Gassendi, Pierre

(1592-1655)

   philosopher, savant

   Born in Champtercier, near Digne, where he was educated, Pierre Gassend, or Gassendi as he is known, in 1617 was named professor of philosophy at the University of Aix-en-Provence. For several years, he taught and traveled to Holland and Flanders, while continuing his studies in philosophy and in science. In 1634, he was appointed provost of the cathedral at Digne and, in 1645, became professor of mathematics at the College-Royal in Paris. As a philosopher, he first became known through his critiques on Aristotelian theories, and he also disputed the theories of rené descartes concerning the nature of matter that he published in his Objections aux Méditations in 1644. Gassendi wrote also two works on Epicurus. His theories are considered forerunners of the modern empirical method, anticipating the ideas of étienne condillac and John Locke. He is mainly responsible for the revival of Epicureanism in the modern age, in that regard influencing also the work of cyrano de bergerac. In science, Gassendi's work, which supports the theories of Copernicus and Galileo, was mostly in cartography and astronomy.