The Personalism of Emmanuel Mounier

What was Personalism?

Personalism, as an intellectual and philosophical movement, emerged in the post-economic crisis historical context of 1929 and the rise of Nazism in 1933.

If the Marxism responded to the crisis with the need to change capitalist structures, with the abolition of private property and with the institution of Communism – the crisis was of economic root, therefore –, the spiritualism it responded to the crisis with the need to transform the human, as a way to transform society – the crisis was, for spiritualists, a crisis of values.

These two events of the 30s – and also the fascist dictatorships, Popular Front, Spanish Civil War and beginning of World War II – they denounced the existence of a deeper crisis: the annihilation of the person human. Emmanuel Mounier, for this reason, pointed out that the way out of the crisis should be, at the same time, an economic and moral revolution (III, 1990, p. 199).

O "Personalism”, the alternative pointed out by Mounier and developed around the magazine

Spirit, whose first edition dates back to 1932, it emerged as a “civilizing attitude”, not as an ideology or a philosophical system. Therefore, it presented action methods to operate the transformations in the world in a political and social context marked by pessimism. In the magazine Spirit, the contributing authors had a free space to express their political positions, such as the position in favor of the Spanish republicans and support for Algerian freedom.

However, Mounier himself claimed that Personalism was more than a “simple attitude”, it was a philosophy, even if it did not have a systematic character, like the Hegelian philosophy, for example. Central to personalist thinking is the notion of “person”, their freedom and responsibility, their right to non-objectification and inviolability. It is also about a person inserted in the world – and, therefore, in the relationship with the “other” – and in history. In tune with the concern for the community, Personalism positions itself against capitalism, considering it a subversion of the economic order, but also against what is referred to as “Marxist collectivism”, which would be the denial of "people".

“Personalism and the revolution of the 20th century”, by Emmanuel Mounier

For Mounier, in his essay “Personalism and the revolution of the 20th century”, Personalism should develop from the following “lines of action”:

1) It should have independence from political parties, but without taking an anarchic or apolitical position. It was necessary to evaluate the perspectives and, in the case of collective actions that allowed the individual to determine his own action, being part of the collective should be preferable to isolation;

2) Activities and means of achievement should be strictly delimited. Just asserting values ​​does not have an absurd or magical force;

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3) Consistent with the search for a broad perspective, stated in topic 1, in each question, it is necessary to differentiate the “bad data” from the “noble data”;

4) Freedom should be sought, even freedom from our own thoughts that turn out to be wrong during the investigation. Therefore, it is necessary to get rid of doctrines that guide our vision, even if it means having to take a position different from that which had been taken until then to remain faithful to one's own spirit;

5) The revolution does not automatically lead to a solution to the crisis. What would solve the crisis would be a complete revision of values, modification of the structures of society and renewal of the ruling classes.

The human being understood as "person"

For Mounier, understanding the human being as a "person" is understanding the "absolute value” of the human, that is, as the purpose of political organization. By being inserted in the world, the person suffers the actions of others and acts transforming what is around him and, consequently, transforming himself. Considering the person as an "absolute value" means, for the author*:

1. That a person cannot be objectified, that is, used as a means by a group or another person. As far as the human is concerned, there is nothing that can be considered “impersonal”, only matter is impersonal;

2. As people cannot be treated as objects, all political regimes that treat people as such, denying their right to freedom, are reprehensible;

3. The set of laws, rules and regulations we call “society” is not intended to make people submissive or manage their lives;

4. Each person must be free to build their destiny.

Important to understand the notion of "person" and how it differs from individualism, object of criticism by Mounier himself, is its relationship with the community: it is only inserted in the community that the human is realized as such, because everything that defines a person – his freedom to act, its responsibility, the body for which it is in the world and in history, the desires it manifests – it is built in the relationship with the others. Therefore, the person is fundamentally “community”. Thus, we can also understand that, for Mounier, politics and society are notions that can only be thought of from the notion of “person”.

* To learn more about this, look for: MOUNIER, 1992, p. 209-210.

Sources:

MOUNIER, E. Complete works. Translation by Juan Carlos Vila et al. Salamanca, Spain: Sígueme, 1992. I take
MOUNIER, E. Complete works. Translation by Carlos Díaz et al. Salamanca, Spain: Sígueme, 1990. volume III.


By Wigvan Pereira
Graduated in Philosophy

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