Pierre Gassendi
1592 – 1655 · aged 63
French philosopher, astronomer, mathematician, priest, and scientist (*1592 – †1655)
- Born
- 22 Jan 1592 · Champtercier
- Died
- 24 Oct 1655 · Paris
Life timeline
Their life from birth to death. On the timeline, world events of the time are shown faintly.
- 22 Jan 1592BornBorn in Champtercier
- 1614 – 1634RoleCanon
- 1634 – 1645RoleProvost
- 24 Oct 1655DiedDied in Paris
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Meanwhile in the world
Major world events during their lifetime (1592 – 1655).
- 1642 – 1651English Civil War
Biography
Pierre Gassendi (French: [pjɛʁ gasɛ̃di]; born Pierre Gassend, Latinized Petrus Gassendus; 22 January 1592 – 24 October 1655) was a French philosopher, Catholic priest, astronomer, and mathematician. While he held a church position in south-east France, he also spent much time in Paris, where he was a leader of a group of free-thinking intellectuals. He was also an active observational scientist, publishing the first data on the transit of Mercury in 1631. The lunar crater Gassendi is named after him.
He wrote numerous philosophical works, and some of the positions he worked out are considered significant, finding a way between skepticism and dogmatism. Richard Popkin indicates that Gassendi was one of the first thinkers to formulate the modern "scientific outlook", of moderated skepticism and empiricism. He clashed with his contemporary Descartes on the possibility of certain knowledge. His best known intellectual project attempted to reconcile Epicurean atomism with Christianity.
Text from the Wikipedia article Pierre Gassendi, CC BY-SA 4.0
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