Marin Mersenne Quotes
Marin Mersenne was a French Minim friar, mathematician, and philosopher and the central node of the European scientific correspondence of the first half of the seventeenth century. From his cell at the Place Royale in Paris, he carried on a vast exchange of letters with Descartes, Galileo, Hobbes, Pascal, Fermat, Huygens, and most of the other leading natural philosophers of his day, circulating ideas, problems, and replies across national and confessional lines. The quotes below are attributed to Marin Mersenne, organized by topic.
Marin Mersenne on Knowledge
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Attributed to Marin Mersenne:
“The sciences are united in nature, even when they are divided in our books.”
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Attributed to Marin Mersenne:
“Mathematics is the surest road to natural philosophy.”
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Attributed to Marin Mersenne:
“Music is mathematics made audible.”
Marin Mersenne on Politics
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Attributed to Marin Mersenne:
“A republic of letters is the proper home of the philosopher.”
Marin Mersenne on Truth
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Attributed to Marin Mersenne:
“Skepticism is healthy when it serves the search for truth, deadly when it ends in despair.”