Vianney Décarie
Encyclopedia
Joseph Fernand Lionel Vianney Décarie, , was a Canadian philosopher. He was born November 28, 1917, in Montreal
, Canada
and died there on September 6, 2009, of pneumonia
.
family. His grandfather, Barthélémy Thélesphore Décarie, was a major landowner, whose farms stretched through the west end of present-day Montreal
and the village of Notre Dame de Grace. The Décarie Expressway bears the family's name.
in Quebec.
By 1950, Décarie earned his doctorate
and, in 1954, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship
. He studied all of St. Thomas Aquinas's writing on Aristotle
at the Widener Library
of Harvard University
.
The provincial government established the University of Montreal's École normale supérieure
. In 1961, he was named director. The school offered a higher standard for teaching both university and high school instructors, and eventually became the university's faculty of education.
His work called for a more robust post-secondary system: a research council
, better peer review
and a body to implement best practices for university administrators; all of which preceded the Parent Commission.
He published L'object de la métaphysique selon Aristotle, one of the most important books on the philosopher.
He obtained the Doctorat d'État from La Sorbonne and was featured in the pages of Paris Match
.
He made enemies with his political writing and general exploration. There was still resistance to open-mindedness among the clergy who ran the university. A Le Devoir
editorial criticized the university for not recognizing Pierre Trudeau
's value; after Décarie complained to the rector of the university, Trudeau was hired.
Décarie was an occasional writer for the political magazine Cité Libre
.
Décarie also played a role in the early career of Charles Taylor
, whom he hired as a professor in the early 1960s.
International philosophers such as Paul Ricoeur
, Paul Vignaux and Henri-Irénée Marrou
regularly spoke to his students. He was seen as an avant-garde
Christians in 1960s philosophy..
He retired mandatorily at age 65. but continued to lecture, including at McGill University
. He researched until two years before his death at age 91 when he suffered vascular dementia.
and the Order of Quebec, of the latter named a Grand Officer, for his work promoting secular education.
His love of language was passionate, and was moved by the construction of ancient Greek words. That passion for language spilled over into a short-wave radio obsession, listening to foreign broadcasts.http://v1.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090929.OBDECARIE29ART2148/BDAStory/BDA/deaths
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
and died there on September 6, 2009, of pneumonia
Pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung—especially affecting the microscopic air sacs —associated with fever, chest symptoms, and a lack of air space on a chest X-ray. Pneumonia is typically caused by an infection but there are a number of other causes...
.
Early life
Vianney Décarie was a descendant of an old QuebecQuebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
family. His grandfather, Barthélémy Thélesphore Décarie, was a major landowner, whose farms stretched through the west end of present-day Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and the village of Notre Dame de Grace. The Décarie Expressway bears the family's name.
Career
At 17, he won the Prix Colin de Rhétorique for the best marks in the province among the collèges classiques, the religious-run preparatory schoolsUniversity-preparatory school
A university-preparatory school or college-preparatory school is a secondary school, usually private, designed to prepare students for a college or university education...
in Quebec.
By 1950, Décarie earned his doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
and, in 1954, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowship
Guggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
. He studied all of St. Thomas Aquinas's writing on Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
at the Widener Library
Widener Library
The Harry Elkins Widener Memorial Library, commonly known as Widener Library, is the primary building of the library system of Harvard University. Located on the south side of Harvard Yard directly across from Memorial Church, Widener serves as the centerpiece of the 15.6 million-volume Harvard...
of Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
.
The provincial government established the University of Montreal's École normale supérieure
École normale supérieure
An école normale supérieure or ENS is a type of publicly funded higher education in France. A portion of the student body who are French civil servants are called Normaliens....
. In 1961, he was named director. The school offered a higher standard for teaching both university and high school instructors, and eventually became the university's faculty of education.
His work called for a more robust post-secondary system: a research council
Research Council
The UK Research Councils, of which there are currently seven, are publicly-funded agencies responsible for co-ordinating and funding particular areas of research, including the arts, humanities, all areas of science and engineering...
, better peer review
Peer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
and a body to implement best practices for university administrators; all of which preceded the Parent Commission.
He published L'object de la métaphysique selon Aristotle, one of the most important books on the philosopher.
He obtained the Doctorat d'État from La Sorbonne and was featured in the pages of Paris Match
Paris Match
Paris Match is a French weekly magazine. It covers major national and international news along with celebrity lifestyle features. It was founded in 1949 by the industrialist Jean Prouvost....
.
He made enemies with his political writing and general exploration. There was still resistance to open-mindedness among the clergy who ran the university. A Le Devoir
Le Devoir
Le Devoir is a French-language newspaper published in Montreal and distributed in Quebec and the rest of Canada. It was founded by journalist, politician, and nationalist Henri Bourassa in 1910....
editorial criticized the university for not recognizing Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
's value; after Décarie complained to the rector of the university, Trudeau was hired.
Décarie was an occasional writer for the political magazine Cité Libre
Cité Libre
Cité Libre was an influential political journal published in Quebec, Canada, through the 1950s and 1960s. Co-founded in 1950 by editor and future Prime Minister of Canada Pierre Trudeau, the publication served as an organ of opposition to the conservative and authoritarian government of Maurice...
.
Décarie also played a role in the early career of Charles Taylor
Charles Taylor
Charles McArthur Ghankay Taylor was the 22nd President of Liberia, serving from 2 August 1997 until his resignation on 11 August 2003....
, whom he hired as a professor in the early 1960s.
International philosophers such as Paul Ricoeur
Paul Ricoeur
Paul Ricœur was a French philosopher best known for combining phenomenological description with hermeneutic interpretation...
, Paul Vignaux and Henri-Irénée Marrou
Henri-Irénée Marrou
Henri-Irénée Marrou was a leading French historian of the mid-twentieth century. A Christian humanist in outlook, his work was primarily in the spheres of Late Antiquity and the history of education...
regularly spoke to his students. He was seen as an avant-garde
Avant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
Christians in 1960s philosophy..
He retired mandatorily at age 65. but continued to lecture, including at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
. He researched until two years before his death at age 91 when he suffered vascular dementia.
Awards
He was awarded the Order of CanadaOrder of Canada
The Order of Canada is a Canadian national order, admission into which is, within the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, the second highest honour for merit...
and the Order of Quebec, of the latter named a Grand Officer, for his work promoting secular education.
Family
His widow is Thérèse Gouin Décarie, a pioneering researcher on early childhood development. His children are Pascale, Dominique, Jean-Claude and Emmanuel. He went to church every Sunday, but respected his children's religious choices.His love of language was passionate, and was moved by the construction of ancient Greek words. That passion for language spilled over into a short-wave radio obsession, listening to foreign broadcasts.http://v1.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090929.OBDECARIE29ART2148/BDAStory/BDA/deaths