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~50 years after Erasmus came Marin Mersenne (1588-1648), an ordained Catholic priest who was called "the post-box of Europe". He was mutuals with Descartes, Pascal, Hobbes, Galileo, Huygenes. If you wanted to get something to someone, you sent it to him, and he'd reroute it https://t.co/v8SdXhAROq https://t.co/xnQQQSho7K
TIL about Erasmus – (probably well known to Europeans, there's a student exchange named after him) – one of the most prolific men of letters in the 1500s, corresponding with literally hundreds of people. he was born out of wedlock, both of his parents died in the plague... https://t.co/msUcui2O6H
Mersenne was one of Galileo's most ardent supporters and he insisted that Galileo publish his work outside Italy Mersenne himself did some math – Mersenne prime numbers (Mn = 2^n − 1) are named after him – but his correspondence & distribution was his real contribution https://t.co/9Nb1tWhZTF
^ Mersenne also formed his own informal private academy where he spread Descartes' ideas... a recurring phrase used to describe him is "a clearing house for correspondence between philosophers and scientists" https://t.co/f2k2RyfHYB
some bits about Mersenne's life: born 1588, same as Hobbes he was the child of a laborer, but managed to study with the Jesuits and joined the Minim Friars he introduced his correspondents to each other, which established a comms network, and also challenged/encouraged them https://t.co/PBv8evyfbX
