Gassendi, Pierre

Gassendi, Pierre (1592-1655) French philosopher and astronomer who studied atomism, acoustics, heat, and thermodynamics, and, in his book on the theory of atoms. Syntagma philosophicum (1660), introduced the term molecule io indicate the smallest unit of a substance capable of an independent existence. 

Gassendi Pierre (Gassendius) (1592-1655) Fr. phil and math., held that atoms differed in size, weight and shape, gaseous... 

The French cleric and mathematician Marin Mersenne and the theologian Pierre Gassendi subjected Fludd s sacramental theology of the alchemical blood to stringent criticism. They reserved their most severe censure, however, for Fludd s demonology, as well as... 

Although Descartes was not an atomist, one of his contemporaries, Pierre Gassendi, was a strong atomist who revived the atomic theory of Epicurus. Gassendi wrote a biography of Epicurus in 1647, and in 1649 he published... 

Boyle s experiments offered a focus for the gathering numbers of atomists. As I said earlier, Lucretius s poem, introduced in a printed edition (see page 28), had brought Greek views on atomism to the attention of European scholars. A French philosopher, Pierre Gassendi (1592-1655), was a convinced atomist as a result, and his writings impressed Boyle, who thereupon also became an atomist. 

French philosopher Pierre Gassendi (1592-1655) proposes an atomic theory (having read Epicurus). 

Hiroshi Hirai, Le concept de semence dans les theories de la matiere a la Renaissance De Marsile Ficin a Pierre Gassendi (Ph.D. diss., Universit6 Lille III, 1999), pp. 62-77 Copen-haver, Astrology and Magic, pp. 286-287 Thorndike, History of Magic, vol. 5, pp. S57 5 ... 

Once the Epicureans had suggested a reasonable explanation for a natural phenomenon, they took their enquiry no further. They were content to show that there was no need to involve any Deities (who might have to be propitiated). They were not troubled if two or more explanations could be advanced for a particular phenomenon, and they made no attempt to decide between such alternative theories. An account of Epicurean philosophy was given by the Roman Lucretius (c. 100-55 BC) in his poem De Rerum Natura. It was through Lucretius s work that Pierre Gassendi (1592-1655, Chapter 3) learnt of the Epicurean philosophy and became an early European advocate of the atomic theory of matter. 

Philosopher Pierre Gassendi (France) revives the atomic theory of matter. [1649]... 

---