Marie Robert, philosopher. “People are exhausted. We feel a form of despair.”

Madame Figaro. – Why a philosophy of comfort now?
Marie Robert. This topic has become obvious. First, because I started writing this book on October 8, 2023 (The day after the October 7 attacks in Israel, an editor’s note) and that I completed it on July 8 (The day after the second round of legislative elections in France, editor’s note), a period when our common life, our society, and the state of the world were particularly affected. Then, because through my co-founding schools, my podcasts, my books, or my Instagram posts (@philosophyissexy), I want to pass on what can be passed on and bring the power of gentleness with an obvious homage to his work. Psychoanalyst and philosopher Anne Dufourmantel, who had a great influence on me (see his book The Power of Sweetness, Editions Payot, Editor’s note) Even if other times have been as “adversarial” as ours, since the Covid health crisis we are going through a period that can be described as exhausting. People are exhausted, having trouble with someone else. We feel a form of despair. Also, encouraging people to find courage and momentum with philosophical concepts, but very present and accessible around us, was my driving force.

Is there a dimension of personal development in your book that has little to do with philosophy?
There are differences between the two. Philosophy is not a method that promises happiness. It’s the complete opposite and lets you vent your anxiety. But personal development is not a bad word. Even if it has been criticized for the happiness prescription it may invite, it gives individuals ways to feel better. Another big difference in personal development is that the philosophy looks at development collectively and not just individually. But the two concepts also have things in common, like allowing individuals to feel a little less suffocated a little more anchored in their existence, regardless of the point of entry. I believe in bridges and not parish disputes.

In the selected posts, we find beauty, friendship, love, but also audacity, which are even more amazing when we think about comfort…
I think the starting point of audacity is, interestingly, reflection. It’s not throwing yourself into the void, it’s realizing what you want to transform or not. Once you discover your courage, it’s hard to back down. But, without a doubt, it should also be supplemented with a certain dose of hope. Walk away with the confidence that this audacity will lead us to something more coherent and fair to us. This is not necessarily a bypass. The audacity to refuse, for example, is incredibly brave. But it’s a very underdeveloped impulse, no doubt because of a collective imagination that prevents us from associating boldness with the gentleness of a certain comfort. However, the courage to act is a significant lever of comfort, because then we gain a form of pride for rediscovered courage, like the self-reflection that Kant applauds; What is Enlightenment? I love the opportunity to be brave in our lives for projects big or small, and I believe we are all capable of a little bit of courage every day, whether it’s sending a text, email, or signing up for a new course…

We are all capable of a little daily courage

Marie Robert, Philosopher

You promote a philosophy of action. In what sense?
For me, philosophy is thinking about your life and living with your thoughts. This allows us to act more accurately and consistently, away from an elitist, bourgeois and dusty way of thinking. In fact, you don’t have to have references to doubt whether our actions and thoughts are consistent. We all have five minutes, in the shower or on the subway, to connect with what we hold most dearly: our minds. Whatever our age, background or profession, we have the opportunity to remember who we are and where we are going. The connection between these two ultimately allows us to put conscience into all our actions.

How can we prevent comfort from trapping us in a bubble?
To avoid this very pitfall, I mixed personal and intimate concepts such as beauty, wonder, taste, with concepts such as devotion or audacity, which often lead back to the other. In any case, which are supposed to go to. I do not want to reduce comfort to a neat, comfortable, very self-centered concept like Simone de Beauvoir, who wrote: “We cannot lead a right life in a society that is not right.” This book is also an encouragement to others, which is why I end with love. There is nothing more soothing and comforting, nothing more encouraging than celebrating something together. The Olympics demonstrated this, with a power that will always be greater than any individual success.

Our life, however, needs collective intelligence to create a couple, a team, a family, a society.

Marie Robert, Philosopher

But there are also battles we can fight alone.
Being comfortable in your apartment on your sofa is one thing, but collective, ecological, economic and societal challenges take us further. I think we need to restore discussions, cooperation, bodies that allow us to confront dissent. Studies show that 86% of young people under the age of 30 believe they have difficulty working with others. Our life, however, needs collective intelligence to create a couple, a team, a family, a society. We need to reconnect with the possibility of seeing the other not as a threat, but as an otherness that nourishes and grows us.

What would be your top three sources of comfort and why?
Love, love, love. We have the impression that it is the most naive concept, but the most difficult. It’s so hard to love in the right way, be it in the romantic, friendship or family arena… However, when we have the feeling of loving and being loved, it’s fabulous. In the twilight of everything, we will forget everything except the people we loved and who loved us, and the things, places, landscapes that marked us deeply. Love will remain. And if I may add a few elements: forest, Russian literature and garlic spaghetti. All that is shared and all that enlarges my world are sources of comfort.