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TowardsaNewAnthropologyoftheEmbodiedMind
Editedby
AndrésQuero-Sanchez(UniversitätRegensburg) BenMorgan(UniversityofOxford)
volume4
Thetitlespublishedinthisseriesarelistedatbrill.com/smip
TowardsaNewAnthropologyof theEmbodiedMind
MainedeBiran’sPhysio-Spiritualismfrom1800tothe 21stCentury
Editedby ManfredMilz
Coverillustration:Jean-BernardDuvivier,PortraitofFrançois-Pierre-GonthierdeBiran,1798(Anvi), drawingonpaper(?),1914inSaint-Sauveur,ChâteaudeGrateloup,locationunknown.
TheLibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationDataisavailableonlineathttps://catalog.loc.gov lcrecordavailableathttps://lccn.loc.gov/2023039200
TypefacefortheLatin,Greek,andCyrillicscripts:“Brill”.Seeanddownload:brill.com/brill‑typeface.
issn2542-4963
isbn978-90-04-51561-1(hardback) isbn978-90-04-68377-8(e-book) doi10.1163/9789004683778
Copyright2023byManfredMilz.PublishedbyKoninklijkeBrillnv,Leiden,TheNetherlands. KoninklijkeBrillnvincorporatestheimprintsBrill,BrillNijhoff,BrillSchöningh,BrillFink,Brillmentis, BrillWageningenAcademic,Vandenhoeck&Ruprecht,BöhlauandV&Runipress. KoninklijkeBrillnvreservestherighttoprotectthispublicationagainstunauthorizeduse.Requestsfor re-useand/ortranslationsmustbeaddressedtoKoninklijkeBrillnvviabrill.comorcopyright.com. Thisbookisprintedonacid-freepaperandproducedinasustainablemanner.
Inmemoryof KlausHerding, GermanArtHistorian (1939–2018)
Acknowledgements x ListofFigures xiii NotesonContributors xiv
Introduction1 part1 MainedeBiranaround1800
1 MainedeBiran:Gender,Sensibility,andtheDynamicsofSelfin Post-revolutionaryFrance53 SeanM.Quinlan
2 MainedeBiranandNeurology69 LarryS.McGrath
3 OnSympathyandAttention:MainedeBiran,ReaderofAdamSmith andDugaldStewart85 MarcoPiazza
4 DidMainedeBiranRefuteDavidHume?99 WarrenSchmaus
5 BiranandSchelling:“ContactPoints”foraRadicalAnthropology112 MarcMaesschalck
6 SchopenhauerandthePrimalWill—ARadicallyPhenomenological ReadinginComparisonwithMainedeBiran129 RolfKühn
7 Quelœilpeutsevoirsoi-même?CharacterandHabitinStendhaland MainedeBiran147 AlessandraAloisi
8 JulesLachelier—ReaderofMainedeBiran:Contentionand Legacy165
DeniseVincenti
9 MainedeBiran,AlfredFouillée,Jean-MarieGuyau,HenriBergson:from ConcentrationtoExpansionandBackAgain180
BenjaminJ.Bâcle
10 TheFrenchKant(orFichte)?Brunschvicg,Biran,andthemissed Synchronism195
PietroTerzi
11
MauriceBlondel’sPhilosophicalDebttoMainedeBiran207
MichaelA.Conway
12 Power(s)ofSelf:LouisLavelleandMainedeBiran222
AnneDevarieux
13
TheFirstSignificantSeasonofMainedeBiran’sReceptioninItaly betweenNeo-KantianismandSpiritualRealism(1911–1939)238 MarcoPiazza
14 MainedeBiraninHuxley’sBraveNewWorld:Transcendingthe UtilitarianthroughaSpiritualSelf258 ManfredMilz
15 VoluntaryMovementasReflectionorCreation:MainedeBiran,Félix Ravaisson,andNishidaKitarō280
MikaImono part3 PostwarBiran-ReceptionandBeyond:Existentialism; PhenomenologyandPoststructuralism(1943–2010)
16 MauriceMerleau-PontyandPaulRicoeuronthe“PrimitiveFact”of SubjectivityinMainedeBiran297 EftichisPirovolakis
17 TheDocileBody:Ricoeur’sCritiqueofBiran’s“PrimitiveFact”313 ScottDavidson
18 “L’Immanence:unevie…”—GillesDeleuze,MainedeBiran,andthe TranscendentalField325 AlessandraAloisi
19 SensingResistance?OnDerrida’sReadingofMainedeBiran341 BjörnThorsteinsson
20 (An)UnforgettableMainedeBiran?TheBiranianHeresyofMichel Henry356 AnneDevarieux
21 TheDeepLayerofAffectivity—MainedeBiran’sInfluenceonMarc Richir’sPhenomenologicalProject370 LuísA.Umbelino
Bibliography385 Index422
Acknowledgments
Acknowledgmentsfrompreviousvolume
Theeditorofthisvolumeexpresseshisgratitudetotheeditorsofthejournal LavalThéologiqueetPhilosophique,BernardColletteandGuyJobin,forgiving theirconsenttotranslateandreprintashortenedversionofAnneDevarieux’s article“Puissance(s)dumoi:LouisLavelleetMainedeBiran,”previouslypublishedinvolume69/1(2013),pp.35–56.
HerausgegebenmitfreundlicherUnterstützungderUniversitätsstiftung LuciaundDr.Otfried-EberzimRahmenderRegensburgerUniversitätsstiftung (Bayern),Deutschland.
PublishedwiththekindsupportoftheLuciaandDr.Otfried-EberzUniversityFoundationwithintheframeworkoftheRegensburgUniversityFoundation(Bavaria),Germany.
