Molière and the New Science: The Connection between the Playwright and the Libertine Philosophers

Abstract

This text on Molière’s work focuses on the possible connections this playwright maintained with the scientific and philosophical circles of his time. His affiliation with skepticism and the group of erudite libertines is of interest, in particular his affiliation with Pierre Gassendi, an astronomer, a great connoisseur of eclipses, and a figure close to the circle of advocates of Galileo. In several plays, this playwright and supporter of the group of advanced thinkers within the famous “Querelle des Anciens et des Modernes” confronts these antagonistic positions masterfully. Within his repertoire, there is a great variety of pieces that build intrigue from a chaotic confrontation of pragmatic characters, and dogmatic positions. Two pieces from the last stage of his production are analyzed here: Le malade imaginaire and Les femmes savantes. These plays allow the playwright to make a fierce caricature of the detractors of the new science. The doctors and sages in each, wise or pedantic, are fiercely caricatured. This creates a very negative image of the supporters of scholastic teaching and extreme respect for tradition and old science.