David van Goorle
Encyclopedia
David van Goorle (15 January 1591, Utrecht
- 21 April 1612, Cornjum
) was a Dutch
theologian, and in the seventeenth century one of the first early modern atomists
.
Van Goorle was born as the son of a Protestant refugee from Antwerp, who at the time was treasurer for the Count of Moers
. His mother was a Frisian noblewoman, the daughter of Doeke van Martena, a freedom fighter and an admiral. Although he called himself Ultrajectinus after his birthplace Utrecht, he grew up with his maternal grandparents in their stins
in the Frisian
village of Cornjum. In 1606 he enrolled as a student in arts at the University of Franeker
. From April 1611, Van Goorle studied theology
at the University of Leiden, and expressed his theories regarding the theories of atoms in his Ideae Physicae, in which he disputes the theories of Aristotle
and claims that there is something as a "smallest, undevidable, paricle".
For the early seventeenth century these were revolutionary thoughts, and hence Van Goorle is regarded as one of the founders of the particle-atom theory, together with Daniel Sennert
and Pierre Gassendi
, to name just a few. He died at the very early age of 21; on his tombstone in the church of Cornjum he is mourned as an "erudite and very intelligent young man". His larger work, Exercitationes philosophicae , was only printed posthumously in 1620. It is thought that especially this last work has influenced Henricus Regius
and Descartes.
The University of Leiden has named the Gorlaeus Laboratoria after Van Goorle, in which the both education is given to students in chemical
studies and chemical research is performed.
Utrecht (city)
Utrecht city and municipality is the capital and most populous city of the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, and is the fourth largest city of the Netherlands with a population of 312,634 on 1 Jan 2011.Utrecht's ancient city centre features...
- 21 April 1612, Cornjum
Cornjum
Koarnjum has about 500 inhabitants, and is located in the municipality of Leeuwarderadeel , in the Netherlands. The village is situated between Jelsum and Britsum.-Notable Landmarks:...
) was a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
theologian, and in the seventeenth century one of the first early modern atomists
Atomism
Atomism is a natural philosophy that developed in several ancient traditions. The atomists theorized that the natural world consists of two fundamental parts: indivisible atoms and empty void.According to Aristotle, atoms are indestructible and immutable and there are an infinite variety of shapes...
.
Van Goorle was born as the son of a Protestant refugee from Antwerp, who at the time was treasurer for the Count of Moers
Moers
Moers is a German city on the left bank of the Rhine. Moers belongs to the district of Wesel...
. His mother was a Frisian noblewoman, the daughter of Doeke van Martena, a freedom fighter and an admiral. Although he called himself Ultrajectinus after his birthplace Utrecht, he grew up with his maternal grandparents in their stins
Stins
A stins is a former stronghold or villa in the province of Friesland, the Netherlands. Many stinsen carry the name "state."...
in the Frisian
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
village of Cornjum. In 1606 he enrolled as a student in arts at the University of Franeker
University of Franeker
The University of Franeker was a university in Franeker, Friesland, presently part of the Netherlands. It was the second oldest university of the Netherlands, founded shortly after Leiden University....
. From April 1611, Van Goorle studied theology
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
at the University of Leiden, and expressed his theories regarding the theories of atoms in his Ideae Physicae, in which he disputes the theories of Aristotle
Aristotle
Aristotle was a Greek philosopher and polymath, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. His writings cover many subjects, including physics, metaphysics, poetry, theater, music, logic, rhetoric, linguistics, politics, government, ethics, biology, and zoology...
and claims that there is something as a "smallest, undevidable, paricle".
For the early seventeenth century these were revolutionary thoughts, and hence Van Goorle is regarded as one of the founders of the particle-atom theory, together with Daniel Sennert
Daniel Sennert
Daniel Sennert was a renowned German physician and a prolific academic writer, especially in the field of Alchemy or Chemistry. He held the position of professor of medicine at the University of Wittenberg for many years....
and Pierre Gassendi
Pierre Gassendi
Pierre Gassendi was a French philosopher, priest, scientist, astronomer, and mathematician. With a church position in south-east France, he also spent much time in Paris, where he was a leader of a group of free-thinking intellectuals. He was also an active observational scientist, publishing the...
, to name just a few. He died at the very early age of 21; on his tombstone in the church of Cornjum he is mourned as an "erudite and very intelligent young man". His larger work, Exercitationes philosophicae , was only printed posthumously in 1620. It is thought that especially this last work has influenced Henricus Regius
Henricus Regius
Henricus Regius was a Dutch philosopher, physician, and professor of medicine. He was a vocal proponent of Cartesianism, and corresponded frequently with René Descartes...
and Descartes.
The University of Leiden has named the Gorlaeus Laboratoria after Van Goorle, in which the both education is given to students in chemical
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
studies and chemical research is performed.