François Fénelon On “Unbundling” People
Happy birthday to Fénelon, an unsung hero of civility in history, born 373 years ago this month!
Gracious Reader,
Thank you for being part of the Civic Renaissance Community! I’m deeply grateful that you are here.
Today, we’ll revisit a figure I wrote about three years ago: François Fénelon, an unsung hero of civility in history. Fénelon teaches us the importance of “unbundling” people, a lesson as vital now as it was in his time.
One of the goals of Civic Renaissance is to demonstrate how ideas, the wisdom of the past, and the Great Conversation can enrich our lives. My book, The Soul of Civility, revives the stories of both familiar and forgotten heroes who can instruct and inspire us as we navigate the deeply divided moment in which we find ourselves.
Have you ever heard of François Fénelon?
He was born 373 years ago this month—on August 6th, 1651, in southwest France—and lived until January 7th, 1715.
By a relatively early age, Fénelon achieved tremendous professional success. From humble beginnings as the son of minor French nobility, by the age of 44, he had:
Become the private tutor to Louis XIV’s grandson, the heir to the throne—a position considered the most important educational role in the country, and arguably, all of Europe.
Been elected to the Académie Française, the prestigious body dedicated to preserving the French language.
Been appointed by the King as the Archbishop of Cambrai, a position of enormous wealth and prestige.
These successes secured Fénelon a place at the court of Louis XIV’s magnificent Palace of Versailles, where he mingled with some of the most important and powerful figures in Europe. During this time, France was the cultural, intellectual, and political epicenter of Europe. The French language became the language of intellectuals and international diplomacy, and the manners and norms of Versailles set the standard for decorum and courtly customs across the continent. Fénelon was at the heart of it all.
Yet, almost overnight, everything was taken from him due to his unwavering commitment to his Christian faith and intellectual integrity. Fénelon chose loyalty to his beliefs and to a friend in a religious dispute, which led to his falling out of favor with influential religious officials, and eventually, with the king himself.
Fénelon’s Fall for “Unbundling” People
In my book, The Soul of Civility, I argue that today, we too often reduce people to a single aspect of who they are. We define them by their worst trait or mistake—something they may even regret—yet thanks to the internet and social media, that misstep is immortalized, widely circulated, and leads to public shaming.
Instead of defining people by their faults, it's time we start “unbundling” them.
Unbundling people helps us reclaim a fuller, more nuanced, and richer view of the human person. It allows us to see a part of someone—a mistake or an opinion we disagree with—in the context of the whole. This mental framework enables us to view mistakes in light of virtues, bad attributes in light of a person’s dignity, and irreducible worth as human beings.
This approach is difficult in our current climate of litmus tests and ideological purity, where the world often forces us to categorize others as purely “good” or “evil,” “right” or “wrong.”
Fénelon offers an example of how unbundling people can lead to more nuanced thinking. Though he lived three centuries ago, Fénelon faced similar litmus tests and purity demands.
The Story
One of Fénelon’s spiritual and intellectual mentors was Jeanne Marie Bouvier de la Mothe Guyon (1648–1717), a Quietist who believed in spiritual passivity and withdrawal from worldly affairs. Her quietism eventually caused her to fall out of favor with religious authorities, leading to her imprisonment for her beliefs.
Fénelon was a powerful and influential figure, and he didn’t need to risk his position by defending his friend. But he did anyway.
He published a work titled Maxims of the Saints, which explored how to discern true and false Christian teachings. Through this work, he indirectly defended his friend and mentor, Jeanne Guyon. Fénelon aimed to gently highlight Guyon’s strengths alongside her possible errors, showing that while some of her teachings might be mistaken, they were neither malicious, harmful, nor heretical.
He sought nuance, balance, and clarity in an age of extremes.
Guyon’s opponents, however, were not pleased. It didn’t matter that Fénelon’s work was deeply thoughtful, charitable to Guyon, and aligned with the spirit of the Christian faith. Her opponents were unwilling to accept Fénelon’s deviation from their perception of orthodoxy or to acknowledge anything redeeming in Guyon’s life or thought. It was much easier for them to condemn her entirely as a heretic.
Fénelon and his work were brought before a papal tribunal, where the Pope condemned some of the ideas in Maxims of the Saints. Fénelon accepted this condemnation without question. This was the first strike that contributed to his downfall. Next week, we'll explore the second strike and how Fénelon serves as a model for enduring both success and failure.
Divided, High-Stakes Eras Are When We Must “Unbundle” Others Most
In our current moment of division, we are often tempted to be uncharitable to those we disagree with, reducing them to a single view they hold or a single mistake they’ve made.
Fénelon lived during a similarly pivotal and tumultuous time in history, marked by profound differences in politics, science, religion, and more.
He lived through the Thirty Years' War, one of the most devastating conflicts in European history, and witnessed the cusp of a major intellectual shift in Europe.
In the wake of the Protestant Reformation, which began with Martin Luther nailing his Ninety-five Theses to the door of Wittenberg in 1517, decades of religious wars ensued. The religious conflicts of the 16th century and the Thirty Years' War of the 17th century led to widespread disillusionment with faith and the Church, prompting a cultural shift toward emphasizing reason over faith.
Thinkers like Francis Bacon (1561–1629) called for a new scientific method grounded in empiricism, logic, experimentation, and observation, rather than faith.
Galileo (1564–1642) challenged the long-held belief, endorsed by the Church and most academics, that the sun revolves around the earth. He argued that scholars should rely on the objective principles of geometry, not divine revelation, to understand the motions of celestial bodies.
