Brisson was born at Fontenay le Comte. The earlier part of his life was spent in the pursuit of natural history, his published works in this department including Le Règne animal (1756) and Ornithologie (1760). After the death of R. A. F. Reaumur, whose assistant he was, he abandoned natural history, and was appointed professor of natural philosophy at Navarre and later at Paris. His most important work in this department was his Pesanteur Spécifique des Corps (1787), but he published several other books on physical subjects which were in considerable repute for a time. He died at Croissy near Paris.