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Lucilio "Giulio Cesare" Vanini | |
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| Born | 1585 Taurisano, Terra d'Otranto, Italy |
| Died | 9 February 1619 (aged 33) Toulouse, France |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Era | 17th-century philosophy |
| Region | Western philosophy |
| School | Rationalism, humanism, libertinism |
Main interests | Metaphysics, science, religion |
Notable ideas | Nomological determinism, God as a vital force in Nature (pantheism), humans and non-human apes have common ancestor; denied immortality of the soul |
Lucilio Vanini (1585 – 9 February 1619), who, in his works, styled himself Giulio Cesare Vanini,[1] was an Italian philosopher, physician and free-thinker, who was one of the first significant representatives of intellectual libertinism. He was among the first modern thinkers who viewed the universe as an entity governed by natural laws (nomological determinism). He was also an early literate proponent of biological evolution, maintaining that humans and other apes have common ancestors. He was murdered in Toulouse.
Vanini was born at Taurisano near Lecce, and studied philosophy and theology at Naples. Afterwards, he applied himself to the physical studies, chiefly medicine and astronomy, which had come into vogue with the Renaissance. Like Giordano Bruno, he attacked scholasticism.[2]
From Naples he went to Padua, where he came under the influence of the Alexandrist Pietro Pomponazzi, whom he styled his divine master. Subsequently, he led a roving life in France, Switzerland and the Low Countries, supporting himself by giving lessons and disseminating radical ideas. He was obliged to flee to England in 1612 but was imprisoned in London for 49 days.[2]
Returning to Italy, he made an attempt to teach in Genoa but was driven again to France, where he tried to clear himself of suspicion by publishing a book against atheism: Amphitheatrum Aeternae Providentiae Divino-Magicum (1615). Though the definitions of God are somewhat pantheistic, the book served its immediate purpose. Although Vanini did not expound his true views in his first book, he did in his second: De Admirandis Naturae Reginae Deaeque Mortalium Arcanis (Paris, 1616). This was originally certified by two doctors of the Sorbonne, but was later re-examined and condemned.[2]
Vanini then left Paris, where he had been staying as chaplain to the Marechal de Bassompierre, and began to teach in Toulouse. In November 1618, he was arrested and, after a prolonged trial, was condemned to have his tongue cut out, to be strangled at the stake and to have his body burned to ashes. The murder was carried out on 9 February 1619 by local authorities.[2]
- ^ Giulio Cesare is the Italian equivalent of Julius Caesar in English.
- ^ a b c d One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Vanini, Lucilio". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 27 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 895.
