Enciclopedia Cattolica Vol. VIII, 1952 Philosophy Philosophers

Maupertuis, Pierre-Louis

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Also known as: French: Pierre Louis Moreau de Maupertuis

MAUPERTUIS, PIERRE-LOUIS. - Philosopher, b. at St-Malo on 17 July 1698, d. at Basel on 27 July 1759. A most prolific writer, he disseminated his Enlightenment syncretism in various writings and memoirs (cf. Oeuvres, Lyon 1768).

For M. the universal principle that reigns in the kingdom of nature is the desire to be happy, whence he sets up his philosophical construction as a eudaemonistic methodology. M. defended Newton's ideas in France; but for him the law of universal gravitation cannot in any case explain all the phenomena of life; désir, aversion, mémoire are elements that are added to the Newtonian laws. Atomistic naturalism is governed by a "certain" principle of intelligence.

Bibliography3 works

BIBL.: F. Brunet, M., 2 vols., Paris 1929; E. Cassirer, La filosofia dell'illuminismo, Italian trans., Florence 1935, see index; P. Hazard, La pensée européenne au XVIIIe siècle, Paris 1946, see index.

Massimo Petrocchi

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By Massimo Petrocchi

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Translated from the Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VIII (1952), col. 505.

More by Massimo Petrocchi: Martinists · Metternich, Klemens Lothar Wenzel, Prince of · Milizia, Francesco · Moderati · Molinos, Miguel de

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Chicago

Petrocchi, Massimo. “Maupertuis, pierre-louis.” In Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VIII, col. 505. Città del Vaticano: Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1952. https://azioneromana.com/article/maupertuis-pierre-louis.

MLA

Petrocchi, Massimo. “Maupertuis, pierre-louis.” Enciclopedia Cattolica, vol. VIII, Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico, 1952, col. 505. Azione Romana, https://azioneromana.com/article/maupertuis-pierre-louis.

BibTeX

@incollection{ec8_maupertuis_pierre_louis,
  author    = {Petrocchi, Massimo},
  title     = {Maupertuis, pierre-louis},
  booktitle = {Enciclopedia Cattolica},
  volume    = {VIII},
  pages     = {505},
  note      = {Cited by column},
  publisher = {Ente per l’Enciclopedia Cattolica e per il Libro Cattolico},
  address   = {Città del Vaticano},
  year      = {1952},
  url       = {https://azioneromana.com/article/maupertuis-pierre-louis}
}

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