Nicole Oresme - Icon Profile | Alexandria
Nicole Oresme (c. 1320–1382) was a French mathematician, economist, physicist, philosopher, and bishop whose interdisciplinary genius challenged 14th-century scholasticism. Born in Normandy, he rose from peasant roots to become a protégé of King Charles V, embodying medieval social mobility. As a leading voice of the via moderna, he fused Aristotelian logic with mathematical empiricism while serving as Grand Master of the Collège de Navarre and Bishop of Lisieux.
Oresme’s career evolved at the University of Paris, where he synthesized theology with natural philosophy. His critiques of astrology and Aristotelian physics—composed in Latin and vernacular French—democratized knowledge. As Charles V’s advisor, he translated Aristotle’s Ethics and Politics into French, embedding secular governance principles into royal policy.
Key works include De configurationibus qualitatum et motuum (1371), pioneering graphs to visualize velocity; Algorismus proportionum, introducing fractional exponents; and De moneta, Europe’s first systematic monetary theory. He mathematically debunked astrology, proved Earth’s daily rotation plausible, and formulated mean-speed theorem 250 years before Galileo.
Oresme’s legacy lies in emancipating science from theology. His graphical methods inspired Galileo and Descartes, while his economic theories on currency debasement prefigured modern monetary policy. He died in Lisieux, having laid groundwork for the mathematization of nature.