191 - GOUNOD (Charles) — Manuscript on the Tower of Babel, rationalism, and human reason. 1818–1893. French composer. Winner of the Grand Prix de Rome in 1839. Author of *Faust* (1859).

GOUNOD (Charles) — Manuscript on the Tower of Babel, rationalism, and human reason. 1818–1893. French composer. Winner of the Grand Prix de Rome in 1839. Author of *Faust* (1859). Autograph manuscript on philosophy, human reason, and the foundations of knowledge. No place, no date. 1 1/4 pages, in-4 format, in fine, tight handwriting, with corrections and underlined passages. Slight discoloration of the paper at the top. A CURIOUS AND INTERESTING PHILOSOPHICAL MANUSCRIPT IN WHICH GOUNOD COMPARES RATIONALISM TO THE TOWER OF BABEL. “Nothing resembles the great catastrophe of Babel as much as the history of philosophy—or rather, of rationalism. ” Gounod draws a comparison between the confusion of languages at Babel and the multiplicity of philosophical systems. He criticizes rationalists for seeking to attain truth through the powers of human reason alone. He points to the contradictions within doctrines, the limits of human understanding, and humanity’s inability to reach a common certainty when it claims to do without revelation. “What confusion, then! Take two philosophical systems [...] and chaos reaches its peak. ” The composer defends a conception of truth based on the harmony between human reason and Christian revelation, setting the principles of faith against philosophical speculations. An interesting insight into Gounod’s religious thought, revealing a more intimate and lesser-known aspect of the composer, whose spiritual convictions were inseparable from his artistic creation. A few creases, small foxing spots, and slight signs of wear.