Johann Heinrich Samuel Formey facts for kids
Johann Heinrich Samuel Formey (born May 31, 1711 – died March 7, 1797) was a German church leader, teacher, writer, and journalist. His family came from France. He gave sermons, taught, and wrote in French.
Formey helped start the Berlin Academy. He wrote many letters and helped make science and philosophy easier for people to understand. He also wrote for a famous book called the Encyclopédie.
Life and Work
Formey was born in Berlin, Brandenburg, Germany. His family were Huguenots, who were French Protestants seeking safety. His mother passed away when he was three years old. His two aunts raised him.
He studied to become a pastor. At age twenty, he became a pastor at a French Protestant church in Brandenburg. In 1736, he moved to Berlin. The next year, he became a professor of public speaking at the Collège Français there. In 1739, he became a professor of philosophy. One of his students was Louis de Beausobre, who later became an important thinker.
In 1744, during the reign of Frederick the Great, the Berlin Academy was reorganized. Formey became a member. In 1748, he was named its permanent secretary. Scientists at the Academy used to speak Latin, but they changed it to French. In 1750, he also became a member of the Royal Society in England.
Between 1741 and 1753, Formey published six books called La belle Wolfienne. These books helped explain the ideas of a philosopher named Christian Wolff. Formey wanted to make Wolff's philosophy easier to understand, especially for women. The first books were like a story, but later ones explained Wolff's ideas directly. These books helped make Wolff's work more known in France.
Formey wrote more than 17,000 letters during his life. He corresponded for several years with Francesco Algarotti. Algarotti had written a book in 1737 about Newtonianism for ladies. Formey is also thought to have written L'Anti-Sans-Souci (1760). This book said that Frederick the Great did not write certain works and stressed the king's religious faith. Formey did write the introduction for this book.
Main Writings
Some of Formey's most important books include:
- La belle Wolfienne (1741–1753): This series explained philosophy in a simpler way.
- Le Philosophe chrétien (1740): This means "The Christian Philosopher."
- L'Emile chrétien (1764): This book was written as a response to Emile by Rousseau. It offered a Christian view on education.
- Souvenirs d'un citoyen (1789): This means "Memories of a Citizen."
He also published many articles in the Berlin Academy's reports. His letters with Prosper Marchand were published in 2012.
