Henri De Research Articles

Perspectives for a human-centric industry: understanding the social critique of the utopian proposal

AbstractThis article assesses the exploration of the utopian paradigm within the context of technological advancement and its implications for human labor. It engages in this reflection, beginning with John Danaher’s reading of utopian perspectives related to the evolution of the labor domain, and then focusing on the significance of the social element and its dynamics in redefining labor and productive structures. It focuses on utopia as a regulatory ideal, valuing the conjectural contributions from theories throughout the history of utopian thought. The analysis aims to understand how utopian theories arise in contexts of social dissatisfaction, prompting internal reflection on the structure. The article is organized into three sections: the first introduces the concept of utopia, tracing its historical and philosophical roots, with a focus on influential figures such as Henri de Saint-Simon and Charles Fourier. Through the study of nineteenth-century social theories, the article explores their radical proposals for societal restructuring in response to the socio-economic upheavals of their time. The second section examines utopia as a form of social critique, emphasizing its critical function in assessing and guiding societal development, by engaging with Norbert Elias’s definitions of utopia. The third section evaluates the relevance of utopia in contemporary discourse on social change, emphasizing the critical examination of utopian visions in relation to the concept of the end of work and aiming to articulate clear parameters defining a utopian model as a social regulatory ideal.

Theology and Modernity: Exploring Faith, Morality, and Human Condition Through Dostoevsky and De Lubac

In a world increasingly characterized by secularism and philosophical questioning, traditional theological beliefs face ongoing challenges. This article explores the convergence of religious thought and critical theory in the field of critical theology and demonstrates how theological concepts can critique and reshape social structures and the human existence. It synthesizes insights from the literary works of Fyodor Dostoevsky and the scholarly perspectives of Henri de Lubac, Joseph Frank, David Foster Wallace, and Frederick Copleston. The discussion emphasizes Dostoevsky’s relevance in examining faith, morality, and existential angst while exploring the fusion of theological and secular ideas to promote social justice and human well-being. This article accentuates the essential role of theology in contemporary society and argues for a balanced approach that considers both religious traditions and secular viewpoints. This interdisciplinary perspective provides a solid framework for understanding and improving the human condition.

Salvation in Henri de Lubac: Divine Grace, Human Nature, and the Mystery of the Cross, written by Eugene R. Schlesinger

Salvation in Henri de Lubac: Divine Grace, Human Nature, and the Mystery of the Cross, written by Eugene R. Schlesinger

Eating for Eternity: The Social Dimensions of Gregory of Nyssa’s Interpretation of the Petition for Daily Bread

Abstract Gregory of Nyssa’s interpretation of the Lord’s Prayer’s request for daily bread is difficult to place in the history of the petition’s exegesis. Early interpreters—among them Tertullian, Cyprian, Origen, Cyril of Jerusalem, Ambrose, Augustine, and Peter Chrysologus—stressed what is often called, in Henri de Lubac’s phrase, a “spiritual interpretation” of the bread as knowledge, the Eucharist, or Christian doctrine. The majority of modern commentators, in contrast, understand the petition to ask for material food. Gregory, however, troubles simple contrasts between ancient and modern and spiritual and material interpretation. In his fourth homily on the dominical prayer, he draws upon Origen’s exegesis, interpretating the bread within a metaphysical framework distinguishing between the perceptible and intelligible, but Gregory understands the bread to be material bread and the necessity of eating to be central to the human creature’s imitation of the impassible and immaterial God. Even more unique than this departure from the spiritual interpretation of the bread is Gregory’s argument that luxury and excess—eating more than the minimum required by the body—are practices not only bad for the soul but harmful and unjust to one’s neighbors. This article takes both these dynamics in turn: first, putting Gregory’s interpretation in relief by comparing it not only to the spiritual interpretation of bread by Origen but also the materialist interpretations offered by Chrysostom and Theodore; and second, bringing to light Gregory’s remarkable deployment of a perceptible/intelligible ontology to argue for the purpose of material sustenance and its importance for a just society.

