Jacques Dinet
Encyclopedia
Jacques Dinet was a French Jesuit, confessor to Louis XIII and an associate of René Descartes
.
, nephew of Gaspard Dinet who was bishop of Mâcon.
He knew Descartes from La Flèche, where for some of the time he supervised Descartes's studies as principal prefect. Later, Descartes found him sympathetic enough to use as a sounding board, and potential intermediary with Pierre Bourdin, another Jesuit and critic of the Dioptrics. A letter to Dinet in 1642 attacked both Bourdin and Gisbertus Voetius
, an opponent at the University of Utrecht. The letter also set out his position in relation to scholastic philosophy. By including it in the second edition of his Meditations on First Philosophy
, Descartes raised the stakes in these fights. At that time Dinet was in a position of influence, as Jesuit provincial in Paris, for the Île-de-France
.
In 1643 Dinet took over from Jacques Sirmond
the position of confessor to the dying Louis XIII. In 1653 he was also briefly confessor to Louis XIV. His account of the death of Louis XIII was later edited for publication by Antoine Girard, appearing as L'Idée d'une belle mort (1656).
René Descartes
René Descartes ; was a French philosopher and writer who spent most of his adult life in the Dutch Republic. He has been dubbed the 'Father of Modern Philosophy', and much subsequent Western philosophy is a response to his writings, which are studied closely to this day...
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Life
He was born at MoulinsMoulins
Moulins or Moulin may refer to:-People:*Jean-François-Auguste Moulin, politician in the French Revolution*Jean Moulin, member of the French Resistance during World War II*Pierre Du Moulin, Huguenot minister and author in France...
, nephew of Gaspard Dinet who was bishop of Mâcon.
He knew Descartes from La Flèche, where for some of the time he supervised Descartes's studies as principal prefect. Later, Descartes found him sympathetic enough to use as a sounding board, and potential intermediary with Pierre Bourdin, another Jesuit and critic of the Dioptrics. A letter to Dinet in 1642 attacked both Bourdin and Gisbertus Voetius
Gisbertus Voetius
Gisbertus Voetius was a Dutch Calvinist theologian.-Life:...
, an opponent at the University of Utrecht. The letter also set out his position in relation to scholastic philosophy. By including it in the second edition of his Meditations on First Philosophy
Meditations on First Philosophy
Meditations on First Philosophy is a philosophical treatise written by René Descartes and first published in 1641 . The French translation was published in 1647 as Méditations Metaphysiques...
, Descartes raised the stakes in these fights. At that time Dinet was in a position of influence, as Jesuit provincial in Paris, for the Île-de-France
Île-de-France (province)
The province of Île-de-France or Isle de France is an historical province of France, and the one at the centre of power during most of French history...
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In 1643 Dinet took over from Jacques Sirmond
Jacques Sirmond
Jacques Sirmond was a French scholar and Jesuit.Simond was born at Riom, Auvergne. He was educated at the Jesuit College of Billom; having been a novice at Verdun and then at Pont-Mousson, he entered into the order on the 26 July 1576...
the position of confessor to the dying Louis XIII. In 1653 he was also briefly confessor to Louis XIV. His account of the death of Louis XIII was later edited for publication by Antoine Girard, appearing as L'Idée d'une belle mort (1656).