Giordano Bruno, philosopher Born in Nola in 1548, it was put at the stake on 17 February 1600at the age of 52, basically because it was “Too ahead” compared to his time. The Church, which in the sixteenth century started the counter -reform (or Catholic reform) to counter Protestantism, could not accept theories that questioned the Holy Scriptures. Bruno instead claimed that they existed “Infinger worlds”that is, infinite universes, and that God was not a transcendent being, but was present in every element of creation. Bruno was a philosopher, writer And preachernot a scientist, and therefore did not give a scientific demonstration of his theories, but in his works anticipated astronomical discoveries occurred centuries later. The Church therefore accused him of heresybut he refused to retract his positions in a complete way. He was thus condemned to death on the stake from Court of Inquisition and I burn alive in the square Field of flowers. Since then, it has become a symbol of freedom of thought.
Who was Giordano Bruno
Giordano Bruno was born in 1548 in Nola, Campania. At birth it was called Filippo, at the age of seventeen took the votes Like Monaco in the convent of San Domenico di Napoli and assumed the name of Giordano. From a young age he carried out studies on mnemotechnicsexperimenting with systems to train memory and remember the texts more easily.
He soon moved away from the Christian faith and, having questioned the principle of the Trinity, risked be tried for heresy. Therefore in 1576 he abandoned monastic life and moved to Rome. In the following years he stayed in several European countries, working as a teacher and writing various works of a philosophical natureincluding Of the cause, principle and one, The dinner of Le Ceneri And De l’Infinito, universe and worldsas well as moral dialogues such as The drug dealing of the triumphant beast And Of the heroic fury.
In 1591 he settled in Venice at the nobleman Giovanni Francesco Moncenigobut soon entered into contrast with him and, after being reported, he was arrested for heresy. What did Giordano Bruno be so scandalous?
The context: the Europe of the Counter -Reformation
To understand Bruno’s story, the context in which the philosopher lived must be considered. The 16th century Europe was shaken by religious contrasts caused by the Lutheran reform. In Catholic countries, with the so -called counter -reform, the Church introduced new measures to counter Protestantism and took on one Very rigid position on doctrinal matters. Those who were suspected of professing heretical ideas had tried and risked being sentenced to death. Among those who risked the condemnation, as we know, there was Galileo Galilei, who was saved because he agreed to inhabit.
Summary of Giordano Bruno’s thought
Unlike Galileo, Giordano Bruno was not a scientist, but a philosopher. However, he knew the studies of Niccolò Copernicus, who had refuted the geocentric system, according to which the earth is in the center of the universe, and had “replaced” it with the heliocentric system, in which our planet revolves around the sun. Bruno not only did he accept Copernicus’ theory, but went further, assuming that “infinite worlds” existed, that is, they could Exist multiple planetary systems like the sun. The theory is summarized in a famous phrase contained in the Dinner of Le Asi: “The moon is no longer heaven to us, than us to the moon.”
Bruno did not provide a scientific demonstration of the existence of other planetary systems and the exoplanets (which would have been discovered only in 1995), but proposed a philosophical theory which, in many respects, approaches modern astronomical conceptions.
In the 16th century, Bruno’s ideas were disruptive: to claim that there were “infinite worlds” meant denying the central place that the man, according to the Bible, has in the universe and, consequently, questioning the cornerstones of the Christian religion.
BRUNO, moreover, in his works proposed a concept of divinity very different from that of Christianity and other monotheisms, claiming that God is not “transcendent” (that is, he is not “secluded” in his place to watch over the universe), but be present in every element of creation. In Bruno’s reflection was central to the concept of naturethat the philosopher made coincide with God.
On the level of morality, Bruno considered the human activitiesclaiming that man, acting on nature through work, behaved like God. This idea was also disruptive because in the sixteenth century manual work enjoyed very little prestige.
The trial and the stake of Giordano Bruno
Bruno’s ideas were too “dangerous” and, after the arrest in Venice, the philosopher was Extremely in Rome and tried from Court of Inquisition. He remained in prison for seven years, during which he was tortured at least once and was invited to abjure, that is, to deny that he believed in theories considered heretical. Bruno accepted to abure only partially and, invited to completely deny his ideas, refused. On February 8, 1600 the Court lo condemned to death on the stake. The Church had willing to “give the example”, to fear all those who, thanks to the Renaissance and the scientific revolution, questioned the Scriptures.
After listening to the sentence and before being burned on the stake in Piazza Campo de ‘Fiori the February 17thBruno said:
Maybe you tremble more in pronouncing this sentence against me than in listening to it.
The myth and the inheritance
Bruno is considered a martyr of freedom of thoughtcondemned by a church unable to accept much more realistic and well -founded theories than those supported by the Bible. In addition, he is considered a hero capable of meeting death in order not to give up his ideas.
After the unification of Italy and the end of the temporal power of the Popes, the Italian government, which was in contrast to the papacy, decided to erect in Campo de ‘Fiori a statue of Bruno. The Church, for its part, has declared itself several times the sentence of the sentence, but has never “officially” rehabilitated the philosopher.
