Aron, Raymond

Aron, Raymond (-Claude-Ferdinand)

(born 1905—died 1983) French sociologist and historian. After receiving his doctorate from the École Normale Supérieure (1930), he taught at the University of Toulouse until 1939. During World War II he joined the Free French and edited their newspaper (1940–44). He later taught at the École Nationale d'Administration, the Sorbonne, and the Collège de France. He was also a columnist for Le Figaro (1947–77) and L'Express (1977–83). Aron upheld a rationalist humanism that was often contrasted with the Marxist existentialism of his great contemporary and former classmate Jean-Paul Sartre. A continuing theme in his writings was the subject of violence and war.