Edgar Morin: France's intellectual 'grandfather' dies at 104

Morin, the son of secular Jewish immigrants, trained as a sociologist but called himself a “humanologist,” combining philosophy, psychology, ethnography, and biology to study humanity. He became internationally known for inventing “cinema verite” through his 1961 documentary “Chronique d’un ete” with Jean Rouch, which used unscripted conversations sparked by “Are you happy?” to reshape documentary-making. In 2020 he emphasized connecting scattered research fields to answer what it means to be human, what globalisation is, and what life is. After his 100th birthday, he commented on current events, posting about 2022 heatwaves and writing “war is a lesson in hatred” about Ukraine.

"“He is the grandfather of all French people and the memory of the last (20th) century,” the left-wing Liberation newspaper wrote in a 2021 profile of the dapper philosopher who had a fondness for hats and silk cravats."

Read at The Local France