“ In philosophy, he was one of the school of Cousin, with whom, however, he was at issue in many important points. The act of consciousness, according to him, is the basis of all knowledge. These acts of consciousness are manifestations of will, which is the motive and creative power of the intellectual life. The idea of God is a cumulative intuition given by all the various faculties of the mind, in its observation of harmony in nature and in man. ”

“ This theory had considerable influence on speculative philosophy in France during the later years of the 19th century.
Ravaisson's chief philosophical works are: “Les Fragments philosophiques de Hamilton” (in the Revue des Deux Mondes, November, 1840) ; Rapport sur le stoicisme (1851) ; La Philosophie en France au dix-neuvième siècle (1868; 3rd ed., 1889) ; Morale et métaphysique (1893) . Eminent as a philosopher, Ravaisson was also an archaeologist, and contributed articles on ancient sculpture to the Revue Archéologique and the Mémoires de l'Académie des Inscriptions. ”

“ He was also a member of the Academy, and of the Academy of Moral and Political Science, and curator of the Department of Antiquities at the Louvre (from 1870) . He died in Paris on the 18th of May 1900. ”