Nils Wallerius
Nils Wallerius (1 January 1706 – 16 August 1764) was a Swedish physicist, philosopher and theologian. He was one of the first scientists to study and document the characteristics of evaporation through modern scientific methods. He was also among the first and more notable followers of the philosophies of German philosopher Christian Wolff (1679–1754). [1] [2]
Biography
Nils Wallerius was born at
Wallerius was also a religious man who, while influenced by the enlightened time he was living in, viewed many of his younger colleagues' liberal beliefs as a threat to religion. After a conflict with his senior mentor Samuel Klingenstierna (1698-1765), he left the physic faculty and instead became a professor in theology. During the 1750s he made a name for himself in the theological debate as a known devoted defender of his Wolffian beliefs. He spoke at least 5 languages fluently (Swedish, Latin, English, German, French) and had special permission to buy foreign literature deemed blasphemous by the Swedish church in order to study it. Wallerius actively participated in over 200 disputations both of his own works and by others where he often rhetorically attacked those who showed a too much enlightened view on science and theology.[5] When Emanuel Swedenborg was asked after the death of Nils Wallerius in 1764 what he thought the professor was doing in heaven he replied "He still goes about and holds disputations".[6]
Wallerius was also an avid and popular lecturer who during periods of his career spent 8–10 hours per day lecturing for a huge number of students. His lectures became so popular that he sometimes placed them at 2 AM to hold the number of listeners at acceptable levels.[7] During his life he published many works in his various fields of studies. Among them is his 750-page handbook to physics Elementa physices and his 870-page study of the soul through the philosophies of Christian Wolff in Psychologia Empirica, ea continens quæ de Anima humana Indubia Experientiæ fide cognoscuntur, Methodo Scientifica Pertractata (1755).
References
- ^ "Nils Wallerius". Nordisk familjebok. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
- ^ "Christian, baron von Wolff". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
- ^ Två svenska experimentalfysiker på 1700-talet
- ^ "Nils Wallerius". Emily's Science Journal. Retrieved December 1, 2018.
- ^ The Quantifying Spirit in the 18th Century p. 42
- ^ Documents Concerning the Life and Character of Emanuel Swedenborg Volume Two p. 1156
- ^ "Samlaren" 34th edition 1913 p.184
Other Sources
- Jacques, Thiel (1955). Svenska män och kvinnor: biografisk uppslagsbok. 8, Toffteen-Ö. Stockholm: Bonnier. p. 191.
- Frangsmyr, Tore, J. L. Heilbron, and Robin E. Rider, editors (1990) The Quantifying Spirit in the 18th Century (Berkeley:University of California Press) ISBN 978-0520070226
- Anna Backman, Anna 1700-talets hästvardag – praktiker och attityder speglade i två akademistallmästares manuskript (Lychnos. 1967–68)