Vladimir Jankélévitch , Philosopher, historian of the ancient Philosophy and Musicologist French, born with Bourges the August 31st 1903, died in Paris the June 6th 1985.

Biography

Vladimir Jankélévitch was born in a family from Russian intellectuals. His/her father doctor, Samuel, was one of the first translators of Sigmund Freud in France; he also translated works of Hegel and Schelling; he published articles in the reviews of philosophy. Like many people of Jewish origin, Jankélévitch fled the Pogrom S in their country and settled in France. Vladimir enters in 1922 to the National university where he studies philosophy; there has as a Master Leon Brunschwig (1869-1944). In 1923, it meets Henri Bergson with which it will maintain a correspondence. Receipt first with the aggregation in 1926, Jankélévitch leaves for the French Institute Prague the following year. It teaches there until 1932 and writes a thesis there on Schelling. Of return in France, he teaches with the Lycée of the Park, then at the university from Toulouse and Lille. Under the mode of Vichy, it is deposed at the same time of the French nationality and its post of teacher. In 1941, it engages in the Résistance. He will say: " The Nazis are men only by hasard". His/her Ida sister married the poet Jean Cassou. During the occupation, Vladimir Jankélevitch succeeds in making come all his family to Toulouse, where Jean Cassou became police chief of the Republic. It should be noted that it accepted the assistance of the vice-chancellor of the Catholic Institute of Toulouse, Mgr Bruno de Solages, as well as Freemasons, in particular the family of Henri Caillavet. It finds in October 1947 its post of professor with the Faculty of Lille. From 1951 to 1979, it is titular pulpit of moral Philosophie with the Sorbonne. It is made doctor honoris causa Universit3e libre de Bruxelles in 1965.

Anecdotes

It was due so that one pronounces the first syllable of his name like “Jean” and not “yan”, concerned thus to anchor its patronym in the French culture.

On the frontage of 1 quai aux Fleurs (Paris, IVe district, vis-a-vis the gardens of the Cathedral Notre-Dame) a plate is affixed recalling that the philosopher and his family lived at this address starting from 1938 until in 2005.

In 2003 a plate was affixed on its native house, 16 boulevard Gambetta, with Bourges (France, Cher), revealed by Serge Lepeltier, senator-mayor of Bourges, and Alain Vernet, psychologist, who followed his courses to the Sorbonne.

Its thought

Professor in the Sorbonne during nearly thirty years, Vladimir Jankélévitch marked many generations of students by his courses of morals and metaphysics but also by his personality chatoyante, impetuous, cordial, human. He did not only write books as important as the Treaty of the virtues or Death but he also introduced a new glance on the music of 19th and 20th century. Today its work is translated in very many countries. Engaged philosopher, it was of all the combat of his century (Resistance, memory of inexpressible) uniting philosophy and lived history. The moral thought of Jankélévitch brings back to us so that it privileged between all: a life lived according to the order of the heart since this last and only, constitutes to him to it true structure of act of its philosophy. By his desire to make recognize the absolute primacy of morals on any other authority, Vladimir Jankélévitch will have, without it to want, carried out the combat of our century, this is why its work will survive the changing climates of philosophy.

Its work is centered around three axes of reflection:

The metaphysics of “I know what” and of “almost nothing”

Vladimir Jankélévitch is, following Bergson, the philosopher of becoming, whom he wants to surprise “on the fact”, “” becoming, in red-handed, balance on the fine point of the moment! That he speaks about death, freedom, the intention, the intuition, the act, and finally about the love, he encircles the moment with more close (in a way popular and amusing, he approaches some with one millionth second…) and on the two sides (front, in the “step yet”, and after, in “never more”, which are not symmetrical).

In the humming continuity of the interval which leads to this moment, all is possible and the being “swells” on this capital in hope, on this potentiality: it is well question of freedom, intuition, creation, love, but by far and with the third nobody (especially in the case of dead)! After, in the self-satisfaction of the accomplished fact, the being reforms itself around its égoïté, of its tinted memories of kindness and nostalgia: of death, of freedom, love, it is not already any more question. But it remains of this moment brévissime, of this “almost nothing” where the being reduced itself until not being almost more nothing to like, one “I do not know what” which trails in the atmosphere, as a charm, and nothing will be any more like front!

