VACHEROT, ETIENNE. - Philosopher, b. at Langres, 29 July 1809, d. at Paris, 28 July 1897. He taught philosophy at the École normale and at the Sorbonne; from 1868 he was a member of the National Assembly.
V. was an independent follower of Cousin’spiritualism (v.), imbued with the principles of German idealism. According to V., psychology is the foundation of metaphysics; the soul is an active and free principle. The moral law is absolute and known to every conscience. In theodicy he departs from Leibniz in order to approach Hegel. Infinite being is merely an ideal: the concept of the supreme unity which we seek to realize through knowledge and moral activity. Theodicy has the same right as mathematics, which, without having a real object, serves as a norm for the other sciences.
Principal works, all published in Paris: Histoire
critique de l'école d'Alexandrie (3 vols., 1846-51); La métaphysique et la science (2 vols., 1858; 2nd ed., 3 vols., 1863); Essais de philosophie critique (1864); La religion (1868); La science et la conscience (1870); Le nouveau spiritualisme (1884).