BLONDEL, MAURICE (DOUARD)

born Nov. 2, 1861, Dijon, Fr. died June 4, 1949, Aix-en-Provence French dialectical philosopher who formulated a philosophy of action that integrated classical Neoplatonic thought with modern Pragmatism in the context of a Christian philosophy of religion. He studied at the cole Normale Suprieure under Lon Oll-Laprune and first formulated his philosophy in L'action (1893). Blondel was influenced by the theory that belief is a matter of will as well as logical demonstration. For him, the term action was comprehensive and meant the dynamism of life in all its manifestations; it includes all the conditions that contribute to the gestation, birth, and expansion of the free act. He argued that proving that God exists is not the question; it is determining what attitude a man should take regarding the possibility of his receiving eternal life with God. Among Blondel's principal writings are La Pense, 2 vol. (1934; Thought), and Exigences philosophiques du Christianisme (1950; Philosophical Demands of Christianity).