Raymond Ruyer
Encyclopedia
Raymond Ruyer was a French philosopher in the late 20th century. Author of many important works, he covered several topics such as the philosophy of biology
, the philosophy of informatics
, the philosophy of value
and others. His most popular book is The Gnosis of Princeton in which he presents his own philosophic views under the pretence that he was representing the views of an imaginary group of American scientists. He developed a theory of consciousness of all living matter, named panpsychism, which was a major influence on philosophers such as Simondon, Deleuze and Guattari.
department of Vosges
, France
. He studied at the École Normale Supérieure
, passing the aggregation in philosophy with a thesis on the phenomenology of knowledge.
In 1937 he published his first book, "The body and the conscience".
During World War II
Raymond Ruyer was a prisoner of war in Germany
from 1940 to 1944. Upon his return he was appointed professor of philosophy at the Université de Nancy, where he developed his theories of the philosophical implications of various branches of science, mainly embryology
, biology
and informatics
. At the same time he continued his research on the theory of value which he had started before the war.
In the 1970s he was named corresponding member of the Institut de France
. He was also offered a position at the Sorbonne
which de declined, preferring to continue working in Nancy, where he was friends with many other scientists.
Being opposed to the existentialism
and the leftist trends of the French post-war intelligentsia, Ruyer's work was better accepted in scientific circles abroad than in France. Publicist Raymond Aron
advised him to try his luck at writing more popular works. His first such attempts did not raise public interest. Therefore, based on the assumption that the French public was more fascinated by scientific developments in America
, Ruyer published the book "The Gnosis of Princeton". He claimed to be in contact with a group of unidentified American gnostic philosophers who were trying to create a new religion identified as the Gnosis of Princeton, where most of these imaginary scientists were active. Thereafter Raymond Ruyer presented his own gnostic ideas. The book was a success as many of its readers were not aware of the hoax for a long time. However, his next publications did not raise interest in France, and were better known in Canada and the United States.
Raymond Ruyer died in 1987 in Nancy. His last work "Embryogenesis of the World and the Silent God" was never published and is deposited as a manuscript at the University of Nancy.
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
, the philosophy of informatics
Informatics (academic field)
Informatics is the science of information, the practice of information processing, and the engineering of information systems. Informatics studies the structure, algorithms, behavior, and interactions of natural and artificial systems that store, process, access and communicate information...
, the philosophy of value
Value (ethics)
In ethics, value is a property of objects, including physical objects as well as abstract objects , representing their degree of importance....
and others. His most popular book is The Gnosis of Princeton in which he presents his own philosophic views under the pretence that he was representing the views of an imaginary group of American scientists. He developed a theory of consciousness of all living matter, named panpsychism, which was a major influence on philosophers such as Simondon, Deleuze and Guattari.
Life
Raymond Ruyer was born in 1902 in the village of PlainfaingPlainfaing
Plainfaing is a commune in the Vosges department in Lorraine in northeastern France.-Geography:The commune is positioned in the east of the department, at the foot of the 949 meter high Bonhomme Pass , between Saint-Dié-des-Vosges to the west and Colmar in neighbouring Alsace to the east...
department of Vosges
Vosges
Vosges is a French department, named after the local mountain range. It contains the hometown of Joan of Arc, Domrémy.-History:The Vosges department is one of the original 83 departments of France, created on February 9, 1790 during the French Revolution. It was made of territories that had been...
, France
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...
. He studied at the École Normale Supérieure
École Normale Supérieure
The École normale supérieure is one of the most prestigious French grandes écoles...
, passing the aggregation in philosophy with a thesis on the phenomenology of knowledge.
In 1937 he published his first book, "The body and the conscience".
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Raymond Ruyer was a prisoner of war in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
from 1940 to 1944. Upon his return he was appointed professor of philosophy at the Université de Nancy, where he developed his theories of the philosophical implications of various branches of science, mainly embryology
Embryology
Embryology is a science which is about the development of an embryo from the fertilization of the ovum to the fetus stage...
, biology
Biology
Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...
and informatics
Informatics (academic field)
Informatics is the science of information, the practice of information processing, and the engineering of information systems. Informatics studies the structure, algorithms, behavior, and interactions of natural and artificial systems that store, process, access and communicate information...
. At the same time he continued his research on the theory of value which he had started before the war.
In the 1970s he was named corresponding member of the Institut de France
Institut de France
The Institut de France is a French learned society, grouping five académies, the most famous of which is the Académie française.The institute, located in Paris, manages approximately 1,000 foundations, as well as museums and chateaux open for visit. It also awards prizes and subsidies, which...
. He was also offered a position at the Sorbonne
Sorbonne
The Sorbonne is an edifice of the Latin Quarter, in Paris, France, which has been the historical house of the former University of Paris...
which de declined, preferring to continue working in Nancy, where he was friends with many other scientists.
Being opposed to the existentialism
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
and the leftist trends of the French post-war intelligentsia, Ruyer's work was better accepted in scientific circles abroad than in France. Publicist Raymond Aron
Raymond Aron
Raymond-Claude-Ferdinand Aron was a French philosopher, sociologist, journalist and political scientist.He is best known for his 1955 book The Opium of the Intellectuals, the title of which inverts Karl Marx's claim that religion was the opium of the people -- in contrast, Aron argued that in...
advised him to try his luck at writing more popular works. His first such attempts did not raise public interest. Therefore, based on the assumption that the French public was more fascinated by scientific developments in America
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Ruyer published the book "The Gnosis of Princeton". He claimed to be in contact with a group of unidentified American gnostic philosophers who were trying to create a new religion identified as the Gnosis of Princeton, where most of these imaginary scientists were active. Thereafter Raymond Ruyer presented his own gnostic ideas. The book was a success as many of its readers were not aware of the hoax for a long time. However, his next publications did not raise interest in France, and were better known in Canada and the United States.
Raymond Ruyer died in 1987 in Nancy. His last work "Embryogenesis of the World and the Silent God" was never published and is deposited as a manuscript at the University of Nancy.