PRIMARY AND SECONDARY REFLECTION speculation which, of its very nature, can have no

Gabriel Marcel (2001) practical outcome; what I have to do is to go back

in time until I recall the moment when the watch
Excerpted from Marcel, Gabriel. 1970. Mystery of
was last in my possession. I remember, let us
Being, vol. 1: Reflection and Mystery. Illinois: Regnery
Gateway, Inc. Reprinted in Dy, Manuel B. Jr. (ed.). say, having looked at the time just after breakfast,
2001.Philosophy of Man: Selected Readings. Q.C., therefore at that moment everything was still all
Philippines: Goodwill Trading Co., Inc. Pp. 69-91. right. Between then and now something must
have happened to the watch. My mental
[T]he distinctive note of philosophic thought, at processes are rather like—there is no avoiding
least according to my conception of it and I have the comparison—the actions of a plumber who is
many authorities for that conception, is that not trying to trace a leak. Was there perhaps a hole
only does it move towards the object whose in my pocket? I look at my pocket and discover
nature it seeks to discover, but at the same time that there is no hole. I continue with my task of
it is alert for a certain music that arises from its alert recapitulation. Say that I succeed in
own inner nature if it is succeeding in carrying out recalling the fact that there was a moment when I
its task. We have already said that the point put the watch down on the table; and there, let us
about philosophic thought is that it is reflective, say, that watch still is. Reflection has carried out
and it is into the nature of reflection, as an activity, its task and the problem is solved… Let us notice,
that we must probe more deeply than we have however, even in connection with this almost
done so far. childishly simple example, that I have made my
mental effort because something real, something
As usual, I shall start with the simplest valuable, was at stake. Reflection is never
examples I can find, to show how reflection has exercised on things that are not worth the trouble
its roots in the daily flow of life. of reflecting about. And, from another point of
view, let us notice that reflection in this case was
I put my hand, let us say, into my pocket a personal act, an act which nobody else would
to take my watch out. I discover that my watch is have been able to undertake in my place, or on
not there; but it ought to be there; normally my my behalf. The act of reflection is linked, as bone
watch is in my pocket. I experience a slight is linked with bone in the human body, to living
shock. There has been a small break in the chain personal experience and it is important to
of my everyday habits (between the act of putting understand the nature of this link. To all
my hand in my pocket and that of taking out my appearances, it is necessary that the living
watch). The break is felt as something out of the personal experience should bump into some
way; it arrests my attention, to a greater or a less obstacle. One is tempted to use the following sort
degree, according to the importance I attach to of metaphor. A man who has been traveling on
my watch; the notion that a valuable object may foot arrives at the edge of a river where the bridge
be lost arises in my mind, and this notion is not a has been carried away by a flood. He has no
mere notion but also a feeling of disquiet. I call in option but to call a ferryman. In an example such
reflection to help me…but let us be careful here as that which I have just cited, reflection does
not to fall into the errors of an out-of-date really play the part of the ferryman.
psychology which isolated one faculty of the mind
from another. It is very clear in the example I But the same sort of thing can happen, of
have chosen, and in every similar example, that course, at the level of the inner life. I am talking
reflection is nothing other than attention, in the to a friend, and somehow let myself be drawn into
case where attention is directed towards this sort telling him something which is an actual lie. I am
of small break in the daily chain of habit. To alone with myself again, I get a grip on myself, I
reflect, in this kind of case, is to ask oneself how face the fact of this lie, how was it possible for me
such a break can have occurred. But there is no to tell such a whopper? I am all the more
place here for the kind of purely abstract surprised at myself because I have been

Marcel (2001), page 1

accustomed to think of myself, up to the present, of myself as such a man. Here, for the moment
as a truthful and trustworthy person. But then at least, this process of reflection may terminate.
what importance ought I to attach to this lie? Am Such a reflection may leave me in a mood of
I forced to conclude that I am not the man I anguish, and nevertheless I have a certain sense
thought I was? And, from another point of view, of being set free, the sense of which I spoke in
what attitude ought I to take up towards this act the last lecture: it is as if I have overturned some
of mine? Ought I to confess the lie to my friend, obstruction in my way.
or on the other hand would I make myself
ridiculous, to let my friend laugh at me, as a sort But at this point a twofold and important
of punishment for having told him the lie in the realization is forced upon me; on the one hand, I
first place? am now able to communicate at a broader level
with myself, since I have, as it were, introduced
As in the previous example, what we the self that committed the dubious act to the self
have here is a kind of break, that is to say, I that did not hesitate to set itself up as the harsh
cannot go on just as if nothing had happened; judge of such acts in others; and on the other
there really is something that necessitates an act hand—and this cannot be a mere coincidence—I
of readjustment on my part. am now able to enter into far more intimate
communication with my friend, since between us
But here is the third example that will give there no longer stands that barrier which
us an easier access to the notion of reflection at separates the judge on the bench from the
the properly philosophical level. I have been accused on the dock.
disappointed by the behavior of somebody of
whom I was fond. So I am forced to revise my We have here a very striking illustration
opinion of this friend of mine. It seems, indeed, of that important notion of intercourse, on which I
that I am forced to acknowledge that he is not the was expatiating the other day, and no doubt we
man I believed him to be. But it may be that the shall later have to remember this illustration when
process of reflection does not halt there. A we begin to discuss the topic of intersubjectivity
memory comes back to me—a memory of properly so called.
something I myself did long ago, and suddenly I
ask myself: “Was this act of mine really so very But meanwhile there are certain other
different from the act which today I feel inclined to observations on the relations between reflection
judge so severely? But in that case am I in any and life that are pertinent at this point. There is a
position to condemn my friend?” Thus my kind of philosophy, essentially romantic, or at
reflections, at this point, call my own position into least romantic in its roots, which very willingly
question. Let us consider this second stage. contrasts reflection and life, sets them at opposite
Here, again, I cannot go on as if nothing had poles from each other; and it is permissible to
happened. Then, what has happened? There notice that this contrast, or this opposition, is
has been this memory and this sort of often stated in metaphors of heat and cold.
confrontation that has been forced upon me, of Reflection, because it is critical, is cold; it not only
myself and the person I was judging so harshly. puts a bridle on the vital impulses, it freezes them.
But what does “myself” mean here? The point is Let us, in this case too, take a concrete example.
that I have been forced to ask myself what I am
worth, how true I ring. So far I had taken myself, A young man has let himself be drawn
so to speak, for granted. I quite naturally thought into saying rash things to a girl. It was during a
of myself as qualified to judge and eventually to dance, he was intoxicated by the atmosphere, by
condemn. Or perhaps even that is not quite the the music, the girl herself was a girl of unusual
case: I used to believe or, what come to the same beauty. The dance is over, he comes home, he
thing, I used to talk like a man qualified to judging feels the intoxication of the evening wearing
others. In my heart of hearts, I did not really think away. To his sobered mood, reflection does