He is the cantor of the transcendence to the daily newspaper, the mystical philosopher, since he says to borrow this expression “certain something” from holy Jean of the Cross itself which he quotes besides abundantly without sharing the faith of it, this jump in the unknown. The only jump which it tried out is that of the moment whatever it is, that of the love or, for example, that of temptation: it describes, as only can do it whoever tried out it, the sinner still balances some, involved forwards and retained backwards, “in the train” rocking,

The morals of the beneficial intention

Vladimir Jankelevitch is the philosopher who, in France, refondé the Morale after the beachcomber of May 68 which divided the company in two enemy camps, the Libertaires and the Puritains. Morals is, in the human one, which takes support on gravity and all the determinisms of the interval to enable him to act, to spring out of him towards the other instantaneously. One of the paradoxes of morals holds in this: the moral duty is infinite and certain, I know that I must make, and this absolutely, but, to become effective, it must passes by means limited and hypothetical and ambiguous, I do not know what nor how to make! Another way of approaching this paradox is to bring morals closer to the love which is the secret engine: all the problem of the moral agent as of the lover is of " to make hold the maximum of love in the minimum of être"! Another paradox of Morals is due to the fact that the intention must be translated into act, i.e. end average limited well its infinite, and, worse, " déposer" in acts posed: this translation is inevitably a treason, because it must accept the mediations, the compromises and compromisings… if it is really serious! It must finally accept that its works are detached and, sometimes, move away from it. One touches here at an essential point of the thought of Jankélévitch which is the " body-obstacle".

The esthetics of the unutterable one

Impassioned by the music (in particular the repertory of the piano) and Musicologist, his reflection is philosophical than esthetic as much. He wrote a dozen works on the music and the type-setters whom he admires (Gabriel Fauré, Claude Debussy, Franz Liszt etc). It is one of the originalities of its work which is also characterized by the topics approached. Influenced by Bergson, although he was not his pupil but with whom he devoted its first work, Jankélévitch also developed a reflection on the existence of the conscience in time. One will read a remarkable introduction to his thought into the book of talks Some share into unfinished the (Gallimard) where Béatrice Berlowitz dialogs with the philosopher on the whole of her topics. During fifty-seven years, Vladimir Jankélévitch wrote in Louis Beauduc, old coturne of the National university; these enthralling exchanges, gathered under the title a life in all letters (ED. Liana Lévi) testify to the philosophical and personal path of the large philosopher.

Proceeding by variations around some dominant topics - time and death, purity and ambiguity, music and the unutterable one - the philosophy of Jankélévitch endeavors to retranslate, in the order of the speech, the precariousness of the existence. It is first of all the very fragile gasoline of the morality which holds the attention of the philosopher: the fugacious moral intention is only one “Certain something”, constantly threatened of forfeiture, i.e. of fall in the impurity. Only the love indeed, priceless in its infinite generosity, confers a value on all that is. Alleviating and voluptuous, the music also testifies it to this “almost-nothing” - eloquent presence, innocence purificante - which is however something of essence. Expression of “exciting plenitude to be it at the same time” as evocation of “irrevocable”, the music constitutes the exemplary image of temporality, i.e. of the human condition. Because the life, “bracket of daydream in the universal rhapsody”, is perhaps only one “transitory melody” cut out in the infinite one of death. What however does not return to its insignificance or its vanity: because the fact of having lived this transitory life remains a fact eternal that neither death nor despair can destroy.

Works

Philosophy

• Henri Bergson , 1931;

• the Odyssey of the conscience in the last philosophy of Schelling , 1933; republished at Harmattan in July 2005.
• Value and significance of the bad conscience , 1933;
• the bad conscience
• irony or the clear conscience , 1936;
• the Alternative , 1938;
• Of the lie , 1942;
• the Evil , 1947;
• Treated virtues , 1949;
• Philosophy first introduction to a philosophy of the Almost , 1954;
• Austerity and the Life morale' , 1956;
• Certain something and Almost-nothing , 1957;
• the Pure one, and impure the , 1960;
• the Adventure, the Trouble and the Serious , 1963;
• Death, 1966;
• Forgiveness , 1967;
• the serious one of the intention , 1968;
• Virtues and Amour' , 1970;
• imprescriptible the , 1971;
• Innocence and spite, 1972;
• the Irreversible one and nostalgia , 1974;
• Some share in unfinished the , in collaboration with Beatrice Berlowitz, 1978;
• Certain something and almost nothing , 1980;
• the Paradox of the morale' , 1981;
• Sources
• 1. Readings: Tolstoï, Rachmaninov ;
• 2. To resemble, dissembler ;
• 3. Homages: Xavier Leon, Leon Brunschvicg, Jean Wahl , 1984, Collection established by Francoise Schwab.

Musicology

• Gabriel Fauré and its melodies , 1938;

• Fauré and inexpressible the , 1938;
• Ravel , 1939;
• Night the , 1942;
• Debussy and the mystery , 1949;
• the Rhapsody liveliness and the musical improvisation , 1955;
• Music and Unutterable the , 1961;
• Life and Death in the music of Debussy , 1968;
• Fauré and the inexpressible one; volume I: Music with silence , 1974;
• Liszt and the rhapsody: test on virtuosity ; volume III: Of the music to silence , 1979;
• the remote Presence, Albeniz, Séverac, Mompou , Paris, the Threshold 1983
• Music and Hours: Satie and the morning, Rimski-Korsakov and full midday, Joy and Sadness in the Russian music of today, Chopin and the night, Night the . Collection established by F. Schwab , 1988.

