Why do we act? Maurice Blondel argues that human life is defined by desire.

Ideas & Philosophy · Published 3 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: We take for granted that we act, but why? French philosopher Maurice Blondel suggests that our smallest thoughts and actions are driven by a deeper, mysterious hunger. By examining the obvious, he reveals how human freedom and biological determinism coexist, pointing toward a profound, inherent insufficiency in our nature.

Born in Dijon in 1861, Maurice Blondel dedicated his career to a philosophy of action. His landmark 1893 thesis, L'Action, challenged the Enlightenment's focus on pure thought, arguing instead that life, thought, and action are inseparable. For Blondel, a philosophy that does not translate into a richer life is merely a mockery. He proposed that human action is not just a series of biological reactions, but a movement toward an object of love that we can never fully grasp.

Blondel’s central insight lies in the tension between the 'willing will' and the 'willed will.' He observed that humans are constantly driven to act, to create, and to search for more, yet even our greatest achievements—like reaching Mars or extending our lifespans—leave us feeling that something essential is missing. This gap reveals a fundamental insufficiency in human nature. He argued that we cannot desire something that cannot be fulfilled, leading him to hypothesize that the supernatural is the only real end of man.

While his work sparked controversy during the Modernist era and was sometimes viewed with suspicion by the Catholic Church, Blondel was never officially targeted by the 1907 encyclical Pascendi dominici gregis. Instead, his influence grew, shaping later theologians like Henri de Lubac. Today, he is remembered as a thinker who dared to ask why we act, ultimately suggesting that our restless search for more is an appeal to a 'desire for God' that animates our existence until his death in 1949.

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