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Roland Barthes
Philosopher, Literary Critic, Academic Author / 1915 - 1980
Roland Barthes was a French literary philosopher whose work influenced structuralism, semiotics and anthropology.
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(1915-1980)
Philosopher, Literary Critic, Academic Author
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Henri Becquerel
Philosopher, Physicist / 1852 - 1908
Henri Becquerel was a French physicist who discovered radioactivity, an achievement for which he won the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1903.
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(1852-1908)
Philosopher, Physicist
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Louis Blanc
Philosopher, Political Leader / 1811 - 1882
Louis Blanc was a utopian socialist thinker noted for his theory of worker-controlled "social workshops."
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(1811-1882)
Philosopher, Political Leader
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André Breton
Philosopher, Artist, Literary Critic, Editor, Publisher, Journalist, Author, Poet / 1896 - 1966
André Breton was a French writer, editor and critic who was a key figure in the Dada and Surrealist art movements.
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(1896-1966)
Philosopher, Artist, Literary Critic, Editor, Publisher, Journalist, Author, Poet
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Auguste Comte
Philosopher, Academic Author, Sociologist / 1798 - 1857
French philosopher Auguste Comte (1798–1857) greatly advanced the field of social science, giving it the name "sociology" and influenced many 19th-century social intellectuals.
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(1798-1857)
Philosopher, Academic Author, Sociologist
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Simone de Beauvoir
Philosopher, Academic Author, Journalist / 1908 - 1986
French writer Simone de Beauvoir laid the foundation for the modern feminist movement. Also an existentialist philosopher, she had a romance with Sartre.
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(1908-1986)
Philosopher, Academic Author, Journalist
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Michel de Montaigne
Philosopher, Scholar, Journalist / 1533 - 1592
Michel de Montaigne was a 16th century French author best known for his series of philosophical essays, which were published in 1575.
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(1533-1592)
Philosopher, Scholar, Journalist
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Maximilien de Robespierre
Philosopher, Scholar, Activist, Lawyer, Judge, Journalist, Government Official / 1758 - 1794
Maximilien de Robespierre was an official during the French Revolution and one of the principal architects of the Reign of Terror.
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(1758-1794)
Philosopher, Scholar, Activist, Lawyer, Judge, Journalist, Government Official
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Marquis de Sade
Philosopher, Criminal, Author / 1740 - 1814
Marquis de Sade was a French aristocrat and philosopher who became notorious for acts of sexual cruelty in his writings as well as in his own life.
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(1740-1814)
Philosopher, Criminal, Author
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Jacques Derrida
Philosopher, Scholar, Literary Critic, Academic Author, Journalist / 1930 - 2004
Jacques Derrida was an influential postmodern French philosopher who developed the analytic method known as Deconstruction.
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(1930-2004)
Philosopher, Scholar, Literary Critic, Academic Author, Journalist
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René Descartes
Philosopher, Mathematician, Scientist, Academic Author / 1596 - 1650
Philosopher and mathematician René Descartes is regarded as the father of modern philosophy for defining a starting point for existence, “I think; therefore I am.”
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(1596-1650)
Philosopher, Mathematician, Scientist, Academic Author
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Michel Foucault
Anthropologist, Educator, Historian, Philosopher, Scholar, Activist, Academic Author, Journalist / 1926 - 1984
Michel Foucault was a French philosopher and historian. His best known works are Discipline and Punish and The History of Sexuality.
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(1926-1984)
Anthropologist, Educator, Historian, Philosopher, Scholar, Activist, Academic Author, Journalist
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Anatole France
Philosopher, Literary Critic, Author / 1844 - 1924
Anatole France was a French writer of satire and fantasy. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1921.
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(1844-1924)
Philosopher, Literary Critic, Author
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Jean-Francois Lyotard
Philosopher / 1924 - 1998
A leading twentieth century philosopher, Jean-Francois Lyotard was noted for his analysis of postmodernity and its impact on humankind.
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(1924-1998)
Philosopher
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Maurice Merleau-Ponty
Educator, Philosopher, Political Scientist, Academic Author, Editor, Journalist / 1908 - 1961
Maurice Merleau-Ponty was a French philosopher and man of letters, the leading exponent of phenomenology in France.
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(1908-1961)
Educator, Philosopher, Political Scientist, Academic Author, Editor, Journalist
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Blaise Pascal
Philosopher, Mathematician, Theologian, Physicist / 1623 - 1662
Blaise Pascal was a French mathematician, physicist and religious philosopher, who laid the foundation for the modern theory of probabilities.
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(1623-1662)
Philosopher, Mathematician, Theologian, Physicist
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Paul Ricoeur
Philosopher, Writer / 1913 - 2005
Paul Ricoeur is widely recognized as one of the most distinguished philosophers of the 20th century. He taught in both France and the United States.
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(1913-2005)
Philosopher, Writer
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Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Philosopher, Songwriter / 1712 - 1778
Jean-Jacques Rousseau is best known as an influential 18th-century philosopher who wrote the acclaimed work A Discourse on the Arts and Sciences.
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(1712-1778)
Philosopher, Songwriter
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Jean-Paul Sartre
Philosopher, Activist, Literary Critic, Academic Author, Journalist, Author, Playwright, Screenwriter / 1905 - 1980
Jean-Paul Sartre was a 20th century intellectual, writer and activist who put forth pioneering ideas on existentialism.
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(1905-1980)
Philosopher, Activist, Literary Critic, Academic Author, Journalist, Author, Playwright, Screenwriter
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Albert Schweitzer
Philosopher, Scholar, Doctor, Musician, Missionary, Preacher, Theologian, Journalist / 1875 - 1965
Albert Schweitzer was Alsatian-German theologian, philosopher, organist, and mission doctor in equatorial Africa, whose goal was the Brotherhood of Nations.
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(1875-1965)
Philosopher, Scholar, Doctor, Musician, Missionary, Preacher, Theologian, Journalist
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Voltaire
Historian, Philosopher, Writer / 1694 - 1778
Author Voltaire wrote the satirical novella Candide and, despite controversy during his lifetime, is widely considered one of France's greatest Enlightenment writers.
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(1694-1778)
Historian, Philosopher, Writer
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Simone Weil
Educator, Philosopher, Civil Rights Activist, Anti-War Activist, Journalist / 1909 - 1943
Simone Weil was a French intellectual, activist and Christian Mystic.
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(1909-1943)
Educator, Philosopher, Civil Rights Activist, Anti-War Activist, Journalist