In his works, Lavelle dealt with themes such as axiology, aesthetics, the problem of evil, morality,[4] and freedom of the spirit.

He was Professor at the College de France, at the Sorbonne, and lectured at German, Italian, Swiss, Belgian and Dutch universities.

[5] Lavelle's work aroused much interest in the interwar period, yet received less attention in the second half of the twentieth century,[6] [7][8][9] although he was recognized by some of the greatest French philosophers of the 20th century, such as Merleau-Ponty,[10] Gilles Deleuze,[4] Paul Ricœur[7] and Pierre Hadot,[11] In addition to the coverage he received in France, articles dedicated to him have come from Italian and Brazilian interpreters.

[9] From 1989 to 2019, thank to efforts by names like Alexis Klimov, Jean École, Jean-Louis Vieillard-Baron, Michel Adam and Bruno Pinchard, the Louis Lavelle Association promoted annual conferences on the work of the author.

[12] While some 21st century commentators consider Lavelle a forgotten philosopher, ongoing scholarship on his work continues into 2021.