Le Bovier is the passion project of Scuddy F. Fontenelle, III, Ph.D., and his daughter, Sarah Fontenelle, Ph.D. The father-daughter duo run a successful psychology practice and share a love of Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle, their French ancestor, and namesake for Le Bovier Publishing.
Photo by: Jason Kruppa
Le Bovier Publishing is based in the Greater New Orleans area in Louisiana, where Bernard’s familial legacy has sustained since the 1700s. Scuddy and Sarah both feel a deep connection to Bernard and his philosophy of diplomacy and wonder and created Le Bovier as a platform for sharing ideas that uniquely speak to the value of tradition and progress, doing their part to integrate minds instead of divide them.
Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle…
…was a French philosopher known for his prolific writing, and was a true embodiment of his time. Born in 1657 in Rouen, France, Fontenelle entered the world just as the Renaissance began to give way to the Enlightenment, a time marked by a shift, at least in intellectual circles, from traditional ideals to more progressive and modern ones. Fontenelle lived during this growth spurt in rationality; he also significantly contributed to its acceleration. Fontenelle lived to see the year 1757, one month shy of his 100th birthday, and just a few decades short of the French Revolution he is believed to have inspired.
Fontenelle was a deeply influential thinker, whose musings on the pluralities of the world, most notably those of the scientific persuasion, did more than inspire the scientific and humanistic revolutions of the 18th century — he also primed the public to embrace the intellectual contributions of women, as well as the genre of science fiction! Fontenelle was able to do so because, as a keen observer of the human condition, he learned to integrate divergent perspectives into his writings.
Far from absolute, Fontenelle was a true developmentalist. He embraced the dynamic fluidity of life, finding the value of all vantage points, never one to debate ruthlessly, or even respond to his critics. He was certainly open to change throughout his 100 years of life, though most importantly, he did not demand it of others. Thus, Fontenelle became an unassuming and inspiring visionary of his time and beyond.
Le Bovier Publishing aims to continue Fontenelle’s progressive view of humankind through the publication of literature that is artistic and scientific, charming and challenging, traditional and modern — and deeply diplomatic. Le Bovier is, in essence, a modern version of the 17th century French ‘salon’, a meeting place for the intellectually curious to share ideas that speak to our highest human potential.
"An educated mind is, as it were, composed of all the minds of preceding ages”
— Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle