Petrus Ramus

Emma Annette Wilson (University of Alabama)

Ed. by Tim Unwin, University of Bristol
The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 1.5.2.02: French Writing and Culture in the Renaissance, 1400-1600.
Vol. editors: Robert J. Hudson (Brigham Young University), Tim Unwin (University of Bristol), Phillip John Usher (New York University), David Williams (University of Sheffield)

Dates

Born 1515
Died 1572
Activity 1536-1572

Places

Born in France
Active in France

Activities

Primary

Philosopher

Resources

Ramus' Works

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Logician and innovative pedagogue, Petrus Ramus pursued an illustrious scholarly career, rising from humble origins in rural France to become Royal Professor of Eloquence and Philosophy in Paris in 1551. Most famous for his challenge towards university scholasticism and Aristotelian principles, Ramus produced his own reformed system of logic that would bear his name. An early modern phenomenon, his texts fell into relative obscurity after the seventeenth century, but prior to that he exerted great influence in the pedagogical, intellectual, and literary spheres. A perennially controversial figure, Ramus caused massive debate in the academic world by challenging the principles on which it was based. He died a prominent victim of the St Bartholomew’s Day Massacre in Paris in 1572.

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2015 words

Citation: Wilson, Emma Annette. "Petrus Ramus". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 17 May 2008 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=3703, accessed 23 November 2024.]