Noël-Antoine Pluche
Encyclopedia
Noël-Antoine Pluche), known as the abbé Pluche, was a French priest. He is now known for his Spectacle de la nature, a most popular work of natural history
.
Pluche, son of a baker, was born in Rheims, in a street now named after him. He became a teacher of rhetoric
. The Bishop of Laon made him head of the town's college, a post he accepted to escape judicial consequences of opposing the papal bull
Unigenitus
(1713)
He withdrew in 1749 to La Varenne-Saint-Maur, near Paris
, where he died.
His Spectacle de la nature, ou Entretiens sur les particularités de l'Histoire naturelle qui ont paru les plus propres à rendre les jeunes gens curieux et à leur former l'esprit was published in 1732, and widely translated all over Europe. Although it influenced many to become naturalists, it was a work of popularization, not of science.
Other works were
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
.
Pluche, son of a baker, was born in Rheims, in a street now named after him. He became a teacher of rhetoric
Rhetoric
Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the facility of speakers or writers who attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western...
. The Bishop of Laon made him head of the town's college, a post he accepted to escape judicial consequences of opposing the papal bull
Papal bull
A Papal bull is a particular type of letters patent or charter issued by a Pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the bulla that was appended to the end in order to authenticate it....
Unigenitus
Unigenitus
Unigenitus , an apostolic constitution in the form of a papal bull promulgated by Pope Clement XI in 1713, opened the final phase of the Jansenist controversy in France...
(1713)
He withdrew in 1749 to La Varenne-Saint-Maur, near Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, where he died.
His Spectacle de la nature, ou Entretiens sur les particularités de l'Histoire naturelle qui ont paru les plus propres à rendre les jeunes gens curieux et à leur former l'esprit was published in 1732, and widely translated all over Europe. Although it influenced many to become naturalists, it was a work of popularization, not of science.
Other works were
- Histoire du ciel considéré selon les idées des poètes, des philosophes et de Moïse, où l'on fait voir : 1° l'origine du ciel poétique, 2° la méprise des philosophes sur la fabrique du ciel et de la terre, 3° la conformité de l'expérience avec la seule physique de Moïse (1739)
- De Linguarum artificio et doctrina (1751)
- Concorde de la géographie des différens âges (1764)
- Lettre sur la sainte ampoule et sur le sacre de nos Rois à Reims. (1775)