Acknowledgmentsfromcurrentvolume
Thecoreofthisvolumeoriginatedwithinandevolvedaroundthefirstextensiveinternationalmultidisciplinaryresearchcolloquiumdevotedtothework andinfluenceoftheFrenchphilosopherMarie-François-PierreMainedeBiran (1766–1824),PosteritiesofMainedeBiran’sPhysio-Spiritualisminthe20thCentury.OrganizedbytheFacultyofLanguages,LiteratureandCulturesatRegensburgUniversity,25–26September2020,itwasfacilitated,duetotheCorona restrictions,inanonlineformat.
TheideaofreconstructingsomeofBiran’scorediscoursesandinitialreceptionaround1800,movingthentotracehisresonancesthroughoutthecourse ofthetwentiethcenturywithaspecialfocusontheperiodfollowingWorld Warii,however,emergedfromaneedforresearchregardingthisspecifictrajectoryidentifiedduringthecourseofaresearchprojectdevotedtoprotophenomenologicalaestheticsthattheeditorofthisvolumeisstillintheprocessofpursuingattheaforementionedinstitutioninthecontextofvisualarts.
Indeed,thisbook,constitutingajointeffortbyscholarsfromBelgium, France,Germany,Greece,Iceland,Italy,Ireland,Japan,Portugal,theUnited Kingdom,andtheUSA,isattendingtoaneedtothoroughlyexaminethe scarcelyinvestigatedinfluenceofBiran’sconspicuousconceptof“physio-spiritualism”uponpostmodernity,existentialism,andphenomenology,respectivelyonexperimentalpsychology,aswellasphysiologyandneurology,during
thesecondhalfofthetwentiethcentury—againstthehistoricalbackdropof multidisciplinarymedicalhumanities,philosophy,andmysticism.
Tothisend,theeditorhas,infollowinghisinitialhistoriographicmapping oftheprojectforthepurposeofafundingapplication,assembledateamof researcherscomprised,ontheonehand,ofexplicitBiran-scholarsand,onthe other,ofscholarsspecializinginthosephilosopherswhoseconceptshavebeen explicitlyinfluencedbyMainedeBiran’sphysio-spiritualism.Thishasenabled seniorandjuniorinvestigatorsfromthedisciplinesofculturalhistory,philosophy,psychology,andliteraturetoholdacross-fertilizingdialoguethatis,in fact,ongoingandthatcontinuestoevolveintofurtherprojects.
Oureffervescentconversationsandconstructivedisagreementsduringthe researchsymposiumandinitswakehaveultimatelyinspiredadynamicwriting processwhichenabledustoidentifysynergiesandestablishedafluidcoherencebetweenindividualtopicsandamongstthehistoricalphaseswherein thesearesituated.Theongoingdialogueswithinourheterogeneousresearch circleandwithscholarsfromneighboringdisciplineshavebeenandarelaying thefoundationsofthehistoricaldiscoursethatemergedfromtheconceptof physio-spiritualism—especiallyinitsrelationshiptophenomenology.
Whilemanyofthechaptersunitedandintertwinedinthisvolumearebased ontalkspresentedduringthesymposium,otherswerewrittenlaterforthis projectattheeditor’srequestbyscholarswhowereeitherunabletojoinour discussionsorpreferredtomaketheircontributionexclusivelyinwrittenform. AnexceptionisthechapterbyAnneDevarieux“Power(s)ofSelf:LouisLavelle andMainedeBiran”thatwaspreviouslypublishedinFrench.Ialsowishto thanktheauthor,theeditors,andthepublishinghouseinvolvedforgranting permissiontotranslatethistext.
Theinitialresearchconductedforthisbookwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithouttheinspiringcreativeacademicenvironmentprovided,onadaily basis,byallofmycolleagues.Inthisregard,Iwouldliketoexpressmyheartfelt thankfulness,particularlytoChristianeHeibach(Vice-Chair),BernhardDotzler(Chair),RenateVogl(ourSecretary)attheInstituteofInformationand Media,Language,andCultureoftheUniversityofRegensburg—fortheircontinuedsupportofmyresearchoverthepastyears.Iamequallygratefultoour assistants,especiallytoSonjaKalninandtoTobiasEmmerling.SonjaKalnin hasdevotedmuchtimeandenergytothisprojectbothinhersupportwith thepreliminaryorganizationalstepsofthecolloquiumandduringitsactual execution.Hermuchvalueddedicationwasinstrumentalindevelopingthis projectexpeditiously.TobiasEmmerlingmeticulouslysupportedthepreparationofthebookmanuscriptinitsfinalstage,toskilfullyaddressformatand technicalissues.
Thetranslationsrequiredforthisbookhavebeengenerouslyfundedbythe LuciaandDr.OtfriedEberzFoundationundertheumbrellaoftheBavarian VielberthUniversityFoundation.Theteamofauthorsasawholefeelsindebted totheboardoftrusteesfortheirflexibilityduringthesechallengingtimesof theCoronapandemic,specificallyintheirdecisiontoreallocatethefinancial resourcesusuallyprovidedtofacilitateconferencevenuesfortranslatingessentialtextsfromFrenchandGermanintoEnglish.Inthiscontext,Iwishtoexpress appreciationfortheeffortsofJacobWatson,thetranslatorofthetextswritten byAnneDevarieuxandRolfKühn.Mr.Watsonhasalsodonelanguageediting forthechapterswrittenbynon-nativespeakerstoconformtoproperEnglish styleaswellasadaptingallthechapters,intandemwiththeeditor,toadhere totherequiredconsistency.
Furthermore,theeditorandauthorswishtothankBenMorgan(University ofOxford)andAndrésQueroSanchez(UniversityofRegensburg)fortheirsolid trustexpressedbyinvitingus,ataveryearlystage—sixmonthspriortoour researchcolloquium—topublishtheoutcomeofthisprojectintheirdistinguishednovelseriesStudiesinMysticism,IdealismandPhenomenology.
