Marcel, Gabriel (-Honoré)

(born Dec. 7, 1889, Paris, France—died Oct. 8, 1973, Paris) French philosopher, dramatist, and critic. His philosophical works explore aspects of human existence (e.g., trust, fidelity, hope, and despair) which had traditionally been dismissed as unamenable to philosophical consideration. His use of phenomenology was independent of the work of Edmund Husserl, considered the founder of the phenomenological movement. Marcel was the first French proponent of existentialism.

Source: Encyclopedia Britannica