Maurice Blondel and His Prodigal Children: Phenomenology, Charity, and Metaphysics

This article argues for Maurice Blondel’s paternity in the recent phenomenological work of Jean-Luc Marion, Jean-Yves Lacoste, and Emmanuel Falque, particularly regarding the relationship between philosophy and theology and the role of charity for the knowledge of God. In addition to reading the phenomenologists as extending and complementing Blondel’s thought, the article notes how Blondel’s project posits metaphysics as an integral aspect to his analysis of the dynamics of human action. What ultimately distinguishes Blondel from his “sons” is that Blondel argues for a “metaphysics to the second power,” a metaphysics based on the simultaneity of being and charity, rather than their opposition.