JEAN LE ROND D'ALEMBERT: BIOGRAPHY, CONTRIBUTIONS AND WORKS - CULTURE VOCABULARY - 2025

Jean Le Rond D'Alembert (1717-1783) was a French mathematician, writer and philosopher who achieved great fame as a scientist before earning a considerable reputation as a contributor and editor of the Encyclopedia, edited by the French philosopher and writer Denis Diderot.

D'Alembert believed that truth could be derived from a single, absolute mathematical principle. He considered mathematics as an ideal form of knowledge and the laws of physics as the fundamental principles of the world.

Jean D'Alembert was an important figure of the French Enlightenment and made contributions to various branches of knowledge such as physics, mathematics, literature and philosophy.

His thinking was aligned with the ideas of rationalism and materialism, doctrines that hold that the physical senses are the most reliable source of knowledge about the universe.

His work in the different disciplines in which he was involved made him one of the most important scientists of his time. D'Alembert was also deeply interested in music, a subject that occupied his mind during the last years of his life.

Biography

He was born on November 17, 1717, and was the illegitimate son of Madame de Tencin and the Chevalier Destouches Canon, one of his lovers. Jean Le Rond d'Alembert was abandoned on the steps of the Parisian church Saint Jean le Rond, after which the young Jean was baptized.

Education

Despite not being recognized by his mother, the knight Destouches eventually sought out Jean and entrusted him to a glazier's wife, whom he treated as if she were his mother.

Through the influence of his father, Le Rond was admitted to a Jansenist school under the name Jean Baptiste Daremberg. Shortly afterwards, he changed his surname to d'Alembert.

While Destouches never revealed his relationship to D'alembert, he made sure to cover his financial expenses. The education imposed on D'Alembert was deeply religious; however, he shunned the ideas his teachers taught him.

D'Alembert studied law for two years, becoming a lawyer in 1738; however, he never practiced the profession. After studying medicine for a year, he finally turned to mathematics, an occupation to which he dedicated himself for life. D'Alembert took private lessons, but was practically self-taught.

Illustrated ideas

Jean D'Alembert devoted his life to science and mathematics, but he was also a skilled conversationalist. His gatherings in the salons helped him meet various philosophers of the Enlightenment, a current with which D'Alembert identified.

His talent earned him recognition from the Academy of France and the Berlin Academy, as well as the post of editor and contributor to Denis Diderot's Encyclopedia. This last work interested D'Alembert for its objective: to spread knowledge to all men.

Love life

In 1765 a serious illness forced D'Alembert to stay with Julie de Lespinasse, the owner of one of the salons he frequented. The French thinker was the leading intellectual figure in his salon, which became the recruiting center for the French Academy.

D'Alembert and Lespinasse were in a short relationship, which later developed into a lasting friendship. It was after Lespinasse's death in 1776 that D'Alembert discovered the affairs she had with many other men.

Death

After the death of her friend Lespinasse, D'Alembert moved into an apartment at the Louvre. There, D'Alembert died in 1783 from a urinary disease.

Throughout his life, D'Alembert was a simple, charitable and frugal man. As a man of his times, he always sought to give his name dignity and serious meaning.

In addition to having pursued his integrity and independence, D'Alembert used his influence to advance the advancement of the Enlightenment.

Contributions

Maths

In 1739 he read his first article before the Academy of Sciences, of which he became a member two years later. In 1743, at just 26 years old, he published his important Treatise on Dynamics, a fundamental treatise.

Its importance lies in the famous D'Alembert principle, which specifies that Newton's third law (for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction) is true for bodies in motion, as well as for those that are fixed.

D'Alembert continued to investigate and in 1744 applied his principle to the theory of equilibrium and the motion of fluids in his Treatise on Equilibrium and the Motion of Fluids. This discovery was followed by the development of differential equations, a branch of calculus theory.

His first investigations were published in his Reflections on the general cause of winds in 1947; this work earned him a prize at the Berlin Academy, of which he was elected a member the same year. Likewise, in 1747 he applied his theory of calculus to the problem of vibrating strings in his Investigations on vibrating strings.

Equinoxes

In 1749 D'Alembert constructed a method to apply his principles to any body and shape, and also found the explanation for the precession of the equinoxes (a gradual change in the position of the Earth's orbit).

Likewise, he determined the characteristics of this phenomenon and explained the nutation of the Earth's axis in his work entitled Investigations on the precession of the equinoxes and the nutation of the Earth's axis.

In 1752 he published the Essay for a New Theory of Fluid Resistance, a work containing several original ideas and observations. Among these ideas is the hydrodynamic paradox, which proposes that the flow before and behind an obstruction is the same; this results in the absence of any resistance.

In this sense, the results of his research disappointed D'Alembert; his conclusion was known as D'Alembert's paradox and is not currently accepted by physicists.

Integral calculus and disturbances

In his Memoirs of the Berlin Academy he published the findings of his research in integral calculus, a branch of mathematics to which he made great contributions.

In addition, in his Investigations on the different important points of the world system, published in 1756, he perfected the solution to the problem of perturbations (variations of the orbit) of the planets. Between 1761 and 1780 he published eight volumes of his work Mathematical Opúsculos.

Drive to improve society

During his investigations, D'Alembert had a very active social life. The French scientist used to frequent chat rooms, in which he carried on with ease.

Like his peers, thinkers, writers and scientists who work and believed in the sovereignty of reason and nature, D'Alembert dedicated himself to improving the society in which he lived.