The vein of gold. In search of a methodological renewal of dogmatics based on the reading of Lech Wołowski’s book entitled “The problematics of paradox in the thought of Henri de Lubac and Hans Urs von Balthasar”

This study is presented in the form of a research-review article and consists of reflections informed by a reading of Lech Wołowski’s monograph “The Problematics of Paradox in the Thought of Henri de Lubac and Hans Urs von Balthasar”, while simultaneously drawing from other works by the same researcher. The aim of this article is to present the paradox method as a means to deepen theological research. This method is portrayed as a proposition that can be applied in theological research, much like in other scientific domains. This approach may contribute to addressing the contemporary crisis in dogmatics and serve in formulating responses to current “profound” questions posed by individuals and society.

Марсианские хроники «прекрасной эпохи»

The French literature from the late 19th and early 20th centuries that can be classified as “space fiction” centered on missions to Mars and making contact with Martians. The topic’s appeal stems from scientific findings of the time (particularly the so-called Martian canals) as well as the traditional symbolism of the Roman god who gave the Red Planet its name. All authors who wrote about Mars during the “Belle Époque” were inspired, to varying degrees, by the writings of the eminent astronomer Camille Flammarion (both scientific and fictional). The article delves into the specifics of how Joseph Rosnyaîné, André Laurie, Georges Le Faure, Henry de Graffigny, Arnould Galopin, Gustave Le Rouge, and Jean de La Hire interpret the Martian theme in their works. It is demonstrated that the use of traditional materials for popular novels is mixed with a desire to update popular literature’s narrative strategies. Thus, The Extraordinary Adventures of a Russian Scientist Across the Solar System by Le Faure and Graffigny, written between 1888-1896, contrasts the “intergalactic” theme, which was novel in French literature, with its archaic interpretation. The tendency to mix genres, to combine the “merveilleux-scientifique” (scientific marvelous) with Gothic and vampire literature approaches, as well as to augment the story with the occult component, increases. The so-called “martian duology” by G. Le Rouge, which lays the foundation for the poetics of horror – so vital to the 20th-century popular reading – is among the most significant literary works. The modernist bent is particularly evident in J. de La Hire’s 1911 book The Mystery of the Fifteen, which foresaw the rise of the superman hero, a new type of hero for the popular novel (however, this hero did not gain popularity in France).

“An Exchange of Gifts”: Benedict XVI’s Eucharistic Ecclesiology as an Approach to Ecumenism

Christian unity, or the “ecumenical movement,” is one of Joseph Ratzinger’s (turn Benedict XVI) most apparent apostolates during his Pontificate. His thought on the matter is a development of the theologies developed in the Second Vatican Council’s Lumen Gentium and John Paul II’s Ut Unum Sint, borrowing the words “exchange of gifts,” which affirms elements of sanctification present in churches “separated” from Rome. This work will expand on how Benedict XVI’s teachings about the Eucharist as the Sacrament of Unity gained merit in the Church’s ecumenical movement. This theology can be described as a “Eucharistic Ecclesiology,” and it has earlier codification made formal through the thought of Henri de Lubac. It will be done firstly through an exposition of de Lubac’s commentary in Mystici Corporis, which confirms the origins of Eucharistic Ecclesiology through Patristic and Pauline theology. Next is a look at Pope Benedict XVI’s interjection of this theology into his ecumenical thought with a particular emphasis on the essentialities of the ontological reality of the Church, the shared Christian traditions, and “spiritual ecumenism.” In the final discussions, we shall include a quick run through his Pontificate’s ecumenical initiatives where the teachings about Eucharistic Ecclesiology are dispersed in various circumstances.

Introduction to Special Issue on “The System of Rice Intensification (SRI)—Contributions to Agricultural Sustainability”

The ideas and methods that constitute the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) were first synthesized in Madagascar by Henri de Laulanié in the early 1980s [...]

