(French Catholic philosopher, 1882–1973). In a state of metaphysical despair over the spiritual vacuum at the heart of French intellectual life, dominated as it was at the time by scientism, the young Maritain entered a suicide pact with his fiancée. It was Henri Bergson's vitalistic philosophy and critique of positivism that injected sufficient meaning into the lives of the couple for them to abandon their contract before it matured. Maritain went on to become one of the central figures of Neo-Thomism. His innovative interpretation of Aquinas's philosophy formed a central plank in the defence of Catholic doctrine against modernist attackers. Maritain also wrote on aesthetics (e.g. Art and Scholasticism, 1920), epistemology, metaphysics and theology (Distinguish to Unite: or, The Degrees of Knowledge, 1932), and political philosophy (Man and the State, 1961). He was also instrumental in drafting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
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