la loi relative à la censure des journaux
- 1825 : De la chrétienté et du christianisme
- 1826 : De la famille agricole et de la famille industrielle
- 1834 : Discours sur la vie de Jésus-Christ
Complete Works
- Œuvres de M. de Bonald, 1817-1843 (A. Le Clere, 14 voll. in-8°).
- Œuvres de M. de Bonald, 1847-1859 (A. Le Clere, 7 voll. in-8° gr.).
- Œuvres complètes de M. de Bonald, 1858 (J.-P. Migne, 3 voll. in-4°).
Writings in English translation
In Blum, Christopher Olaf, editor and translator, 2004. Critics of the Enlightenment. Wilmington DE: ISI Books.- 1815, "On BossuetJacques-Bénigne BossuetJacques-Bénigne Bossuet was a French bishop and theologian, renowned for his sermons and other addresses. He has been considered by many to be one of the most brilliant orators of all time and a masterly French stylist....
, Bishop of MeauxMeauxMeaux is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located east-northeast from the center of Paris. Meaux is a sub-prefecture of the department and the seat of an arondissement...
." 43-70. - 1817, "Thoughts on Various Subjects." 71-80.
- 1818, "Observations on Madame de Stael's Considerations on the Principle Events of the French RevolutionFrench RevolutionThe French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
." 81-106. - 1826, "On the Agricultural Family, the Industrial Family, and the Right of PrimogeniturePrimogeniturePrimogeniture is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn to inherit the entire estate, to the exclusion of younger siblings . Historically, the term implied male primogeniture, to the exclusion of females...
." 107-32.
The True and Only Wealth of Nations: Essays on Family, Society and Economy, trans. by Christopher Blum. Ave Maria University Press (2006) ISBN 1-932589-31-7