Bernard Le Bovier de Fontenelle
A charming French polymath who made the dizzying new science of the cosmos digestible for salon society, bridging the gap between Newton and the coffeehouse.
1657–1757 (age 100)·French writer and philosopher of the enlightenment·Birthday: February 11
Biography
In an age when scientific discovery was accelerating beyond the grasp of the educated public, Bernard de Fontenelle became its essential translator. Possessing a lucid mind and a witty, conversational style, he dedicated his long life to explaining the complex ideas of Descartes, Newton, and the new astronomy to a fascinated European audience. His masterpiece, 'Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds' (1686), was a sensation. It presented Copernican theory and the possibility of extraterrestrial life not as a dry lecture, but as a flirtatious dialogue between a philosopher and a marchioness during evening strolls in her garden. This work set the template for popular science writing. Fontenelle's secret was his belief that science was a form of enlightened entertainment. As the perpetual secretary of the French Academy of Sciences for over four decades, he also shaped its history and public face, writing elegant eulogies for deceased members that celebrated reason and progress.
#1 When Bernard Was Born
The biggest hits of 1657
Bernard's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1657Born
1662Started school
1670Became a teenager
1673Could drive
1675Could vote
1678Turned 21
1687Turned 30
1697Turned 40
1707Turned 50
1717Turned 60
1727Turned 70
1737Turned 80
1757Died at 100
Key Achievements
- Authored the groundbreaking popular science book 'Conversations on the Plurality of Worlds' (1686).
- Served as the Perpetual Secretary of the French Academy of Sciences for 42 years, from 1697 to 1739.
- Was one of the few individuals elected to all three major French academies: Sciences, Inscriptions, and the French Academy.
- His 'Digression on the Ancients and the Moderns' (1688) was a key text in the Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns, arguing for progress.
Did You Know?
He lived to be 99 years old, witnessing nearly the entire span of the French Enlightenment.
He was the nephew of the great French playwright Pierre Corneille.
Despite writing extensively on science, he had no formal training as a scientist.
He was known for his cautious, measured personality, reportedly saying he had 'never had a cold, nor a headache, nor a sleepless night.'
“The mind is always the dupe of the heart.”
