PRESENTATION

A geometer and mechanic recognized by his contemporaries, an influential member of the Royal Academy of Sciences, in epistolary contact with Leibniz, Newton and even the Bernoulli brothers, Pierre Varignon (1654-1722) shaped a scholarly trajectory that we would today call professional. He is a “normal” scientist, neither brilliant nor misunderstood, and it is in this that he deserves to be studied. His activities as an academician and teacher at the Mazarin College and the Royal College provide him with regular income, a framework for research and a publication platform. Thanks to his letter writing network, his reputation goes beyond the borders of the kingdom. His works located at a time of transition are marked by Cartesianism but also contribute to the birth of analytical mechanics. As a geometer, Varignon was able to recognize the innovative power of Leibnizian analysis, of which he became one of the first defenders in France.

The aim of this symposium is to make this polymath scholar better known, to take stock of the studies that have been devoted to him over the past few decades and to encourage research that sheds light on lesser-known facets of his commitment, such as his role in the dissemination of knowledge, particularly as a teacher, his positions in contemporary debates, or his technical inventions.