The Philosophy of War in the Works of French Scholars

Abstract

The article discusses the formation and development of the philosophy of war in the works of French scholars from the 19th century until present times. The emergence of the philosophy of war was a natural event in the development of views on war set forth in the works of ancient philosophers as well as by thinkers, political and religious figures of the European Middle Ages. In France, the emergence of this philosophical trend, which was an organic part of the philosophy of politics, was associated with the artillery general Marquis Georges de Chambray, a veteran of the Napoleonic Wars. It was he who introduced the term “philosophy of war” into scientific use. This name was soon accepted, not only in the French philosophical environment, but throughout Europe. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, there appeared an entire galaxy of French authors who closely studied the phenomenon of war from the standpoint of philosophy. These included P.-J. Proudhon, R. Henry, J. Lagorgette, G. Lagneau, E. Lavisse, C. Letourneau, A. Rambaud and others. They contributed to the formation of the philosophy of war in French philosophical and political thought. The First and Second World Wars discovered new names in the French philosophy of war: Teilhard de Chardin, A. Bergson, M. Proust, J.-P. Sartre, R. Aron, C. de Gaulle, G. Boutoul and others. A later generation of “philosophers of war” successfully developed the already established trend in philosophy. Thus, A. Philonenko continued the tradition in his Essay on the Philosophy of War. French authors are very interested in the works of the Prussian philosopher of war C. von Clausewitz. Considering his views, R. Aron and R. Girard wrote works discussing the place of war in social life. In the 21st century, the problem of wars and military conflicts has not lost its relevance. The author concludes that French philosophy of war meets modern challenges. Its current representatives, such as J.-B. Jeangene Vilmer, J.-P. Dupuy and others, confirm the vitality and relevance of this trend.