In this episode of pplpod, we explore the remarkable life of Jean Le Rond d’Alembert, a towering figure of the French Enlightenment who began life as an illegitimate child abandoned on the steps of the Saint-Jean-le-Rond church in Paris. We discuss how d’Alembert rose from these humble beginnings—raised by a glazier’s wife who believed he would never be anything "but a philosopher"—to become a celebrated mathematician, physicist, and music theorist.

Tune in to learn about:

• Scientific Breakthroughs: His foundational work in fluid mechanics, the development of the wave equation, and the creation of "d'Alembert's principle" in dynamics.

• The Encyclopédie: His pivotal role as co-editor alongside Denis Diderot, his authorship of the famous Preliminary Discourse, and the religious ...