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This text examines an aspect of Louis Legrand’s individual progress: the philosophical thought that lay behind his reasoning and actions. Based on “New Education” ( l’Éducation Nouvelle), which provided the ideal breeding ground for action and reasoning on which Legrand built his own thought, this text aims to reveal two things. First, by focusing on Legrand’s techniques, it aims to shed light on the proposals laid out in New Education and suggested by Louis Legrand. Second, it aims to question the philosophy—situated between positivism and pragmatism—that we might consider as being involved in the work of Louis Legrand. The relationship between these two elements helps us gain a clear understanding of the complexity of his own evolution as a thinker, and also as an institutional actor, a philosopher, and a reformer.