IalsoextendmyheartfeltgratitudetoJenniferPavelko(theformerSenior AcquisitionsEditorofPhilosophyatBrill)andtohersuccessorErikaMandarino(AcquisitionsEditorofPhilosophyatBrill),aswellastohercolleague HelenaSchöb(AssociateEditorofPhilosophy)fortheircontinuedinterest, support,andadvice.
IamequallygratefultoDeniseVincenti(UniversityofMilan-Bicocca)and MarcMaesschalck(CatholicUniversityofLouvain),contributorstothisvolume,whohavebeensupportiveingrantingremoteaccesstothelibraryholdingsoftheiracademicinstitutionsandprovided,viaemail-communication, datafromresourcesthatcontributedtotheprecisionofthemanuscript.
Ialsowishtoaddressaspecialnoteofgratitudetocolleaguesandfriends:to SigmundBonk(DirectoroftheAcademicForumAlbertusMagnus;Instituteof Philosophy,UniversityofRegensburg),toAnneDevarieux(DepartmentofPhilosophy,UniversitéCaenNormandie)andtoRolfKühn(Emeritus,Universityof FreiburgimBreisgau)fortheirvaluablecriticalinputwheneverweexchanged thoughtsregardingtheevolvingstructureandcontentofthisproject.
Mostimportantofall,Iwouldliketothankthewonderfulbeingbymy side,mywifeNeslihanDemirtaş-Milz,who,evenfromadistance,constantly enrichesmyendeavorsandmylife.
1 Stendhal’sdrawingin“Lecaractèreetlagéologie”(1822),Journallittéraire,iii, delLitto(ed.),vol.35158
2 Stendhal’sdrawingin“Lecaractèreetlagéologie”(1822),Journallittéraire,iii, delLitto(ed.),vol.35158
3 EdméQuenedeydesRicets,PortraitofMainedeBiran,1811383
NotesonContributors
AlessandraAloisi
receivedherPhDinAestheticsfromtheUniversityofPisa.CollegeLecturerat theFacultyofMedievalandModernLanguages,OrielCollege,OxfordUniversity:CorefocusonmodernFrenchliteratureandphilosophy,aswellascultural exchangesbetweenFranceandItaly.Specializingonpre-Freudiantheorizationsoftheunconsciousandthecross-fertilizationsbetweenmedicine,literature,andphilosophy.AlessandraAloisi’slatestpublicationsinEnglishinclude: MainedeBiran:OfImmediateApperception,1807,ed.A.Aloisi,M.Piazza,and M.Sinclair,London/NewYork:Bloomsbury,2020; ArcheologyoftheUnconscious,ItalianPerspectives,ed.A.AloisiandF.Camilletti,London/NewYork: Routledge,2019.
BenjaminJ.Bâcle
receivedhisPhDinPhilosophyfromAstonUniversityinBirmingham.Lecturer (Teaching)attheFacultyofArtsandHumanities,UniversityCollegeLondon: PhD-thesis(2011)onMainedeBiran’sandSamuelTaylorColeridge’sconceptionsofwillandtheirrespectiveposterities.Specializationinepistemology, philosophyandpoliticalthoughtinpost-1789FranceandBritain.TracingcriticalresponsestothespreadofJeremyBentham’sutilitarianism,BenjaminBâcle iscurrentlypreparingabook-lengthhistoricalcomparisonbetweenFrench andBritishanti-utilitarianwriters(VictorCousin,AlexisdeTocqueville,JeanMarieGuyau,Jennyd’Héricourt,AnnaWheeler,JohnStuartMill,Matthew ArnoldandJohnRuskin).
MichaelA.Conway
receivedhisPhDinFundamentalTheologyfromtheAlbert-Ludwigs-Universität,Freiburgi.Br.,Germany.Rev.ProfessorinFaithandCultureatSaint Patrick’sCollege,PontificalUniversity,Maynooth,CoKildare:Fundamental theologyindialoguewithphenomenology(EmmanuelLévinasandJean-Luc Marion);pragmatism,philosophyofscience,andphilosophyofreligion,especiallyinitsaccentuationbyMauriceBlondel.KeypublicationsofMichaelConwayinclude:TheScienceofLife:MauriceBlondel’sPhilosophyofActionand theScientificMethod(FrankfurtamMain:PeterLang,2000[EuropeanUniversityStudies;Seriesxx—Philosophy,Vol.616]);Encyclopediaentry:“Blondel, Maurice”intheCambridgeDictionaryofChristianity,ed.DanielPatte,Cambridge:CambridgeUniversityPress,2010.
ScottDavidson
receivedhisPhDfromDuquesneUniversity,Pittsburg(2002).Departmentof Philosophy,WestVirginiaUniversity,Morgantown,WestVirginia:ContemporaryFrenchPhilosophy(MauriceMerleau-Ponty,EmmanuelLévinas,Michel Henry,PaulRicoeur)andTheory(Ethics,PoliticalPhilosophy,Philosophyof Law,PhilosophyofEmbodiment).Inadditiontobeingtheeditorofthe JournalofFrenchandFrancophonePhilosophy,ScottDavidsonhasrecentlyedited fivebooksonRicoeur,whoseearlyphilosophyofthewillisofspecialconcern tohim.KnownforhismeticuloustranslationsofMichelHenry’sbooksand articles,hehasalsoco-edited(withFrédéricSeyler),TheMichelHenryReader in2019.
AnneDevarieux
receivedherPhDinPhilosophy(onMainedeBiran)fromUniversitédeParisiv,Panthéon-Sorbonne (2000).SeniorLecturer,habilitatedtosuperviseresearch.AssistantDirectorofthe ea 2129“IdentityandSubjectivity”atthe DepartmentofPhilosophy,UniversitéCaenNormandie:Aspecialistinnineteenth-centuryFrenchphilosophyandtwentieth-centuryphenomenology,she hasnotablypublishedMainedeBiran,L’individualitépersévérante(2004)and L’intérioritéréciproque.L’hérésiebiraniennedeMichelHenry(2018)bothpublishedbyJérômeMillon(Grenoble).AuthorofmanyarticlesonMainedeBiran, HenriBergson,orGabrielTarde.
