Pure Nature: Falque and Humanity

Abstract

This article examines how the French philosopher Emmanuel Falque proposes an unconventional interpretation of “pure nature.” His interest in pure nature is a notable intervention and helps clarify the meaning of his work. I argue that he adopts a heuristic approach to philosophy that begins diachronically with the closed horizon of finitude. This approach explains his interest in pure nature as a philosophical category, while rejecting it as a valid concept in theology. As Falque's heuristic advances, his approach becomes synchronic in that the end transforms the beginning. Therefore, contrary to some misinterpretations of his thought, Falque's claims about pure nature are part of his heuristic and thus do not conclude with a theological denial of the imago Dei , natural desire for God, or transcendence. This article first sets up the conventional frame of the dispute by identifying a prominent critique of Falque's work and the Communio and Thomistic approaches to pure nature. The second section turns to Falque's use of pure nature in The Metamorphosis of Finitude while consulting his methodological works like The Loving Struggle and Crossing the Rubicon . The third section assesses Falque's clarifications in By Way of Obstacles . The fourth section appeals to his recent turn to Thomas Aquinas and reasons about his heuristic approach. The fifth section finishes the essay by comparing the above interventions to his recent arguments about Henri de Lubac and Maurice Blondel in Nouvelle lettre sur l’apologétique (2025).