Thomas Hobbes (1588–1679) applied the principles of mechanics to all realms, developing a political theory based on the notion that the desire for self-preservation is the defining characteristic of human nature.
René Descartes (1596–1650), often called the father of the Enlightenment and the Scientific Revolution, rejected any belief he could not prove, making mathematics the basis of all life and science.
These scientific and philosophical views permeated all levels of society, emphasizing the mind and reason while leaving little room for the heart and faith.
Fénelon, born the year after Descartes’ death, swam against these intellectual currents. Throughout his life, he sought to restore balance to what he saw as an overcorrection toward reason and science. He aimed to make room for the mystery, beauty, and unquantifiable aspects of life. Fénelon sought to restore civility, grace, and charity in an era of division, moral certainty, and extremes.
He inspires us to do the same.
Questions and Reflections for You to Consider
Reflect on a time when someone failed to "unbundle" you—when they assumed the worst, took an uncharitable view, and defined you by a single aspect of who you are, such as your political beliefs, skin color, or a thoughtless joke. How did that make you feel?
Share a story where you successfully "unbundled" someone—or challenged yourself to see their virtue alongside their vice, their mistakes alongside their strengths, and their positive attributes alongside those that bothered you.
Provide an example of how you plan to "unbundle" someone in the future.
Why do you think it is so easy to seek out the worst in others—especially those we disagree with or want to find fault in?
Share your reflections in the comments below.
Some Lovely Fénelon Quotes to Encourage You This Week
Even after his fall from grace for "unbundling" his friend and defending her against the uncharitable and extreme forces of his day, Fénelon tirelessly encouraged his friends who remained at the court of Versailles.
Despite his exile, he continued to console and uplift the Christian community and fellow travelers he had cultivated at court, writing letters that are both beautiful reflections and insightful advice on how to remain moral in a corrupt and power-hungry world. These letters are collected in The Complete Fénelon.
Here are a few insights from his letters that offer timeless wisdom:
On how humanity’s fundamental selfishness makes it difficult to endure suffering—and how suffering, if we allow it, can lead us to great inner tranquility.
“Why do we rebel against our prolonged trials? Because of self-love; and
it is that very self-love that God purposes to destroy. As long as we cling
to self, his work is not achieved… We suffer from an excessive
attachment to the world—above all to self. God orders a series of events
that detach us gradually from the world first, and finally from the self
also. The operation is painful, but our corruption makes it needful. If the
flesh were healthy, the surgeon would not need to probe it. He uses the
knife only in proportion to the depth of the would and the extent of the
proud flesh. If we feel his operation too keenly, it is because the disease
is active. Is it cruelty that makes the surgeon probe us to the quick? No,
far otherwise—it is skill and kindness; he would do the same with his
only child.”
On why we resist the opportunity for self-improvement that suffering
offers.
“[God] makes use of human inconstancy and ingratitude, and the
disappointments of failures that attend human prosperity, to detach us
from the created world and its good things. He opens our eyes but letting
us realize our own weaknesses and evils through countless falls… It is
utter selfishness that we desire to attain perfection so cheaply and so
quickly.”
On finding meaning in suffering and failure: start by recognizing that it is an inevitable part of life, maturity, and growth.
“People find it very hard to believe that God heaps crosses on those he
loves out of loving kindness. “Why should he take pleasure in causing us
to suffer?” they ask. “Could he not make us grow without making us so
miserable?” Yes, doubtless God could do so, for to him all things are
possible. His all-powerful hands hold the human heart and turn it as he
pleases… But though God could save us without crosses, he has not
willed to do so, just as he has willed that people should grow up through
the weakness and troubles of childhood, instead of being born fully
developed.”
In a future issue of Civic Renaissance, we’ll continue Fénelon’s story, exploring what he can teach us about navigating both failure and success.
Notes from the book tour:
It’s an exciting week at Civic Renaissance HQ— my book, The Soul of Civility launched in UK on August 5!
Looking ahead:
Our baby boy is set to arrive somewhere around Sept 15th, so I am planning to take some time off—but have no fear. I’ve lined up some excellent writers to help infuse your life with beauty, goodness, and truth—and to help you think more clearly about our day by reviving the wisdom of the past!
October 30- Whithworth University, virtual talk, find out more here!
November 12- Greater Muncie Chamber of Commerce, Muncie, IN
November 14- Berry College, Mt. Berry, GA
November 19- Hillsdale College, Hillsdale, MI
January 23, 2025- I am thrilled to announce that I will be speaking at Yale Law School this coming January. More details coming soon!
In the news:
Thanks so much to ABC Channel6, WRTV and ABC for the conversation about how civility and basic respect for personhood are the antidotes to our crisis of division — recorded from my front porch! Click here to watch!
Blue Sky Podcast- Author Alexandra Hudson on Her Book, The Soul of Civility: Timeless Principles to Heal Society and Ourselves
How to Be a Better Human Podcast: I loved talking with Chris Duffy on his excellent TED podcast about How to be civil even if you disagree (w/ Alexandra Hudson)
Interintellect- Watch an inspiring conversation between Lexi and Sean Hughes on the urgent issue of civility in our modern world
TIME Magazine— What Emily Post and Daniel of Beccles Can Teach Us About Civility Today
Civility is our eternal project- review of the soul of civility by the George W. Bush Center
Thank you for being part of our Civic Renaissance community!
Outstanding issue! Beautiful and insightful wisdom. I had never heard of Francois Fenelon, and am very grateful to now know about him