Beyond Raymond Aron The First Reception of Dilthey in France

Abstract

Abstract This article delves into the reception of Dilthey’s work in France during the first half of the 20th century. Rather than focusing on his most famous French commentator of the period, Raymond Aron, this study offers an overview of the appropriations of Dilthey present in the works of Alexandre Koyré, historian of science, and also of philosophy, religions, and German speculative mysticism. Deeply marked by Dilthey’s work, Koyré was close to Aron and Bernard Groethuysen, another ignored Diltheyan reader and commentator. This is attested not only by the studies he wrote directly about this author, but also by those in which his name does not appear, including those on the history of German speculative mysticism and the history of science. This seemingly unconventional association underscores the complexity of Dilthey’s reception in France, making clear the need to broaden this field of analysis beyond Aron’s contributions.

Keywords

• Dilthey
• France
• Alexandre Koyré