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Birth
Pierre Duhem was born in Paris, France. -
College at 11!
Duhem started going to Collège Stanislas at age eleven, where he studied Greek, Latin, and science. Duhem published his first paper on thermodynamics and electrochemical cells in 1884 while still studying. (Prabook Pierre Duhem) Those who are interested in thermodynamics may find this video explaining the Gibbs-Duhem equation fun. https://youtu.be/utfxPRImBgw -
Le Potentiel Thermodynamique
Duhem published his thesis as a book after having it rejected. His thesis challenged Marcellin Berthelot’s idea that the heat of reaction defines spontaneity of chemical reactions. (Ariew Pierre Duhem 1.) Duhem, Pierre Maurice Marie. Le Potentiel Thermodynamique Et Ses Applications à La mécanique Chimique ... Deuxième Tirage. Paris, 1895. -
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Professor of Science
Duhem taught at Lille (1887-1893), Rennes (1893-1894), and Bordeaux (1894-1916). He was offered a position at Collège de France as a professor of history of science but refused because he was a physicist. (Prabook Pierre Duhem) -
Duhem v. Maxwell
Duhem blames Maxwell for misunderstandings in model and theory, stating that models are merely tools for the imagination and not to be looked at as real. This is to say models are just to represent theory but cannot be used as evidence or explanation. (Ariew Pierre Duhem 2.2) -
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Becoming a History nerd
Duhem originally viewed the Middle Ages as a scientifically non- saturated era. In 1904 he wrote "Les origines de la statique" where he brought to light Jordanus de Nemore, his followers, and the influence they all had on Leonardo de Vinci. He later wrote another volume which included the work of 14th century Albert of Saxony. (Ariew Pierre Duhem 3.0) -
Death
Duhem died at the age of 55 in Cabesprine, France. -
Duhem-Quine Thesis
This thesis came up because of the work of W. V. O. Quine in the 1950s. It states that it is impossible to test a scientific hypothesis in isolation, because an empirical test of the hypothesis requires one or more background assumptions. (Ariew Pierre Duhem 2.1)
