The Republican Paradox

The French Republic, founded on Enlightenment rationalism, maintains an unexpectedly comfortable relationship with its irrational heritage. This paradox manifests everywhere:

- Government buildings protected by gargoyles - Secular schools that close for saints' days - Scientific institutions built on sacred sites - Most tellingly, a bureaucracy that sometimes seems to operate by supernatural logic

Rather than contradiction, this represents sophisticated cultural negotiation. France discovered that banishing superstition entirely creates a sterile society, while embracing it uncritically leads to chaos. The solution? Acknowledge the mysterious while maintaining rational structures—let the ghosts have their corners while the living conduct business.