MikaImono
receivedherPhDinPhilosophyfromtheUniversityofToulouseii(2013)and aPhDinPhilosophyfromDoshishaUniversity,Kyoto(2015).AssociateProfessorattheDepartmentofEducation,MeiseiUniversity,Tokyo:Subjectofboth ofherthesesisacomparisonbetweenthephilosophicalconceptsofMainede BiranandKitarôNishida.Aftercompletingherthesisin2013,MikaImonohas heldvariousresearchandteachingappointmentsinJapaneseStudiesatthe UniversitiesofBordeauxMontaigne(2013–2015)andStrasbourg(2015–2019). From2019to2020,shewasawardedtheHakuhoJapaneseResearchFellowship,andsubsequentlypursuedherstudiesasaVisitingResearchFellowatthe InternationalResearchCenterforJapaneseStudiesinKyoto(2019–2020).
RolfKühn
receivedhisPhD(onSimoneWeil)fromSorbonneUniversityandHabilitation (onMichelHenry)fromtheUniversityofVienna.AssociateProfessor(Emeritus),DepartmentofPhilosophy,UniversityofFreiburg:Hisbooks,translations (MainedeBiran;MichelHenry),editorshipsandarticlesexplorephenomenol-
xvi notesoncontributors ogy,psychologicalandphilosophicalanthropology,andphilosophyofreligion. Co-editoroftheseries Soul,Existence,andLife (KarlAlberPublishing)and co-founderofpsycho-logik,ayearbookforpsychotherapy,philosophy,andculture.TeachingandresearchappointmentsinVienna,Beirut,Nizza,Lissabon, andFreiburgimBreisgau.Latestpublicationsinclude:PostmodernityandPhilosophyofLife(2019);GuidingCulture:Psychoanalyse,Philosophy,andReligion (2020).
MarcMaesschalck
isProfessorofPhilosophyatucLouvaininBelgium,whereheleadstheCentreforPhilosophyofLaw(cpdr).HehastaughtinHaiti,Quebec,Luxemburg, SwitzerlandandFrance.AspecialistofFichteandSchelling,hehaspublished numerousstudiesinpoliticalandsocialphilosophy,aswellasinethicsand legaltheory.HislatestworksareReflexiveGovernanceforResearchandInnovativeKnowledge,(Wiley-iste,2017),Lacausedusujet(Lang,2015),Democracy, LawandGovernance(Ashgate,2010)andTransformationsdel’éthique(Lang, 2010).Healsoco-editedFichte:laphilosophiedelamaturité(Europhilosophie Editions,2017)withJean-ChristopheGoddard.
LarryS.McGrath
receivedhisPhDinIntellectualHistoryfromJohnsHopkinsUniversity(2014), conductsanthropologicalresearchfortechnologyandlifesciencecompanies. HewasaVisitingAssistantProfessorofHumanitiesat jhu (2014–2015), AndrewW.MellonFellowatWesleyanUniversity(2015–2017),andiscurrently SeniorResearcherat Facebook.Hisspecializationisthehistoryofneuroscienceandtheculturalcontextsofbrainimaging.Larryhaspublishedarticles in JournaloftheHistoryofIdeas,Human-ComputerInteraction,Historyofthe HumanSciences,and ModernIntellectualHistory.Hisbookis MakingSpirit Matter:Neurology,Psychology,andSelfhoodinModernFrance (Universityof ChicagoPress,2020).
ManfredMilz
receivedhisPhDintheHistoryofArtfromGoetheUniversity,Frankfurt/Main (2003)forastudyonprocessualcorrelationsbetweenAlbertoGiacomettiand SamuelBeckett. SeniorResearchAssociate (since2017)attheInstituteof InformationandMedia,LanguageandCultureoftheUniversityofRegensburgandVisitingAssociateProfessor(2023–2026)attheFacultyofArt,Design andArchitecture,UniversityofJohannesburg.Guest-editorof TheEuropean Legacy(2011);editorandco-authorofFacingMentalLandscapes(2011),PaintingthePersianBookofKingsToday(Cambridge2010),thecatalogueforShah-
namehMillenniumexhibitionatthePrince’sGalleryinLondon.Editor-in-chief oftheBrill-seriesTransculturalAesthetics,foundedin2021bytheiaa.Aesthetics.
MarcoPiazza
receivedhisPhDinPhilosophyfromtheUniversityofFlorence.Professorat theDepartmentofPhilosophy,CommunicationandPerformingArts,UniversitàRomaTre,Rome:eighteenth–nineteenth-centuryFrenchLiteratureand Philosophy(Rousseau,MainedeBiran,Proust).Hismostrecentworksare dedicatedtothePhilosophiesofHabit:L’antagonistanecessario(Milan:2015); Creaturedell’abitudine(Bologna:2018);Habit,SecondNature,andDisposition (monographicdossiered.by,«Paradigmi»,1–2020).Piazzahasdedicatedfour bookstoMainedeBiran,amongthesethefirstItalianandEnglisheditionsof theMémoiredeBerlin(thelatterincollaborationwithAlessandraAloisiand MarcSinclair)andpublished(togetherwithDeniseVincenti)onBiran’sKantnotes.
