Biography.guide
Home › People › Philosophy historian › Alain de Libera
Portrait of Alain de Libera

Alain de Libera

b. 1948

Academic

Philosophy historianPhilosopher
Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Alain de Libera

Born 1948. Alain de Libera is a French philosophy historian and philosopher.

Reception Penser au Moyen Âge According to philosopher , "The title of Penser au Moyen Âge (in English: "Thinking about the Middle Ages") articulates the ambiguity of its agenda: the author—a medievalist and historian of philosophy—seeks to reflect on our attitude toward the Middle Ages and to trace the conditions that gave rise to what is termed the 'experience of thought' in the 13th century. This period centered on the condemnations of 1277, which marked the Church's determination to oppose an overly radical Aristotelianism—specifically, the notion that human beatitude could be attained through the philosophical life." According to the author, the work aims to rethink the intellectual's position in contemporary society and the Western relationship with thought, while also shedding caricatures of medieval obscurantism.

The "Aristotle at Mont-Saint-Michel" Affair Alain de Libera was a key figure in the controversy pitting a group of 56 academics (including Philippe Büttgen, , and ) and other researchers against one another in the "Aristotle at Mont-Saint-Michel" affair -a fierce dispute regarding the Arab-Muslim world's contribution to the West, sparked by the publication of the book of the same name by . In the realm of academic analysis, the main criticisms leveled at Gouguenheim's work are set out in the collective volume Les Grecs, les Arabes et Nous (The Greeks, the Arabs, and Us.)

Selected publications

Books

Introduction à la mystique rhénane : d'Albert le Grand à Maître Eckhart, Paris: OEIL, 1984. La Philosophie médiévale, Paris: PUF, "Que sais-je ?" series, 1989. ISBN 2-13-051580-0. Albert le Grand et la philosophie, Paris: Librairie philosophique J. Vrin, 1990. ISBN 2-7116-1015-2. Averroès et l'averroïsme, Paris: PUF, "Que sais-je ?" series, 1991. ISBN 2-13-044203-X. La Philosophie médiévale, Paris: PUF, "Premier cycle" series, 1994. ISBN 2-13-046000-3. La Mystique rhénane. D'Albert le Grand à Maître Eckhart, Paris: Éditions du Seuil, "Points" series, 1994. ISBN 2-02-021112-2. Penser au Moyen Âge, Paris: Éditions du Seuil, 1991 ISBN 2-02-013199-4; "Points" series, 1996. La Querelle des universaux, de Platon à la fin du Moyen Âge, Paris: Éditions du Seuil, 1996. ISBN 2-02-024756-9. Eckhart, Suso, Tauler, ou la Divinisation de l'homme, Paris: Bayard Presse, 1996. ISBN 2-227-32508-9. Maître Eckhart et la Mystique rhénane, Paris: Éditions du Cerf, 1999. ISBN 2-204-05981-1. L'Art des généralités. Théories de l'abstraction, Paris: , 1999. ISBN 2-7007-3355-X. Morgen Schtarbe (novel), Paris: Flammarion, 1999. La Référence vide. Théories de la proposition, Paris: PUF, 2002. ISBN 2-13-051619-X. Raison et Foi. Archéologie d'une crise, d'Albert le Grand à Jean-Paul II, Paris: Éditions du Seuil, 2003. ISBN 2-02-061287-9. Thomas d'Aquin. L'Unité de l'intellect contre les averroïstes, Paris: Librairie philosophique J. Vrin, 2004. ISBN 2-7116-1681-9. Métaphysique et noétique. Albert le Grand, Paris: Librairie philosophique J. Vrin, 2005. ISBN 2-7116-1638-X. Archéologie du sujet. I. Naissance du sujet, Paris: Librairie philosophique J. Vrin, 2007. ISBN 978-2-7116-1927-6. Archéologie du sujet. II. La Quête de l'identité, Paris: Librairie philosophique J. Vrin, 2008. ISBN 2-7116-1974-5. Archéologie du sujet III. La double révolution. L'acte de penser, 1, Paris: Librairie philosophique J. Vrin, 2014. ISBN 978-2-7116-2610-6. Après la métaphysique : Augustin?, Paris: Librairie philosophique J. Vrin, 2013. ISBN 978-2-7116-2424-9. Où va la philosophie médiévale ?, Paris: Librairie Arthème Fayard / Collège de France, 2014. L'invention du sujet moderne, Paris: Librairie philosophique J. Vrin, 2015. ISBN 978-2-7116-1927-6. L’archéologie philosophique, Paris: Librairie philosophique J. Vrin, 2016. ISBN 978-2-7116-2741-7. La volonté et l’action, Paris: Librairie philosophique J. Vrin, 2017. ISBN 978-2-7116-2803-2. Le sujet de la passion, Paris: Librairie philosophique J. Vrin, 2020. ISBN 978-2-7116-2962-6.

Co-edited volumes

Maître Eckhart. Métaphysique du Verbe et théologie négative (ed.), Paris: , 1997. ISBN 2-7010-1072-1. Dictionnaire du Moyen Âge (ed.), Paris: PUF, 1st ed., 2002. ISBN 2-13-053057-5. Les Grecs, les Arabes et nous : enquête sur l'islamophobie savante (ed.), Paris: Éditions Fayard, 2010. ISBN 978-2-213-65138-5.

Translations and critical editions

Porphyry, Isagoge; Greek and Latin texts, translated by Alain de Libera and , Paris: Librairie philosophique J. Vrin, 1998 (Sic et non), Clxii-100p. ISBN 2-7116-1344-5. Averroes, L'Intelligence et la Pensée, Paris: GF-Flammarion, 1999. Averroes, Decisive Discourse, trans. M. Geoffroy, introduction by Alain de Libera, Paris: GF-Flammarion, 1999. Thomas Aquinas, Contre Averroès, Paris: GF-Flammarion, 1999. Meister Eckhart, Traités et sermons, Paris: GF-Flammarion, 1999.

Honours

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Philosophy historian, philosopher
Nationality
Education
Lycée Pasteur
Employers
Lomonosov Moscow State University, University of Fribourg, University of Padua, University of Liège
Awards
Montyon Prize; Lysenko Prize; Honorary doctorate at the Laval University; Officer of the National Order of Merit; Grand prix de philosophie

People in Alain de Libera's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Alain de Libera's

Frequently asked questions

Who is Alain de Libera?

academic

When was Alain de Libera born?

Alain de Libera was born on 27 September 1948 in Neuilly-sur-Seine.

What is Alain de Libera's occupation?

Alain de Libera is a philosophy historian and philosopher.

What nationality is Alain de Libera?

Alain de Libera is French.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Alain de Libera

· Wikidata: Q2830396

· DBpedia: Alain de Libera

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Alain de Libera. https://biography.guide/alain-de-libera/

MLA: "Alain de Libera." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/alain-de-libera/.

Chicago: "Alain de Libera." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/alain-de-libera/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:20 UTC