Home > Nicolas Malebranche

The youngest child of Nicolas Malebranche , secretary to King Louis XIII of France, and Catherine de Lauzon , sister of a viceroy of Canada, was born in Paris. Deformed and frail, he received his elementary education from a tutor, and left home only when ready to enter upon a course of philosophy at the College de la Marche , and subsequently to study theology at the Sorbonne. He had resolved to take holy orders, but his academic disposition led him to decline a stall in Notre Dame, and in 1660 he joined the congregation of the Oratoire de France . He was first advised to devote himself to ecclesiastical history, and laboriously studied Eusebius of Caesarea, Socrates, Sozomen and TheodoretTheodoret ( 393 c. 457) was an author and Christian bishop of Cyrrhus ( 423 457). Life According to Tillemont, he was born at Antioch in 393, and died either at Cyrrhus ("about a two-days' journey east of Antioch" or eighty Roman miles), or at the monaste, but "the facts refused to arrange themselves in his mind, and mutually effaced one another." Richard SimonRichard Simon ( May 13, 1638 April 11, 1712), was a French biblical critic. He was born at Dieppe. His early education took place at the college of the Fathers of the Oratory. The kindness of a friend enabled him to study theology at Paris, where he showe attempted unsuccessfully to teach him HebrewThe word Hebrew can variously mean: The Hebrew language or Hebrew languages The Hebrew alphabet The Hebrew calendar Pertaining to Jews or Judaism The ancient Hebrew people An Israelite, Jew, Pashtun, Bnai Israel The term Hebrew is sometimes used by certai and Biblical criticism .

At last in 1664Events March 12 New Jersey becomes a colony of Britain. September 24 Dutch Governor Peter Stuyvesant surrenders New Amsterdam to an English naval squadron commanded by Colonel Richard Nicolls. Births Thomas Newcomen, English inventor Deaths 1664. he happened to read Descartes's Traité de l'homme (de homine), which moved him so deeply that he claimed to be repeatedly compelled by palpitations of the heart to lay aside his reading. Malebranche was from that hour consecrated to philosophy, and after ten years' study of the works of Descartes he produced the famous De la recherche de la verité, followed at intervals by other works, both speculative and controversial. Like most of the great metaphysiciansMetaphysics is a branch of philosophy, and related to the natural sciences, like physics, psychology and the biology of the brain; and also to mysticism, religion, and other spiritual subjects. It is notoriously difficult to define, but for purposes of br of the 17th century16th century 17th century 18th century more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601- 1700. During this period, the power of England and the United Provinces increased; while that of, Malebranche interested himself also in questions of mathematics and natural philosophy, and in 1699Events January 26 Treaty of Karlowitz signed March 30 the tenth Sikh Master, Guru Gobind Singh created the Khalsa. May 1 Pierre Le Moyne d'Iberville founds the first European settlement in the Mississippi River Valley Births February 17 Georg Wenzeslaus v was admitted an honorary member of the Academy of Sciences.

During his later years his society was much courted, and he received many visits from foreigners of distinction. His death was said to have been hastened by a metaphysical argument into which he had been drawn in the course of an interview with Bishop George Berkeley.