This essay analyzes some of the cultural traditions of France through a discussion of its philosophy and literature.
The history of France begins with the Romans, who first entered what is modern day France in the second century BC. There they encountered the Celts, who were a metal-age people from northern and central Europe who had migrated into the area from about 1000 BC. As one author states, "Celtic Gaul was never more than a geographical expression and bequeathed little of substance to the French -- neither language, faith, institutions, nor customs" (Cole, 1989, 7). The Romanization of Gaul began after Julius Caesar conquered Gaul in 52 BC. With Rome came good government, high technology, profitable trade and eventually Roman citizenship. Latin replaced Celtic among the elite and slang Latin blended with Celtic among the rest of the population. The Celts took to Romanization and held onto it for five centuries.
From the 14th to the 16th centuries, wars raged across France. Also, the plague, known as the Black Death, killed one-third of the population. However, cultural life continued. Education improved and thirteen new French universities were founded. Paris was now the intellectual center of Europe. The intellectual conflicts between the scholastics in Paris led to the divisions which have characterized western science and philosophy ever since.
Although the French had their first taste of philosophy from the Romans, it was not until the 12th century with the founding of the University of Paris by the philosopher Abelard. One author has stated that "intellectual life in France 'took off' after Abelard" (Cole, 1989, 47). By the 14th century, Paris had become the intellectual center of Europe and the University of Paris was the reason. The university had courses in rhetoric, logic, metaphysics, moral, and natural philosophy. The scholastics, who were the thinkers of that time, had debates between the...