Ballanche, Pierre-Simon, 1776-1847, French philosopher. A frequenter of Mme Récamier's salon, he was elected to the Académie française in 1842. He is regarded as the precursor of both liberal Catholicism and romanticism. In Palingénésie (1827-32) he historically documents his belief in cyclical cultural rebirth. In addition to essays, Ballanche wrote didactic fiction, including a Christianized Antigone (1813) and L'Homme sans nom [man without a name] (1820).