Gassendi

[ga-sahn-dee]

noun

1. Pierre 1592–1655, French philosopher and scientist.

Gassendi

/ ɡasɛndɪ /

noun

1. Pierre. 1592–1655, French physicist and philosopher, who promoted an atomic theory of matter

Example Sentences

As a young man, the real Cyrano was taught by the idiosyncratic polymath Pierre Gassendi and mixed in free-thinking "libertine" circles.

Read more on Salon

Gassendi had been strongly influenced by Galileo’s writings, and this example highlights the revolution that Galileo, more than anyone, brought about in the investigation of the world, by establishing the whole business of testing hypotheses by getting your hands dirty in experiments, instead of strolling about discussing ideas purely in philosophical terms.

Read more on Literature

Although he carried out many astronomical observations and the famous test of inertia using a galley, Gassendi’s most important contribution to science was the revival of atomism, which he presented most clearly in a book published in 1649.

Read more on Literature

According to atomists such as Gassendi, light was caused by a stream of tiny particles emerging from bright objects, like the Sun, and impinging on the eyes of the viewer.

Read more on Literature

Gassendi, who was born at Champtercier, in Provence, on 22 January 1592, became a Doctor of Theology in Avignon in 1616, took holy orders the following year and was teaching at the University of Aix when, in 1624, he published a book criticizing the Aristotelian world view.

Read more on Literature