Nourrisson, Jean-Felix, philosopher, b. at Thiers, Department of Puy-de-Dôme, 18 July, 1825; d. at Paris, 13 June, 1899. He received his education in the college of his native city and in the Collége Stanislas (Paris), where, at the age of nineteen, immediately after completing his studies, he was appointed professor. In accordance with the wishes of his father, he applied himself first to the study of law, but his own inclinations led him in another direction, and he finally decided to devote himself to philosophy. He was appointed to the chair of philosophy in the College Stanislas (1849), received the Doctorate (1852), and was made professor of philosophy successively in the Lycée de Rennes (1854), the University of Clermont-Ferrand (1855), the Lycée Napoléon, Paris (1858) and the Collége de France (1874), Nourrisson obtained three prizes in competitions on the philosophy of Leibniz (1860), and on the role of psychology in the philosophy. of St. Augustine (1864), subjects proposed by the Institut de France. In 1870 he became a member of the Académie des Sciences morales et politiques in the section of philosophy. Nourrisson was one of the best representatives of French spiritualistic philosophy in the nineteenth century. Not only was he a deep thinker, a penetrating philosopher and historian, but a firm believer, convinced that “conscience remains hesitating, and that convictions come to nothing, unless the teachings of religion complete the data of reason” (letter to de Barante, 5 Dec., 1856), Besides a number of reports, memoirs, and articles in the “Journal des Débats”, ‘Revue des Deux Mondes”, “Revue Contemporaine”, ‘Correspondant”, etc., Nourrisson’s works are: “Quid Plato . de ideis senserit” (Paris, 1852); ‘Essai sur la philosophie de Bossuet” (Paris, 1852); ‘Les Péres de |’ Hglise atine” (Paris, 1856); “Le cardinal de Bérulle” (Paris, 1856); “Exposition de la théorie platonicienne des idées” (Paris, 1858); ‘Tableau des progrés de la pensee humaine depuis Thalés jusqua Leibniz” (Paris, 1858), the third edition was augmented and brought down to Hegel’s time (1867); “Histoire et philosophie” (Paris, 1860); second enlarged edition under the title “Portraits et études” (Paris, 1863); “La philosophie de Leibniz” (Paris, 1860); “Le dixhuitiome siecle et la Révolution frangaise” (Paris, 1863), 2nd ed., 1873, under the title ‘L'ancienne France et la Révolution”; “La nature humaine: essais de psychologie appliquée” (Paris, 1865); “La philosophie de Saint-Augustin” (Paris, 1865); “Spinoza et le naturalisme contemporain” (Paris, 1866); “De la liberté et du hasard, essai sur Alexandre d’ Aphrodisias” (Paris, 1870); “ Machiavel” (Paris, 1875); “Trois révolutionnaires: Turgot, Necker, Bailly” (Paris, 1885); “Pascal, physicien et philosophe” (Paris, 1885); ‘“ Philosophes de la nature Bacon, Bayle, Toland, Buffon’? (Paris, 1887); “Défense de Pascal’ (Paris, 1888); “Voltaire et le voltairianisme” (Paris, 8. d.); “Rousseau et le rousseauisme” (Paris, 1904) ’ & posthumous work edited by Paul Nourrisson.
Duvipwnar, Une Carriere Universitaire, Jean-Fe1ix Nourrisson (Paris, 1901),
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C. A. Dubray.