D'Alembert was considered a rationalistic thinker. In other words, he opposed religion and defended the opposition and the discussion of ideas; he also pursued the idea of ​​a liberal monarchy with an enlightened king. His wish was to live in an intellectual aristocracy.

Jean D'Alembert also believed in the need to convert man into a self-sufficient being, for which he promulgated a new moral and ethic to replace the Christian precepts. Science as the only true source of knowledge had to be spread for the benefit of the people.

Encyclopedia

In pursuit of his ideals, D'Alembert became associated with the writers of the Encyclopaedia in 1746. When the idea of ​​a French translation of the English Cyclopaedie by Efrain Chambers was superseded by an original work under the general edition of the philosopher Denis Diderot, Jean D'Alembert became editor of the mathematical and scientific articles.

D'Alembert not only helped with the editing and contribution of articles on other subjects, but also sought support from influential circles to finance his company.

He also wrote his Preliminary Encyclopaedia Discourse, which he presented in 1751. This effort is considered an important attempt to present a unified vision of contemporary knowledge.

Work

Work in the

In his Preliminary Discourse, D'Alembert endeavored to trace the development and relationship between the various branches of knowledge, as well as seeking to show them as coherent parts of a single structure.

In the second volume of the Encyclopedia D'Alembert devoted himself to researching the intellectual history of Europe since the Renaissance, and in 1752 D'Alembert wrote the preface to the third volume, which was a reply to the critics of the Encyclopedia.

In the preface to the fifth volume, published in 1755, D'Alembert thanked Montesquieu for supporting the encyclopedia's efforts. In reality, this was a reply to Montesquieu, who had rejected the invitation to write the articles on democracy and despotism.

Discussion with Rousseau

In 1756 D'Alembert traveled with Voltaire to Geneva. There he collected information for the writing of the article about this city. His article praised the doctrines and practices of the Geneva shepherds; This text was controversial for stating that many of the ministers did not believe in divinity and also supported art forms such as theater.

The article prompted Rousseau, who wrote music articles for the Encyclopedia, to write a reply in which he viewed theater as an art form capable of corrupting society.

In turn, D'Alembert responded with a less than friendly letter. This incident led D'Alembert to resign his post as editor of the Encyclopedia in 1758.

Other important works

Among his works is also entitled Mixtures of Literature, History and Philosophy, published in 1753. This work includes his Essay on literate people, in which he encouraged writers to pursue freedom, truth, and austerity.

Thanks to the help of Madame de Deffand, an important benefactress of the arts and sciences, D'Alembert was elected a member of the French Academy in 1754, for which he sought to reinforce the dignity of the institution in the eyes of the public. D'Alembert also promoted the entry of rationalist philosophers into the French Academy.

French Academy

D'Alembert was appointed permanent secretary of this institution in 1772. Among his functions stands out the fact that he had to contribute to the history of the members of the Academy; this included writing the biography of all the members who died between 1700 and 1722.

In his writings, D'Alembert expressed his desire to establish a link between the Academy and the public, which was a very important characteristic of the general actions of this character.

Berlin Academy and other offerings

From 1752, King Frederick II of Prussia tried to convince D'Alembert to assume the presidency of the Berlin Academy. The French philosopher did not accept; however, he visited the king on numerous occasions. During his visits, D'Alembert advised the king on the maintenance of the Academy and the election of its members.

He was also invited by Catherine II of Russia to become a tutor to her son, Grand Duke Paul. However, D'Alembert rejected the offer since he did not wish to separate himself from Parisian intellectual life.

Reason over religion

D'Alembert was a fierce skeptic, and he supported the hostility of rationalist philosophers against Christianity. The expulsion of the Jesuits from France motivated D'Alembert to write the article On the destruction of the Jesuits in France in 1766.

In this text the French philosopher tried to show that the Jesuits, despite their value as educators and researchers, destroyed themselves by desiring power over all things.

Music

During these years, D'Alembert became interested in music theory. His book Elements of Music, published in 1752, attempts to explain the principles of the composer Jean Phillpe Rameau. This character consolidated contemporary musical development within a harmonic system that dominated Western music until the beginning of the 20th century.

In 1754 D'Alembert published an essay in which he expressed his thoughts on French music. In his Mathematical Opúsculos he also published treatises on acoustics and the physics of sound, as well as wrote numerous articles on music for the Encyclopedia.

Legacy

Jean D'Alembert was considered in his time a thinker comparable to Voltaire. Despite his contributions to mathematics, D'Alembert's shyness about his philosophical and literary work kept him from greatness.

It is important to emphasize that D'Alembert's scientific education enabled him to develop a philosophy of science. Inspired by the rationalist ideal of the unity of knowledge, D'Alembert established principles that made possible the interconnection of various branches of science.

References

1. Hall, Evelyn Beatrice. "The Friends of Voltaire" (1906), in Archive. Retrieved on September 19, 2018 from Internet Archive: archive.org
2. Hankins, Thomas L. "Jean d'Alembert: Science and the Enlightenment" (1990) in Google Books. Retrieved on September 19, 2018 from Google Books: books.google.com
3. O'Connor, J. and Robertson E. "Jean Le Rond D'Alembert" (October 1998) at the University of St. Andrews. Retrieved on September 19, 2018 University of Saint Andrews: groups.dcs.st-and.ac.uk
4. Knight, J. "Jean Le Rond d´Alembert" (2018) in Encyclopedia. Retrieved on September 19, 2018 from Encyclopedia: Encyclopedia.com
5. "Jean D'Alembert" in EcuRed. Retrieved on September 19, 2018 from EcuRed: ecured.cu