Examples Of Engaging In Scientific Conversation By Fontenelle

Engaging in Scientific Conversations
This Essay is a close reading of the passage number 3 in Bernard le Bovier de Fontenelle’s Conversations on the pluralities of worlds. After reading the passage selected in-depth, I believe it was Fontenelle’s goal to demonstrate that anyone can be an active participant in scientific discussions. This was shown through his use of respect and reciprocity of ideologies between the Marquise and the Philosopher, the encouragement of both parties to engage in conversations and the attention to detail to ensure all of the ideas are understood.
Fontenelle uses the mechanics of language of dialogue through the Marquise and the Philosopher as an example of how scientific conversations should be held between men

As an active listener, the Marquise includes her opinions by asking questions and longing for the Philosopher to proceed whenever he considers halting the conversation. An example of this in the passage is “‘I’ll put up with this no longer,’ she answered… and I will believe in them.” (Fontenelle 37). The Marquise is persistent in her efforts to get the Philosopher to engage with her about his controversial ideologies. This persistence is proof that the main goal of the Marquise is to expand her knowledge of the theories being discussed. When the Philosopher is hesitant or stalls the conversation, she reassures him by ensuring him that all his ideas will be met with an open mind. The character of the Marquise demonstrates that even though there were many persons in the society who were uneducated, they could start to become a part of conversations by simply being eager to learn. The main word in this passage that left an impression on me was conjecture. The Philosopher uses the word in the quote “I’m sorry to say that’s only a conjecture,’ I answered… At the distance we are, it's understandable not to guess accurately.” (Fontenelle 38) explaining the, it is

I found that this helped me personally while reading the book as I tried to read it not only as a 21st century student but also as a person living in the 17th century, completely new to these concepts and learning them for the first time. I noticed this in the specific quote of “ The Sun draws mist… there’s the problem” (Fontenelle 37-38) in which he goes into great detail explaining why the moon is so different from our planet by comparing the two. The main goal of metaphors or comparisons such as this, are to ensure that the concepts that are being taught are clearly interpreted by the reader, inspiring them in continuing to learn alongside each other. This being said, it is arguable to say that there were some deeper meanings in this passage also meant to inspire the reader by allowing them to self-reflect on it and discover there are hidden messages directly related to society’s issues in that time. I interpreted the Philosopher’s female pronoun usage for the Moon “on the face of the moon if she had clouds around her” (Fontenelle 38), as Fontenelle’s symbol of the future. I believe this was his way of showing the importance of women or even persons who were considered lesser in society are just as capable of achieving great things as much as anyone else, despite societal