Magnétisme, somnambulisme, sympathie Maine de Biran, Alexandre Bertrand et le début de la psychologie

Abstract

Maine de Biran is best known as the philosopher of effort and will, concepts on which he grounded his definition of consciousness and personality. Yet, Biran also delved into the exploration of another dimension of human existence, one independent of consciousness and encompassing phenomena such as dreams, somnambulism, animal magnetism, and sympathy. The dynamics of sympathy in Biran’s work have been examined primarily in relation to Cabanis, Hume, Adam Smith, and Sophie de Grouchy, with particular emphasis on the organic and moral dimensions of sympathy. Less attention, however, has been devoted to the ways in which sympathy intersects with the question of somnambulism and animal magnetism in the final phase of Biran’s philosophy, when he would reintroduce a “magical” conception of sympathy, drawn from Renaissance thought. In this article, I argue that it is more accurate to speak of the emergence of a “psychological” conception of sympathy. In particular, I highlight the decisive role of Biran’s dialogue with Alexandre Bertrand, whose treatise on somnambulism was published in 1823.

English Title: Magnetism, Somnambulism, Sympathy: Maine de Biran, Alexandre Bertrand and the Beginnings of Psychology

Keywords: Sympathy, Animal Magnetism, Artificial Somnambulism, Desire, Imagination