EftichisPirovolakis
receivedhisPhDinPhilosophyfromthe UniversityofSussex,UK (2006). AssistantProfessorattheDepartmentofTheatreStudies,Universityofthe Peloponnese,Greece:Deconstruction(Derrida),Phenomenology(Husserl), Hermeneutics(Ricoeur,Gadamer),Psychoanalysis,Aesthetics.Heistheauthor ofReadingDerridaandRicoeur:ImprobableEncountersbetweenDeconstructionandHermeneutics(sunyPress,2010).Hisresearchconcentratesontwentieth-centurycontinentalphilosophy.HeservedasassistanteditoroftheBulletinoftheHegelSocietyofGreatBritain(2007–2012),hastranslatedDerrida intoEnglishandGreek,andhasco-edited,withDorotheaOlkowski,Deleuze andGuattari’sPhilosophyofFreedom:Freedom’sRefrains(Routledge,2019).
WarrenSchmaus
receivedhisPhDinHistoryandPhilosophyofSciencefromPittsburgUniversity(1980);AB,PrincetonUniversity(1974),isProfessorofPhilosophyatthe IllinoisInstituteofTechnologyinChicago:Hismajorresearchinterestisin thephilosophyofscienceinnineteenthandearlytwentiethcenturyFrance.A centralfocusofhisextensiveresearchisDurkheim’sphilosophyofscience.In hismostrecentbook,SchmausexploresLibertyandthePursuitofKnowledge: CharlesRenouvier’sPoliticalPhilosophyofScience(Pittsburgh,2018),andhehas alsopublishedseveralarticlesinvestigatingtheearlydevelopmentoftheidea ofconventionalisminFrenchphilosophyofscience.
PietroTerzi
receivedhisPhDinPhilosophyfromUniversitéParis-NanterreandaPhDin PhilosophyfromtheSanCarloFoundation,Modena.CurrentlyaResearchAssociatewiththeInstituteofPhilosophyatParis-NanterreUniversity,hespecializeswithinhistoriographyandtheoriesofFrenchphilosophy(1850–1980) ontheReceptionofKantandHusserl;Rationalism,Idealism,Phenomenology; PhilosophyandtheSciences(PsychologyandSociology);IntellectualHistory oftheThirdRepublicandPost-Structuralism(JacquesDerrida).PietroTerzi hasco-edited(withStefanoMarino)Kant’s“CritiqueofAestheticJudgment”in theTwentiethCentury(2020).Forthcomingin2021aremonographsonKantian philosophyinFranceandonLéonBrunschvicg.
BjörnThorsteinsson
receivedhisPhDinPhilosophyfromthe UniversitéParis8(Vincennes-St. Denis).ProfessorofPhilosophyattheUniversityofIceland:Hespecializes intwentieth-centuryFrenchphilosophy,Germanidealism,phenomenology, poststructuralism,andthecritiqueofideology.Heistheauthorof LaquestiondelajusticechezJacquesDerrida(Paris:L’Harmattan,2007),andhascontributedtoTheRoutledgeCompaniontoPhenomenology(2011)andtheBlackwellCompaniontoDerrida(2014)aswellasnumerousotherpublicationsin severallanguages,includingtranslationsintoIcelandicofworksbyRousseau, Merleau-Ponty,Foucault,Zahavi,Lazzarato,Bourdieu,Deleuze,andothers.
LuísA.Umbelino
isholdingaPhDinModernandContemporaryPhilosophyfromtheUniversity ofCoimbra.CoreResearchonFrenchreflexivetradition,especiallyonMaine deBiranandhisinfluences,oncontemporaryphenomenologyofthebody, andonphilosophicalhermeneutics.MemberofthePortugueseI&DResearch Unitcech-fluc/PortugalandoftheSpanishresearchproject“Fenomenologíadelcuerpoyanálisisdeldolorii.”Asidefrombeingtheeditor-in-chiefofthe RevistaFilosóficadeCoimbra,istheauthorrespectivelytheco-author,ofSomatologiaSubjetiva.ApercepçãodeSieCorpoemMainedeBiran(2010);Memorabilia.OLadoEspacialdaMemória(2020);HermeneuticRationality(2012)and Corpsému/Corpoabalado.Essaisdephilosophiebiranienne(2021).
SeanM.Quinlan
isProfessorofHistoryandDeanoftheCollegeofLetters,Arts,andSocialSciencesattheUniversityofIdaho.Quinlanreceivedhisba(1992)fromArizona StateUniversity,andhisma(1994)andPhD(2000),bothfromIndianaUniversity.HewasaFulbrightresearchfellowinFrancein1996–1997andItalyin
2016–2017,andhehasalsoreceivedgrantsfromtheMellonFoundationandthe NationalEndowmentfortheHumanities.HispublicationsincludeTheGreat NationinDecline:Sex,Modernity,andHealthCrisesinRevolutionaryFrance, ca.1750–1850(Ashgate,2007)andMorbidUndercurrents:MedicalSubcultures andLiteraryGenreinPost-RevolutionaryFrance(CornellUniversityPress,2021).
DeniseVincenti
isaPost-doctoralraintheHistoryofPsychologyattheUniversityofMilanBicocca and ra intheHistoryofPhilosophyatthe InstitutCatholiqueof Toulouse:Herinterestsfocusonnineteenth-centuryFrenchPhilosophy (MainedeBiran,FélixRavaisson,JulesLachelier,HenriBergson,etc.)and itsintersectionswithmedicalandpsychologicalscience.Herpublications include:“Espacetactileetespacevisuel.L’originedelanotiond’étenduechez JulesLachelier”,Revuedemétaphysiqueetdemorale(forthcoming),“Sognoe follia.IlproblemadellealterazionidellapersonalitànelCoursdepsychologie diJulesLachelier,”Bollettinosfi (2020),and(withMarcoPiazza),“TheSelfApperceptionandtheKnowerasAgent:AnIntroductiontoMainedeBiran’s NotesaboutKant,”PhilosophicalInquiries(2016).
