How the French think : an affectionate portrait of an intellectual people

Why are the French such an exceptional nation? Why do they think they are so exceptional? The French take pride in the fact that their history and culture have decisively shaped the values and ideals of the modern world. French ideas are no less distinct in their form: while French thought is abstract, stylish and often opaque, it has always been bold and creative, and driven by the relentless pursuit of innovation. In __How the French Think__, the internationally-renowned historian Sudhir Hazareesingh tells the epic and tumultuous story of French intellectual thought from Descartes, Rousseau, and Auguste Comte to Sartre, Claude Lévi-Strauss, and Derrida. He shows how French thinking has shaped fundamental Westerns ideas about freedom, rationality, and justice, and how the French mind-set is intimately connected to their own way of life—in particular to the French tendency towards individualism, their passion for nature, their celebration of their historical heritage, and their fascination with death. Hazareesingh explores the French veneration of dissent and skepticism, from Voltaire to the Dreyfus Affair and beyond; the obsession with the protection of French language and culture; the rhetorical flair embodied by the __philosophes__, which today’s intellectuals still try to recapture; the astonishing influence of French postmodern thinkers, including Foucault and Barthes, on postwar American education and life, and also the growing French anxiety about a globalized world order under American hegemony. __How the French Think__ sweeps aside generalizations and easy stereotypes to offer an incisive and revealing exploration of the French intellectual tradition. Steeped in a colorful range of sources, and written with warmth and humor, this book will appeal to all lovers of France and of European culture. An award-winning historian presents an absorbing account of the French mind, shedding light on France's famous tradition of intellectual life Why are the French such an exceptional nation? Why do they think they are so exceptional? The French take pride in the fact that their history and culture have decisively shaped the values and ideals of the modern world. French ideas are no less distinct in their form: while French thought is abstract, stylish and often opaque, it has always been bold and creative, and driven by the relentless pursuit of innovation. In How the French Think , the internationally-renowned historian Sudhir Hazareesingh tells the epic and tumultuous story of French intellectual thought from Descartes, Rousseau, and Auguste Comte to Sartre, Claude Lé-Strauss, and Derrida. He shows how French thinking has shaped fundamental Westerns ideas about freedom, rationality, and justice, and how the French mind-set is intimately connected to their own way of life-in particular to the French tendency towards individualism, their passion for nature, their celebration of their historical heritage, and their fascination with death. Hazareesingh explores the French veneration of dissent and skepticism, from Voltaire to the Dreyfus Affair and beyond; the obsession with the protection of French language and culture; the rhetorical flair embodied by the philosophes , which today's intellectuals still try to recapture; the astonishing influence of French postmodern thinkers, including Foucault and Barthes, on postwar American education and life, and also the growing French anxiety about a globalized world order under American hegemony. How the French Think sweeps aside generalizations and easy stereotypes to offer an incisive and revealing exploration of the French intellectual tradition. Steeped in a colorful range of sources, and written with warmth and humor, this book will appeal to all lovers of France and of European culture. "In France, perhaps more so than anywhere else, intellectual activity is a way of life embraced the majority of society, not just a small group of élite thinkers. And because French thought has also shaped the Western world, Sudhir Hazareesingh argues in How the French Think, we cannot hope to understand modern history without first making sense of the French mind-set. Hazareesingh traces the evolution of French thought from Descartes and Rousseau to Sartre and Derrida. In the French intellectual tradition, he shows, recurring themes have pervaded nearly every aspect of French life, from the rhetorical flair once embodied by the philosophes to the country's modern embrace of secularism. Sweeping aside generalizations and easy stereotypes, Hazareesingh offers an erudite portrait of the venerated tradition of French thought and the people who embody it."-Amazon.com Traces The Story Of French Intellectual Thought To Demonstrate How French Ideas Have Fundamentally Shaped The Modern West, Citing The Contributions Of Such Figures As Descartes, Rousseau, And Voltaire. A Yearning Toward Universality -- The Skull Of Descartes -- Darkness And Light -- Landscapes Of Utopia -- The Ideals Of Science -- To The Left, And To The Right -- The Sum Of Their Parts -- New Paths To The Present -- Freedom And Domination -- Writing For Everybody -- The End Of History -- The Closing Of The French Mind -- Anxiety And Optimism. Sudhir Hazareesingh. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Content: A yearning towards universality -- The skull of Descartes -- Darkness and light -- Landscapes of Utopia -- The ideals of science -- To the left, and to the right -- The sum of their parts -- Interlude: new paths to the present -- Freedom and domination -- Writing for everybody -- The end of history -- The closing of the French mind -- Anxiety and optimism. Explores the French commitment to rationalism and ideology, their belief in the State, their cult of heroes and their contempt for materialism. This book describes their fetishes, their fondness for general notions, their current fixations with the nation and collective memory, their messianic instincts and their devotion to universalism.