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Pierre Gassendi

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Philosopher

The Resume

    (January 22, 1592-October 24, 1655)
    Born in Champtercier, France
    Rejected Aristotelianism and believed in the compatibility of Epicureanism and Christianity
    Wrote 'Dissertations Against Aristotle' (1624), 'Mercury in the Face of the Sun' (1632), 'Inquiry into Metaphysics' (1644), 'Observations on the Tenth Book of Diogenes Laertius' (1649), 'Opera Omnia' (1658), and 'Philosophical Treatise' (1658)
    Attributed sun dogs to ice crystals (1629)
    Died in Paris

Why he might be annoying:

    He published 'Dissertations Against Aristotle' at the same year Paris decreed that anyone who argued against Aristotle must be put to death.
    'Dissertations Against Aristotle' contained little or nothing beyond the claims against Aristotle that had already been said.
    He didn't get the importance of applying mathematics and the quantitative approach in science.
    He was often at odds with Rene Descartes and his ideas on how knowledge is gained.
    His achievements are usually overshadowed by the ones he later influenced.

Why he might not be annoying:

    He maintained friendly relations with both the Catholic church and leading intellectuals despite their different views at the time.
    His writings on Epicurus reintroduced the concept of atomism to Europe, making way for the rise of the atomic theory.
    He argued that the world isn't created and regulated by blind chance, but by divine providence.
    He opposed astrology, claiming that it disrupts a person's free will.
    His ideas influenced  later thinkers like Isaac Newton and John Locke.
    A crater on the moon is named after him.

Credit: Big Lenny


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2022, Out of 1 Votes: 0% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 4 Votes: 75.00% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 3 Votes: 33.33% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 3 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 4 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 22 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 40 Votes: 50.0% Annoying