OurTranslator
JacobWatson
isafreelancetranslator/editorinBerlin,studiedphilosophyandlanguages beforeobtaininghis Diplômeavancéd’etudesfrançaises&traduction atthe UniversitéMarcBloch,Strasbourg(2002).Hisfieldsarephilosophyandlaw, sociologyandhistory,artandfilm,mostnotablyforthelawjournal Ancilla LurisofZurichUniversityofAppliedSciences(zhaw).RecentbooktranslationsareEros,LustandSinbyFranzX.Eder(forthcoming)andWork—theLast 1000Years(2018)byAndreaKomlosy,withwhomheteaches“TranslatingWork” attheUniversityofVienna.Co-editorof“SensingCollectives—Aestheticsand PoliticsIntertwined”(tuBerlin,2023).
Introduction
IntheGermanpost-KantianIdealisttraditionofthereflexivehumanself, commondenominatorsofpsychoanalysisandphenomenologyhavebeenat thecoreofmanyin-depthstudiesontheintersectingprocessesofintrospection,consciousness,andtheunconscious.Thistrajectory—soformativefor twentieth-centurypsychology1and,concomitantly,morerecent,thecognitive sciences—isalsorepresentedinthispresentvolumebyusingMainedeBiran’s conceptofinterioritytocomparetheperspectivesofFriedrichWilhelmJoseph SchellingandArthurSchopenhauer.
TheœuvreofthecontemporaryFrenchspiritualistphilosopher,whose groundbreakingpsycho-physiologicalandpsycho-pathologicalinvestigations
1 Outstandingamongthemostrelevantarethefollowinginvestigations:DanieledeSantis, BurtC.Hopkins,ClaudioMajolino(eds.),TheRoutledgeHandbookofPhenomenologyand PhenomenologicalPhilosophy,NewYork/London:Routledge,2021;GordBarentsen,Romantic MetasubjectivitythroughSchellingandJung:RethinkingtheRomanticSubject,London/New York:Routledge,2020;ErikStänicke,AndersZachrisson&ArneJohanVetlesen,“TheEpistemologicalStanceofPsychoanalysis:RevisitingtheKantianLegacy,” ThePsychoanalytic Quarterly,202089:2,281–304;BrianD.Cox,TheHistoryandEvolutionofPsychology:APhilosophicalandbiologicalPerspective,NewYork/London:Routledge,2019;SlavojŽižek,PsychoanalyseunddiePhilosophiedesDeutschenIdealismus,translatedbyIsoldeCharimandLydia Marinelli,Wien/Berlin:Turia+KantVerlag,2015;NicolasBoyleandLizDisley(eds.),The ImpactofGermanIdealism:TheLegacyofPost-KantianGermanThought:Volume1,PhilosophyandtheNaturalSciences,editedbyKarlAmeriks,CambridgeUniversityPress,2013;James Hopkins,“Psychoanalysis,representation,andneuroscience:theFreudianunconsciousand theBayesianbrain,”inAikateriniFotopoulou,DonaldPfaff,DonaldandMartinA.Conway(eds),FromtheCouchtotheLab:trendsinpsychodynamicneuroscience,Oxford:Oxford UniversityPress,2012;ElkeVölmicke,DasUnbewussteimDeutschenIdealismus,Würzburg: Königshausen&Neumann,2005;JonMills,TheUnconsciousAbyss:Hegel’santicipationofpsychoanalysis,Albany,NY:StateUniversityofNewYorkPress,2002;DavidSnelling,Philosophy, Psychoanalysis,andtheOriginsofMeaning:Pre-reflectiveIntentionalityinthepsychoanalytic ViewoftheMind,Basingstoke:Ashgate,2001;JohnGedo,TheEvolutionofPsychoanalysis: ContemporaryTheoryandPractice,NewYork:OtherPress,1999;ManfredFrank,Unendliche Annäherung.DieAnfängederphilosophischenFrühromantik,FrankfurtamMain:Suhrkamp, 1997;ChristopherYoungandAndrewBrook,“SchopenhauerandFreud,”InternationalJournal ofPsychoanalysis75(1994),101–118;D.E.Pettigre,“Thequestionoftherelationofphilosophyandpsychoanalysis:thecaseofKantandFreud,”Metaphilosophy,199021:67–88;Odo Marquard,TranszendentalerIdealismus,romantischeNaturphilosophie,Psychoanalyse,Köln: Dinter,1987;AdolfGrünbaum,TheFoundationsofPsychoanalysis,Berkeley:UniversityofCaliforniaPress,1984;PaulRicoeur,Freud&Philosophy:AnEssayonInterpretation.NewHaven: YaleUniv.Press,1970;HenriEllenberger,TheDiscoveryoftheUnconscious:theHistoryand EvolutionofdynamicPsychiatry,NewYork:BasicBooks,1970.
©ManfredMilz,2023|doi:10.1163/9789004683778_002
ofthehumanselftooktheformofinteriormonologues,2wouldlaterinspire thefoundingexpoundersofpsychoanalysis,yetthishasreceivedlittlecritical scrutinyuntilnow.
Biranrespondedtotheseventeenth-andeighteenth-centuryempiricistand materialistphilosophiesofsensationandimaginationthathadcementedthe assumptionofapassivehumanself.Accordingtohisseminalconceptof physio-spiritualism,constitutionofconsciousnessisdependentonvoluntary physicaleffort—byvirtueofthe resistance requiredbyinnerapperception. ThusBirancombinesthevoluntarywiththespiritual:Hearguesthattheconscious,activeselfisconstitutedinitssovereignautonomy,asfreeandundivided,bywhathecallsthe“efforthyperphysique”(ahyperphysicalactofwill) andtheresistancefromthe“non-moi”(thenot-I)towardsitsownbodyandthe world.
