author
Emile Corra
1848–1934
A French writer, journalist, and leading positivist thinker, he moved between public life and ideas with unusual energy. His books range from poetry and social thought to studies of science, morality, and figures such as Lamarck and Auguste Comte.
1 Audiobook
Lamarck et son OEuvre
by Emile Corra
About the author
Born in Châteaudun on June 11, 1848, Émile Calyste Corra was educated at the lycée in Nantes and originally hoped to study medicine. Family financial setbacks pushed him instead into government service in 1867, first in Châteaudun and then in Paris. During the Franco-Prussian War of 1870–1871, he served as a volunteer in the national defense.
Corra went on to become a teacher, journalist, and a prominent voice in the French positivist movement. He belonged to the Société positiviste from 1878 to 1905, and later helped found and lead the Société positiviste internationale. His long career also produced a large body of writing, including poetry, historical works, social and moral essays, and studies such as Lamarck et son oeuvre.
He died on June 23, 1934. Although he is not widely known today, the record of his work shows a writer deeply engaged with the big questions of his time: science, education, civic duty, and the moral life of society.