French Catholic philosopher and Thomist — the thinker McLuhan cited more than any other in his doctoral thesis, and, by Cameron's account, his largest intellectual debt. Gilson gave McLuhan the "essential clues" for applying his Catholicism around 1940 and, with Maritain, the Washington art lectures that turned him toward art theory and "the medium is the message" — a debt McLuhan rarely acknowledged, usually speaking of Gilson critically.
Across the dialogues
McLuhan's largest unacknowledged debt — Gilson's "essential clues," and the Washington art lectures behind "the medium is the message"
McLuhan owed Gilson an immense debt — citing him more than anyone in his thesis — yet usually spoke of him critically.
"He owed a tremendous amount to Gilson. Usually when he talked about Gilson, it was critical. But Gilson is the person he cites more than anybody else in the thesis."
Gilson supplied McLuhan's "essential clues" — around 1940 for applying his Catholicism, and again a central clue in the 1950s.
"Gilson was the guy that kind of gave him a central clue in the 1950s. But Gilson had given him some essential clues around 1940 for how he was going to apply his Catholicism."
The Washington art lectures by Gilson and Maritain turned McLuhan toward art theory — and within a year or two he had "the medium is the message."
"Just a year or two after Gilson and Maritain had lectured in Washington on art and turned McLuhan on to Gombrich and to Ivins and other people in the world of art theory, he then comes up with the idea of medium as the message and goes on from there."
The medieval accord — Cameron ranks Gilson with McLuhan among those who held the Middle Ages kept a better accord between serious thought and social order, the ideal Chesterton first carried to McLuhan
Gilson stands with McLuhan for the medieval ideal the dialogue invokes — that the Middle Ages held a better accord between serious thought and social order than the present, the conviction Chesterton first carried to McLuhan around 1930 and the standard the electric age might retrieve as tactile unity.
"he and others, like Gilson, believed that in the Middle Ages, there was a better accord between serious thinking thought and social order than there is today."
Connections
McLuhan cited Gilson more than anyone in his thesis and took from him the "essential clues" for applying his Catholicism — though he usually spoke of Gilson critically.
Gilson and Maritain lectured in the same Washington art series that turned McLuhan toward art theory.