Posthumous publications

• the imprescriptible one: To forgive? In the honor and dignity , 1986;

• First and Dernières Pages, 1994;
• To think death? , 1995;
• a life in any letters (correspondence with its " coturne" ENS Louis Beauduc), 1995.
• Course of moral philosophy (Universit3e libre de Bruxelles, 1962-1963), Threshold 2006

Books on Vladimir Jankélévitch

• Lucien Jerphagnon, Vladimir Jankélévitch, or of Effectivité , Editions Seghers (Philosophies of all times), Paris, 1969

• Guy Suarès, Vladimir Jankélévitch , Editions Manufacture (Which am I?), Lyon, 1986
• Jean-Jacques Lubrina (foreword of François George; bibliography and notes by Alain Cophignon), Vladimir Jankélévitch. Last traces of the Master , Editions Josette Lyon (Intellectual guides of the XXe century), Paris, 1999
• Isabelle de Montrollin, the philosophy of Vladimir Jankélévitch , university Presses of France, Paris, 2000

Current events

These last years, its work knows a repercussion growing, in France like abroad. Its works are translated in multiple languages. Increasingly many are the researchers (philosophical or musicologists) who study his thought; particularly in Italy.

In May - June 2003, at the time of the centenary of its birth, were held of the meetings with the Center of Cerisy-the-Room (France, Basse-Normandie); the program is detailed on Internet site of the Center. Under the title V. Jankélévitch, the print of the frontier runner appeared in April 2007 with the editions the Manuscript a work presenting the majority of the interventions heard at the time of these meetings . http://www.manuscrit.com/catalogue/nouveautes.asp

For the 20th birthday of its death, December 16th and 17th 2005, was held with the National university street of Ulm, an international symposium, introduced and moderated by Francoise Schwab, of which here speakers: Esthetic Marianne Massin, Bernard Sève, Jean-Pierre Bartoli Metaphysical Pierre-Michel Klein, Frederic Worms, Gilles Ernst, Enrica Lisciani-Petrini Moral Luc-Thomas Summons, Helene Politis, Elisabeth of Fontenay, Jurgen Brankel, Arnold Davidson Political Peter Kemp, Alain Guyader, Michele Doeuff, Conclusion by Lucien Jerphagnon then projection of film of Anne Imbert “Questions of ear, Vladimir Jankélévitch, a philosopher and music” Coordination of the conference : Jean-Marc Rouvière.

The Ecclesiastical Bulletin of Literature of the Catholic Institute of Toulouse publishes in its number of April-June 2006 the acts of a conference devoted to V. Jankélévitch.

In September 2008 will be held in France (Var) of the organized Meetings with the Foundation of the Treillised vineyards by the company Leon Chestov and Jankélévitch association. They will give certainly place to publication.

Quotations

• “the subject “under the charm” knows already the state of grace of the extase, - not the extase where the hypnotized conscience is damaged to die about it, but the extase of the hearts extasiés, charmed, “charmed”, which grant one the other and, agreeing, find each one in oneself. “When you plunge your eyes in my eyes, I am all in my eyes. ” The reciprocal communion intensifies respective vitality. ” (Extracted from a work on Gabriel Fauré).
• “What is relatable and analyzable in philosophy first, it is the progress of the negations second, all partitive and hypothetical, because all presupposing the positivity of the negative thought itself… There is nothing any more to say on the last, only effective and decisive and sufficient, because it is a sudden extinction and one Almost - nothing instantaneous. The ultimate suppression of the ultimate truth strictly speaking does not complete the work started with the preceding ones, and the preceding ones do not even begin work nihilisatrice, the passage of something with nothing being carried out only one blow in this ultramicroscopic despair which is the eclipse of the thought; the death-blow of the intuitive syncope is thus except series, as is except series the last sigh of failing, that which is not only the final moment, but the end very short. ” (Extracted from Philosophie First )
• “philosophy is like the music, which exists if little, without which one does so easily… That finally returns to same to be subjected to the eternal need or to in general become aware of the free fact of this need… One can, after all, food without the certain something, as one can live without philosophy, music, joy and love. But not so well. ” (Extracted from Philosophy First )

External bonds

• the voice of Jankelevitch, its remarks on Bergson
• updated Site containing of information biographical, bibliographical, conferences, images, current events, proposals for works with useful bonds
• detailed Program of the conference of Cerisy in May - June 2003
• video Diffusion of one evening in homage to V Jankélévitch, the Sorbonne in December 2003
• video Diffusion in free access of the conference of December 2005 at the time of the twentieth birthday of died of V. Summary Jankélévitch
• of the number of April-June 2006 of CORN of the Catholic Institute of Toulouse
• Files of the INA of which '' Radioscopie '' with Jacques Chancel and '' Apostrophes '' with Bernard Pivot

• Association V. Jankélévitch , contact: 48 rue de Fresnes, 94240 - Hay the Pinks

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