Emmanuel mounier was born in Grenoble on April 1, 1905. He studied in Grenoble, being very interested in the work of Charles Péguy, a French poet of the time whose study unleashed the complexity of thought embodied in “La pensée de Charles Péguy” (Paris 1931). After a year of publishing his book, he goes to Paris and he founded the magazine Esprit, where he exalted the most significant expressions of contemporary Catholic thought. His eagerness to break the static forms imposed on the bourgeois classes began a critical review of contemporary culture and a direct analysis of the movement of history. In the issues of his magazine he dealt with the problems of property and work, as well as authority and the Christian conscience. Starting from those bases and thoughts, the essay comes to light “From the capitalist property to the human property” Y “Manifeste au service du personalisme”. These works shape Mounier’s political, social and religious thought. In its postulates it invites man to think for himself and has not incited him to a revolution as the ruling classes of the moment believed. It is about acting not on politics but on politics.
A community society is formed where an organized and total democracy replaces a merely political and colonialist democracy. Mounier proposes a more personal and humane model of conduct, leaving aside unscrupulousness and greed for money. The new ideas to create a free world make one think of a leftist or Marxist world. These types of postulations, seen from the outside, confuse the spiritual with the reactionary, as we have mentioned previously and in particular they confuse the ruling classes. In 1941, Esprit magazine is suppressed and its creator, Mounier is imprisoned under the accusing finger of Vichy. During the trial, Mounier reaffirmed his ideals of freedom and in 1944, free from the bars after a hunger strike, he resumed publishing activity. In the same year, he published “Laffrontement chrétien”. The following year “Liberté sous conditions” and “Traité du caractère”. In 1947 his most important volume came out: “Qu’est-ce que le personnalisme?” and later “La petite peur de XXème siècle” and “Feu la Chrétienté”.
He died in Chatenay-Malabry on March 22, 1950.