Pierre Gassend known as Gassendi , born with Champtercier close to Worthy the January 22nd 1592 and died in Paris the October 24th 1655, is a Mathématicien, philosopher, theologist and astronomer French.

Biography

He is doctor in Théologie in 1614, ordered priest in 1616 and professor of Philosophie in 1617. He is named professor of Mathématiques to the royal Collège in 1643.

Its work

Sciences

Gassendi was a contemporary astronomer of Galileo with which it corresponded. He studied inter alia the movement of the Comet S, the Topographie, the eclipse S of the the Moon and the evolution of the sunspots. In 1621, it is the first scientifically to describe the luminous phenomenon atmospheric which it names “Northern light” by observing on September 12th, close to Aix-en-Provence, a Polar lights exceptional. November 7th 1631, it observes a passage of the Planet Mercure in front of the Sun (a transit ).

He also works on the propagation of the sounds like on the laws of the movement and inertia.

The Astéroïde (7179) Gassendi was named in its honor.

Philosophy

In the search of an average way between dogmatism and Skepticism, it launches an attack against Aristote, and in general against all those which claim to have discovered a knowledge necessary and indubitable of the real nature of the things. For him, all the knowledge comes from the significant experiment. Its current of thought: Rationalist Phénoménaliste, and pragmatist.

Theology

Nominalist (and if one wants, in this direction, relativist), it remained all his life faithful to the Church and the Christian faith, paradoxically. Another paradox, it studied all its life Épicure, which it reinterprets in the light of the science of its time and its faith. Its theology is expressed (around Épicure), in Of the efficient principle, i.e. causes of the things .

Works

• Tychonis Brahei, equitis Dani, Astronomorum Coryphaei, vitae Certificate of merit Nicolai Copernici, Georgii Peurbachii, & Joannis Regiomontani, Astronomorum celebrium, Vita , Hagae Comitum ($the Hague), Vlacq, 1655.
• complete Works (6 vol.) published by his/her friend and legatee Henri Louis Habert de Montmor, 1658.
• Life and manners of Épicure per Pierre Gassendi , bilingual version, notes, introduction and comments by S. Taussig, Beautiful Letters, Paris, 2005.
• Latin Letters of Gassendi , edition, introduction and notes in 2 volumes by S. Taussig, Brepols, 2004.
• Of the efficient principle, i.e. causes of the things , Syntagma philosophicum, Physics, section I, Delivers 4, translates of Latin, introduced and annotated by Sylvie Taussig, Brepols, Paris, 2006.

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