Maistre, Joseph Marie de

Joseph Marie, Comte de Maistre (b. 1753, d. 1821) led the philosophical reaction to the French Revolution, arguing strongly for absolute monarchy and social order checked by tradition, nobility, and social institutions. His most famous works, On the Papacy and On God and Society, were written in exile and argue for a central role of Christianity in civil society, and for Papal infallibility in temporal matters as well as the extramundane.