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Pierre Gassendi |
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"I was born without knowing why, I have lived without knowing why, and I am dying without knowing either why or how." Time Period: 1592-1655 Background: Pierre Gassendi, a French philosopher and scientist, was one of the leading mathematicians in his day. He taught at Digne, Aix, and at the Royal College at Paris, where he held several church offices. From early as 1625 until his death, Gassendi devoted himself to the study and rehabilitating the philosophy of Epicurus. In addition, he also wrote about his own observations on astronomy, studying falling bodies and Descartes's Meditations. Belief: A violent opposition to the authoritarianism of Aristotle, Gassendi wrote several works revising and interpreting the atomic theory into terms of modern-day science. With a main plan set to dislodge Aristotleanism and have it replaced by Epicurean philosophy, he published several works in a set called Animadversiones. Wary of allowing Epicurean philosophy to meet the same fate as Aristotelian philosophy, Gassendi maintained a healthy skepticism, cautioning against equating information to the world without a full, complete knowledge on the true nature of a subject. Contribution: The philosophy suggested by Democritus millenniums ago might not have revived interest back into society the time it did had it not been for Gassendi. There was not much movement for the past two thousand years, and without the work of Gassendi, the void may have lasted even longer before we accepted the re may have been a void even longer on our start to understanding atomic theory. |
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