Marcel (2001), page 2

present itself, in such a case, as something purely on a very wide and diverse range of outside
and merely critical: what is this adventure going interests. It may be centered on a loved one, and
to lead to? He has not the sort of job that would with the disappearance of the loved one be
make marriage a reasonable proposition; if he reduced to a sad caricature of itself; it may be
were to marry this girl, they would have to lead a centered on something trivial, a sport like hunting,
narrow, constricted, life; what would become of a vice like gambling; it can be centered on some
love in such sordid circumstances? And so on, high activity, like research or creation. But each
and so on…. It is obvious that in such cases one of us can ask himself, as a character in one
reflection is like the plunge under an icy shower of my plays does, “What do I live by?” And this is
that wakens one from a pleasant morning not a matter so much of some final purpose to
dreaminess. But it would be very rash to which a life may be directed as of the mental fuel
generalize from such examples, and even in that keeps a life alight from day to day. For there
regard to this particular example we ought to ask are, as we know only too well, desperate
ourselves rather carefully what real relationship creatures who waste away, consuming
between reflection and life it illustrates. For I think themselves like lamps without oil.
we must be on our guard against a modern way
of interpreting life as pure spontaneity. For that But from this point of view, from the
matter, I am not sure that spontaneity is, for the human point of view we can no longer think of life
philosopher, a really distinct notion; it lies as mere and pure spontaneity—and by the same
somewhere on these shadowy borders where token we can no longer think of reflection as life’s
psychology and biology run into each other and antagonist. On the contrary, it seems to me
merge. essential that we should grasp the fact that
reflection is still part of life, that it is one of the
The young Spanish philosopher, Julian ways in which life manifests itself, or, more
Marias, has something relevant and useful to say profoundly, that it is in a sense one of life’s way
about this in his Introduction to Philosophy. He of rising from one level to another. That, in fact,
says that the verb “to live” has no doubt a precise is the very point of the last few examples we have
meaning, a meaning that can be clearly been taking. We should notice also that reflection
formulated, when it is applied, say to a sheep or can take many different shapes and that even
a shark: It means to breathe by means of this conversion can be, in the last analysis, a sort of
organ and not that (by lungs or gills, as the case reflective process; consider the hero of Tolstoy’s
may be), to be nourished in such and such a Resurrection or even Raskolnikov in Crime and
fashion (by preying on other fish, by cropping Punishment. We can say therefore that reflection
grass), and so on. But when we are talking about appears alien to life, or opposed to life, only if we
human life the verb “to live” cannot have its are reducing the concept of human life to, as it
meaning so strictly circumscribed; the notion of were, a manifestation of animality. But it must be
human life cannot be reduced to that of the added that if we do perform this act of reduction,
harmonious functioning of a certain number of then reflection itself becomes an unintelligible
organs, though that purely biological functioning concept; we cannot even conceive by what sort
is, of course, presupposed in the notion of human of a miracle reflection could be grafted on mere
life. For instance, a prisoner who has no hope of animality.
getting out of jail may say without exaggeration –
though he continues to breathe, to eat, to perform So much for the relations between
all his natural functions—that his existence is not reflection and life; we would reach similar
really a life. The mother of an airman might say conclusions about the relations between
in wartime, “While my son is risking his life, I am reflection and experience, and this links up with
not really living.” All this is enough to make it what has been previously said. If I take
clear that a human life has always its center experience as merely a sort of passive recording
outside itself; though it can be centered certainly, of impressions, I shall never manage to

Marcel (2001), page 3

understand how the reflective process could be
integrated with experience. On the other hand,
the more we grasp the action of experience in its
proper complexity, in its active and I would even
dare to say in its dialectical aspects, the better we
shall understand how experience cannot fail to
transform itself into reflection, and we shall even
have the right to say that the more richly it is
experience, the more, also, it is reflection. But we
must, at this point, take one step more and grasp
the fact that reflection itself can manifest itself at
various levels; there is primary reflection, and
there is also what I shall call secondary reflection;
this secondary reflection has, in fact, been very
often at work during these early lectures, and I
dare to hope that as our task proceeds it will
appear more and more clearly as the special high
instrument of philosophical research. Roughly,
we can say that where primary reflection tends to
dissolve the unity of experience which is first put
before it, the function of secondary reflection is
essentially recuperative, it reconquers that unity.

Marcel (2001), page 4