The Principles that Constitute System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and the Practices for Applying them at Field Level

That the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) was developed inductively, from observations and experimentation without hypotheses or a priori assumptions, has been both a strength and a weakness for this agro ecological innovation. On the plus side, Henri de Laulanie’s empirical construction of SRI in Madagascar some four decades ago is benefiting tens of millions of rice producing households in over 60 countries now. Further, it produced important new knowledge for rice production, some of it counter intuitive.1 For example, Laulanie established through observation and in field experimentation with farmers.

Royalist memorials of the civil war in the Vendée during the early Third Republic

Abstract In the 1890s, when statuomanie was at its peak, conservatives in the Vendée erected two statues to commemorate figures from the royalist armies in the civil war in order to contest republican education politics and memory culture. The first, aristocrat Henri de La Rochejaquelein (1772–94), was unveiled in 1895. The second, erected a year later, celebrated the first commander-in-chief of the royalist army, Jacques Cathelineau (1759–93). The contested nature of these commemorations illustrates the distinctive character of the Vendée in the early Third Republic; leading conservative politicians and churchmen did not mediate between grandes and petites patries within a republican frame, but rather rejected the notion of the secular democratic republic in its entirety. The memorials sought to assert a distinctive regional history to local Vendéen audiences, but they did so in the service of a vision of France and its history that contradicted the dominant project of republicanism and thus constituted a unique chapter of the wider debate about memory and history in France during the Third Republic.

Социальное положение архонтов в Ахейском княжестве (1205–1262)

The article analyzes the social status of the Greek nobility in the Achaean Principality in 1204–1262. Based on the analysis of the texts of three versions of the «Chronicle of Morea», the chronicles of Geoffroi de Villehardouin, Henri de Valenciennes, George Acropolites, George Pachymeres, Marino Sanudo Torsello, and other sources, the author identifies the features of the archons’ integration into the new social structure created by the Franks. It is observed that the imposition of military duty on «ἄρχοντες» occurred when its performance was traditional for them (melingoi) or necessary for conquerors (nobles of Monemvasia). Attention is drawn to the absence of direct evidence that the military service entailed the “automatic” inclusion of the archons in the group of vassals of “simple homage”. It is stated that their mass presence in the Battle of Pelagonia in 1259 is not confirmed by any source. Thus, the first evidence of the participation of the Greek elite in the campaigns of the Latins and the beginning of its limited integration into the chivalry occurred in the 1260s. It is noted that within the framework of standard agreements on the transition to the power of Western Europeans, in which «ἄρχοντες» called themselves servants («δοῦλοι») of the Franks, the noble Greeks performed advisory and administrative functions, and probably could conclude temporary agreements on military support. The treaty of the archons of Monemvasia and Guillaume II de Villehardouin, in turn, can be interpreted not only as confirmation of the emergence of vassal relations between the conquerors and the conquered or the spread of mercenaries in the Frankish Morea, but also as a potential agreement on a fief-rente.

Henri de Lubac: Cirkev a teológia v sebareflexii a v konfrontácii so svetom

In the article we analyze the theology of Henri de Lubac. We reflect Lubac's criticism of the atheism of L. Feuerbach, F. Nietzsche and A. Comte. We approach Lubac's understanding of the relationship between God's grace and human nature. We discuss Lubac's biblical theology, especially the relationship between the Old and New Testaments. Finally, we approach Lubac's understanding of the Church's problems and their solutions.

