Maurice Blondel: A Philosophical Conceptualization of Mystical Experience

Abstract

This study analyzes the stages of formation of conceptual ideas of the outstanding French philosopher Maurice Blondel (1861-1949) concerning the essence of Christian religious mysticism within the Catholic tradition. The content of his original philosophical teaching, which is a philosophy of action, includes the justification of the possibility of a mystical element. The author demonstrates that the justification of this possibility was carried out by the philosopher as an integral part of his program for the reconstruction of the harmony of faith and reason based on the radical criticism of the dualism of the natural and supernatural principles, which declared itself not only in the secular philosophical thinking of that time, but also in theology. The article argues that the systemic philosophical conceptualization of religious mystical experience was carried out by the philosopher in the space of interdisciplinary dialogue, as well as in the context of Catholic modernism. Much attention is paid to the consideration of the peculiarity of M. Blondel’s approach to mysticism, which consists in the justification of the rational principle in the fabric of mystical life. This allowed the philosopher to approach the solution of the fundamental problem of the relationship between philosophical reason and mystical experience from a new position. The article shows that, implementing a philosophical approach to mysticism based on the use of the categories “genuine - ingenuine”, “universal - particular - individual”, M. Blondel saw in mysticism a “window” to the highest wisdom, familiarization with which is the source of philosophical reason and allows philosophy to solve fundamental theoretical and practical issues.