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Joseph de Maistre
Savoyard philosopher, writer, lawyer, and diplomat (1753–1821) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Joseph Marie, comte de Maistre (French: [də mɛstʁ];[lower-alpha 1] 1 April 1753 – 26 February 1821)[1] was a Savoyard philosopher, lawyer, diplomat, and magistrate. One of the forefathers of conservatism, Maistre advocated social hierarchy and monarchy in the period immediately following the French Revolution.[2] Despite his close personal and intellectual ties with France, Maistre was throughout his life a subject of the Kingdom of Sardinia, which he served as a member of the Savoy Senate (1787–1792), ambassador to Russia (1803–1817),[3] and minister of state to the court in Turin (1817–1821).[4]
Joseph de Maistre | |
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![]() de Maistre by von Vogelstein | |
Born | (1753-04-01)1 April 1753 |
Died | 26 February 1821(1821-02-26) (aged 67) |
Notable work | |
Era | 18th-century philosophy |
Region | Western philosophy |
School | |
Main interests | |
Notable ideas |
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A key figure of the Counter-Enlightenment and a precursor of Romanticism,[5] Maistre regarded monarchy both as a divinely sanctioned institution and as the only stable form of government.[6] He called for the restoration of the House of Bourbon to the throne of France and for the ultimate authority of the Pope in both spiritual and temporal matters. Maistre argued that the rationalist rejection of Christianity was directly responsible for the Reign of Terror which followed the French Revolution of 1789.[7][8]