«Умная дикция» Адриана Антоновича Франковского в переводе Марселя Пруста

The article discusses Adrian Frankovsky’s method in his Marcel Proust translations in the 1920s–1930s. We analyse translations, their drafts, and Frankovsky’s forewords which were never republished and translation synopses preserved in his archive. The traditional rebuke of Frankovsky for literal rendering of Proust’s syntax is counterposed with a view on the task of translation as hermeneutical, as a “critical mime” of the original (Friedrich Schlegel) that precisely for this reason requires “literal rendering of syntax” (Walter Benjamin) and “supra-philological exactitude” (Gustav Shpet). Frankovsky’s philosophical education and translating experience preceding Proust project (modern German philosophy, Descartes, Oswald Spengler, Heinrich Wölfflin, Henri Bergson, Sigmund Freud, contemporary French prose, primarily Henri de Régnier) made him the adequate and essentially modern Russian translator for Proust. His paratexts to translations reveal his specific approach to fiction: Frankovsky was interested in the lucid, analytic manner of thought, intellectual humour, and irony, i. e., features primarily represented in syntax and historically underdeveloped in the Russian language. His other reference point was the idea of “noble clarity” coined by Mikhail Kuzmin, who appealed to Russian prose writers to learn “the laws of lucid harmony and ordonnance” in the “construction of periods and phrases” from European literature. Underlining in Proust’s prose similar qualities of “amazing, incredible precision,” “extraordinary precision,” “unprecedented precision,” and “the desire to achieve the most possible precision,” Frankovsky parted with the mainstream Proust criticism of his time that focused on the French writer’s minute analysis of involuntary psychological movements and sided with (or, rather, followed) Ernst Curtius and Vladimir Vejdle’s approach focused on intellectual lucidity of Proust’s style. The article presents Frankovsky’s translation method through the analysis of his synopses for four books of À la recherche du temps perdu, which are condensed and purified semantic skeletons of the original and a stylistic prototype of the translation.

Book Review: Salvation in Henri de Lubac: Divine Grace, Human Nature, and the Mystery of the Cross, by Eugene R. Schlesinger

Book Review: <i>Salvation in Henri de Lubac: Divine Grace, Human Nature, and the Mystery of the Cross</i>, by Eugene R. Schlesinger

Henri de Lacaze-Duthiers and the ascidian hypothesis.

In 1830, Cuvier and Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire confronted each other in a famous debate on the unity of the animal kingdom, which permeated the zoology of the 19th century. From that time, a growing number of naturalists attempted to understand the large-scale relationships among animals. And among all the questions, that of the origin of vertebrates was one of the most controversial. Analytical methods based on comparative anatomy, embryology and paleontology were developed to identify convincing homologies that would reveal a logical sequence of events for the evolution of an invertebrate into the first vertebrate. Within this context, several theories have clashed on the question of the identity of the ancestor of vertebrates. Among the proposals, a group of rather discrete organisms, the ascidians, played a central role. Because he had discovered an ascidian with a particularly atypical larval development, the Molgula, Henri de Lacaze-Duthiers, a rigorous and meticulous naturalist, became involved in the ascidian hypothesis. While the visionary mind of Lacaze-Duthiers led him to establish a particularly innovative methodology and the first marine biology station in Europe, at Roscoff, the tailless tadpole of the Molgula prevented him from recognizing the ancestor of vertebrates. This old 19th century story echoes the ever-present questions driving the field of Eco-Evo-Devo.

Book Review Essay: “The Drama of Atheist Humanism” by Henri de Lubac

In “The Drama of Atheist Humanism”, Henri de Lubac meticulously explores 19th-century efforts to overcome the limits of the divine and create a humanism. The book looks at the roots of modern atheism, focusing particularly on the influential contributions of figures such as Feuerbach, Nietzsche, and Comte. These figures were instrumental in shaping the path of contemporary humanism. De Lubac masterfully weaves together historical and philosophical currents with modern perspectives to expose the prevailing ideology that views Christianity as antiquated, a perspective that resonates throughout Eastern and Western societies. A unique aspect of the book lies in its harmonious interplay with literary and philosophical works, providing the reader with a deep insight into the philosophical underpinnings of contemporary atheism. This analysis is enriched by an examination of the theological foundations of humanism that incorporates perspectives from Islamic and Christian traditions.