Despitethegroundbreakingnoveltyofthisreformistconcept,Mainede Biranhasbeenconsideredsecondaryininternationalphenomenologicalresearchduringthepasttwodecades.However,itisarguablethatMainedeBiran shouldbeaddedtotheranksofthepioneersofaradicalphenomenologicalscienceofhumanreality,RenéDescartesandEdmundHusserl.Husserlappears tohaveneglectedcloselyrelatedworksofhisspiritualpredecessorMainede Biran.However,MaineBiranacknowledgedtheCartesiannotionofrescogitans andresextensa,andwishedtoreinterpretitthroughthecrucialcomponentof humanwill.MainedeBirandidnotnecessarilyargueagainstDescartes;rather, hisintentionwastocompletetheprojectofhispredecessorbyrectifyingit.
HenriBergson,whoseprocessphilosophyissituatedatthehistoricalcrossroadsbetweenspiritualismontheonehandandexistentialistphenomenology andpoststructuralismontheother,countedBiranamonghismaîtresveritables,alongwithPlotinus,BaruchdeSpinoza,andGeorgeBerkeley.3In“LaScienceFrançaise”(1915),hegoesevenfurther:“fromthebeginningofthecentury Francehadagreatmetaphysician,thegreatestsheproducedsinceDescartes andMalebranche:MainedeBiran.”4Asearlyas1897,ayearafterpublishing Matièreetmémoire,heacknowledgedthat“thereisaphilosophyfromwhich
2 ManfredMilz,“DiagnosticConceptsoftheUnconsciousasaFoundationofRomanticist Identity:MainedeBiran’sPsycho-PhysiologicalandPsycho-PathologicalSelf-Investigations,” JournalofAestheticsandPhenomenology,Vol.6(2019),Issue2:TheUnconscious,editedby TanehisaOtabe,103–119.
3 FlorisDelattre,RuskinetBergson:del’intuitionesthétiqueàl’intuitionmétaphysique.Oxford: ClarendonPress,1947,12.
4 HenriBergson,Mélanges:l’idéedelieuchezAristote,Duréeetsimultanéité,correspondance, piècesdiverses,documents.Paris:PressesUniversitairesdeFrance,1972,1172.
absolutelyallofFrenchspiritualismderives;itisthatofMainedeBiran.”5Bythe endofthenineteenthcentury,theappreciationofMainedeBiran’sphilosophy wasbynomeansrestrictedtoFrance.TheGermanphilosopher,theologian, andpedagogueWilhelmDilthey(1833–1911)usedBiran’snotionofthesensationd’effortinordertoanswerhisownepistemicquestionofhowabeliefin therealityoftheexternalworldisestablished.In1890Diltheydeemdhimto bethemostoutstandingpsychologicalanalystinFranceduringthefirsthalfof thenineteenthcentury,6counting“MainedeBiranandthoseFrenchthinkers relatedtohim”(inlinewithImmanuelKant,GottliebFichte,andThomas Carlyle)totheepistemologicalgenealogyof“theidealismoffreedom.”7More recently,inthe1960s,DimitriVoutsinashailedhimasthe“fondateurdelapsychologiefrançaise.”8
HowdidBiranarriveathisphysio-spiritualistconclusionsandatwhichpoint inhisphilosophicaldevelopment?Whatarethehistoricalandpersonalconditionsthatgaverisetothoseinnovativeconceptsthatwouldprovetobeinfluentialforcenturies?
Marie-François-PierreGonthierdeBiranwasbornon29November1766 intheRueSainte-Catherine39ofBergerac,intheSouthwestofFrance.His father,JeanGonthierdeBiran,wasaSieurduMaineanddistinguishedmedical doctor,whoonJune301750marriedaneighborfromthecastleofGrateloup, CamilleDevilledeVermond.9Mostlikelybefore1787,theirsonassumedthe name“MainedeBiran”(afterthehamlet“LeMaine”nearLestignacintheDordogne)10thathehenceforthalsousedasanomduplumeforhisphilosophical work.
Atagefifteen,BiranenrolledwiththedoctrinairesinPérigueux(NouvelleAquitaine),11graduatedfromtheCollègein1784andbegantostudylawatthe
5 HenriBergson,“RevueCritique:Principesdemétaphysiqueetdepsychologie,parPaul Janet.”RevuePhilosophique,vol.44(November1897),550.
6 WilhelmDilthey,“BeiträgezurLösungderFragevomUrsprungunseresGlaubensandie RealitätderAußenweltundseinemRecht(1890),”in:WilhelmDilthey,DiegeistigeWelt; AbhandlungenzurGrundlegungderGeisteswssenschaften:EinleitungindiePhilosophiedes Lebens(GesammelteSchriften,vol.5).Leipzig:Teubner,1957,90–135.
7 Ibid.,402.
8 DimitriVoutsinas,“MainedeBiran(1766–1824):Fondateurdelapsychologiefrançaise,”in: Revueinternationaledephilosophie20(1966),75(69–89).
9 AmabledeLaValette-Monbrun,MainedeBiran(1766–1824):essaidebiographiehistorique etpsychologique(thèsepourledoctorat,L’UniversitédeParis),Paris:Fontemoing,1914,28.
10 HenriGouhier,MainedeBiranparlui-même,Paris:Éditionsduseuil,1970,15–21.
11 LaVallete-Monbrun,30–32;ErnestNaville,MainedeBiranetsespensées,Paris:Libraire JoelCherbuliez,1857,5.
UniversityofPoitiers.12However,thenextyearhetraveledtoParis,atageeighteen,tojointheRoyalGuardofLouisxviatNoailles.13Hewaswoundedinone ofthedefiningmomentsoftheFrenchRevolution.Onthesixthandseventhof Octoberof1789,14Maillard’sWomen’sMarchonVersaillestookplace,whilehe wasdefendingthecastle,awaitingbackupfromGeneralLafayette’sbattaillon. AfterthearrestoftheKinginVarenneinMay1792andthesubsequentproclamationoftheRepublicon22September1792,theRoyalGuardwasdisbanded andsupplantedbyaconstitutionalguard.
