Jacques Rohault

Jacques Rohault (1618 – 27 December 1672) was a French philosopher, physicist, and mathematician. He was a follower of Cartesianism. Rohault was born in Amiens and educated in Paris. He adopted and popularized Cartesian physics. His lectures in Paris, starting in the 1650s, became well-known and attracted figures like Pierre-Sylvain Régis. Rohault died in Paris on December 27, 1672. He adhered to the mechanical philosophy, supporting its corpuscular or atomic explanation. His "Traité de physique" (1671) was influential, serving as a textbook for fifty years and establishing a separation between physics and metaphysics. The work also included Christiaan Huygens' theory of gravitation. The translation by Samuel Clarke, with annotations referencing Isaac Newton, gained prominence. Rohault's emphasis on experimentation remained popular despite criticisms. His "Traité" referenced a model of the eye he had developed and incorporated experiments from various sources, including Descartes, Blaise Pascal, and medical practitioners.