The “Quietists” Jeanne Guyon and François Fénelon argue that self-love can be overcome by cultivating a “pure love” for God. Their reward: to be accused of heresy.
History of Philosophy Without Any Gaps
HoP 497 Pure and Simple: Quietism
Sun, 12 Jul 2026HoP 496 He Unwilling, She Unwilling: Jean Racine
Sun, 28 Jun 2026How the “neo-classical” tragedies of Racine explore the battle between passion and reason.
HoP 495 Comedy of Errors: Molière
Sun, 14 Jun 2026Molière’s famous comedies scandalize Paris and dramatize themes from French moralism, especially the danger of hypocrisy.
HoP 494 Tell the Truth While Laughing: The French Moralists
Sun, 31 May 2026La Rochefoucauld and other “moralists” offer a penetrating and witty critique of human pride, selfishness, and hypocrisy. Is this just cynicism, or does it support a positive ethic?
HoP 493 Better Nature: The French Garden
Sun, 17 May 2026How the French formal garden embodied both Cartesian philosophy and the political ideology of the French monarchy.
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