Dismayedbytherecentturnofevents,15Birandecidedbytheendoftheyear towithdrawtothesecludedmanorofGrateloup,aboutninekilometersfrom Bergerac,whereheweatheredtheentirepériodedelaTerreur. 16
There,athisfamilyestate,thetwenty-six-year-oldbegantodevotehimself toextensivephilosophicalstudiesandwriting17—instarkcontrasttohisbrief stayinParis,wherehehadyieldedtotemptations,whichhehimselfcharacterizedasdecadentandfrivolous.18Philanthropicallyinclinedandpatriotically motivated,butalsoneedingtosecureadditionalfinancialresources,Biran, theliberalRoyalist,servedasadministrateur-adjointoftheDordogne,between May1795andApril1797,19afterthedownfallofRobespierre,andfrom1797to 1798amemberoftheConseildesCinq-CentsduDirectoire.20On21September 1795,hemarriedMarie-LouiseFournierduFardeil,thewidowofM.duCluzeau. Eightmonthslater,shegavebirthtoFélix,followedbyElisaandoneadditional daughter.21 Thisperiodofdomestichappiness,however,lastedlessthana decadeandendedwiththedeathofMarie-Louiseon26October1803.22Ittook
12 FrancisCharlesTimothyMoore,“Chapter7.FrenchSpiritualistPhilosophy,”in:Alan D.SchriftandDanielConway(eds.), Nineteenth-CenturyPhilosophy:RevolutionaryResponsestotheexistingOrder(TheHistoryofContinentalPhilosophy,vol.2),London/New York:Routledge,2014[2010],163,footnote11.
13 AgnèsAntoine,MainedeBiran:sujetetpolitique,Paris:PressesuniversitairesdeFrance, 1999,5.LaValette-Monbrun,31;Naville,MainedeBiranetsespensées,9.
14 LaValette-Monbrun,40–43.
15 Naville,MainedeBiranetsespensées,11–12.
16 Antoine,MainedeBiran:sujetetpolitique.6.
17 LaValette-Monbrun,MainedeBiran(1766–1824),43.
18 LaValette-Monbrun,MainedeBiran(1766–1824),3132;ErnestNaville,MainedeBiran:sa vieetsespensées,12.
19 LaValette-Monbrun,MainedeBiran(1766–1824),77–97.
20 LaValette-Monbrun,MainedeBiran(1766–1824),99–116.
21 LaValette-Monbrun, MainedeBiran(1766–1824),101;Gouhier, MainedeBiranparluimême,21–24.RenéLacroze,MainedeBiran,Paris:PressesUniversitairesdeFrance,1970,2.
22 LaValette-Monbrun, MainedeBiran(1766–1824),155–158;Gouhier, MainedeBiranpar lui-même,21–24.RenéLacroze, MainedeBiran,2.Therepeatedbiographicalnarration
Biranmuchmorethanoneyeartorecoverfromthisloss;hewouldneverforget hisLouise,“l’épouseceleste,”ashecalledherinapassageofhis Journalintime, evenfifteenyearsafterherdeathandfouryearsintohissecondmarriage,for hehadmarriedLouise-AnneFavareilhesdeLacoustète,on3May1814.23
Aboutayearbeforehisdeath,inJuly1823,Biranlookedbackattheimmense tollofandsufferinganddeathcausedbytheviolenceoftheFrenchRevolution inordertoputidealsintoeffectandthisreaffirmedhiscommitmenttoquiet introspectionasameanstounderstandhumanmotivation:
Thelastestcrisisoftheagewhichhasbroughtasitwereasecondchildhoodoftheaffectivefaculties,isthatwhichhasmostoccupiedme,and makesmeevenmoreintroverted.Iventuretogiveadescriptionofthese thingsasbelongingtoaseriesofpsychologicalexperiences.Theaffectionsbelongingtothehumansoulmakeuptheinnermostpartofthe scienceofourbeing;accountsofthemareordinarilyofinterestonly sofarastheyformpartofabodyofromanticfactsoradventures;itis thisframeworkthattheimagination,thefacultywhichistheliveliestof allinmostmen,isalmostalwaysexclusivelyattached;onereadshistory toknowitsfacts,tospeaktothepointaboutthem;ortofindanalogies betweenthevariousepochsorrevolutionsincivilsocieties,etc.[…]one readsnovelsbecauseoftheextraordinarypicturestheypresenttothe imaginationtoexciteit,tothesensibilitytomoveit,tothemindtomove it;butanaccountoftheaffectionsconsideredinthemselves(orinthe variousmodesofthispowertolove,tosuffer,tosympathize,ortolive withone’sfellows)andasprinciplesdeterminingactions,[whether]in conformitywithoropposedtothelawsofourmoralnature,anaccount ofthiskind,Isay,whichwouldtendtobringtolightthehiddenbasisof humannature,hasscarcelyanyattractionforanyone.Whyisthis?Itis becauseourloveofourselvesalwaystakesusoutsideourselvesasfaras possible,inordertoavoidfeelingourmiseries,andseeingourselvesas weare.Andyetnothingismorenecessaryforourpresentandfuturelife, foreverythingwhichcanreallyserveoneortheother,thanthatinnerlife, thatconfessionwhichalovingandfeeblesoulmakestoitselfandtoother
accordingtowhichBiran’swifeLouisediedofashockwhenherformerhusbanddu Cluzeau,whohadbeenpresumeddead,suddenlyreenteredherlife,isalegend,inspired byBalzac’snovelLeColonelChabert,firstpublished1832inthemagazineL’Artiste(andin 1835underthetitleLaComtesseàdeuxMaris).Mostrecently,thishasbeenpointedout byMonsieurBories,adirectdescendantofMainedeBiran,inaconversationwithAnne DevarieuxinGrateloup,whohasshareditwithme.
23 HenriGouhier,MainedeBiran.Œuvrechoisies,Paris:Aubier,ÉditionsMontaigne,1942,8.