Pope Benedict XVI &amp; the French Ressourcement. “Lumen gentium cum sit Christus”

What unites Joseph Ratzinger / Benedict XVI to the French is ressourcement, a controversial movement that initiated a brilliant reorientation of Catholic thought and teaching in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. In the light of the significant work that has already been done on Ratzinger’s original contribution to Vatican II, the objectives of the present paper are, first, to situate him as theologian and Christian humanist at the heart of the ressourcement movement and to evaluate his work for peace and harmony in the confines between past and present. It attempts to illuminate a way forward for the Church, based on the anthropological, philosophical, and spiritual foundations of the new Christian humanism of the ressourcement project, championed by the French and their German allies. Secondly, the paper seeks to document the influence of notable, twentieth-century, French Catholic thinkers, theologians and philosophers, on Ratzinger’s thought and future contribution to Church and culture on a global stage, with particular attention to Yves Congar, Henri de Lubac, Jean Daniélou (1905-74), and Jacques Maritain (1882-1973). Thirdly, it presents a fresh consideration of his vision of the Church, his contribution to the ecclesiology of the Second Vatican Council, and of the turbulent post-conciliar period. The key goals in this domain are, therefore, to articulate Ratzinger’s spirituality and his preponderant contribution to theological anthropology, using the lens of Vatican II. This is a point of some considerable importance and fills a critical lacuna in Catholic theology. As a pertinent comment of Congar’s makes clear. “For there is little awareness of the values of anthropology; we have created an ecclesiology without any anthropology”. Like Congar, Ratzinger sought to construct a theological anthropology concerned to serve the pastoral needs of the Church but without neglecting its cultural and social elements. Spirituality and anthropology are then, unsurprisingly, as luminous, intricately interwoven threads that permeate and fortify his entire theological edifice.

Paul Choart de Buzanval: A Learned French Ambassador and the Republic of Letters

Abstract Although he enjoys some renown as a friend of Joseph Scaliger and Isaac Casaubon, Henri iv’s ambassador to the United Provinces, Paul Choart de Buzanval (1551–1607) has rarely been studied in his own right since the 1960s. Yet Choart was a significant champion of the protestant cause, who built a network of contacts spread across Europe, from Venice over Germany to England. This article assesses, first, how Buzanval’s network grew as his career evolved during the final decades of the French Wars of Religion and their immediate aftermath. Secondly, it takes stock of Buzanval’s role as an early modern emissary abroad: it demonstrates how, over and above his diplomatic agency for Henri de Navarre/Henri iv, Buzanval also emerged as a patron and cultural intermediary with the – mostly protestant – Republic of Letters. Thus, from relatively modest beginnings, Buzanval became a notable player in a network that encompassed political as well as intellectual and merchant spheres.

Charisma and Surgery in the Middles Ages: The Example of Henri de Mondeville, Surgeon of Philip IV the Fair

Based on Henri de Mondeville’s treatise on surgery, this article focuses on his practice and explores the surgeon’s awareness of the concept of charisma and its implications for his professional activities. It seeks to demonstrate the medieval textual continuity of the concept of charisma, its relevance to medieval medical vocation and training, and the fact that charisms remained central to the act of care for this surgeon, who acted for the common good and in fear of divine judgment. This essay looks at possible limiting factors in surgical practice, such as theological issues concerning the body and soul, or the consideration of the notion of moral responsibility. Do charisma, faith, and divine intervention absolve the surgeon from such responsibility? This article will examine whether de Mondeville’s surgical practice was based on predefined principles and non-intervention in the natural order of things or if, on the contrary, the medieval surgeon was accountable for his actions and their consequences independently of divine grace, due to his making a reasoned choice in the context of an ethical approach. This analysis shows that the elements involved in medical decision-making rely on a moral basis, influenced by the Christian religion and normed by religious texts, but do not exclude recourse to an applied code of ethics for specific cases, reserving all freedom of action.

An annotated list of the Blattodea (Insecta) described by Henri de Saussure. Part 3: the Blattidae

Henri de Saussure described 54 species and one subspecies currently placed in the family Blattidae, five of them in collaboration with Leo Zehntner. These species are listed alphabetically with an account of the type specimens found in the Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Genève. The location of type specimens in other museums is given where known. The current binominal combination for each species is provided. Photographs of six type specimens found in the Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Genève are presented with the labels associated with each.