The year was 1548 and in a small municipality,
located sixteen miles east of Naples, our philosopher was born. His given name upon his baptism was Filippo
Bruno, the name Giordano would come only after entering the Monastery of the Dominicans at
the age of seventeen. It was fortunate that he would find himself
here where there were countless books which could appease his wandering soul. Somewhat Baconianlly, Bruno, lit his candle
at every torch; his mind passed from book to book searching, and wondering. In the development of his philosophical ideals
he took from so many that I fear if I were to name them all here the list may read more
like a telephone directory; but I will list them for those curious. He completed his ecclesiastic studies in 1572,
but all was not well. The theories which he propounded so enthusiastically
drew concern from his superiors at the Monastery, add to this his unrelenting desire for sexual
romance, to which he said “not all the snows of the Caucasus could quench,” and what
we have is a recipe for impropriety. Fast forward eleven years and Bruno, perhaps
seeking freedom of thought and expression, would flee the monastery, shedding his priestly
garb in the process. He would take shelter for a short time in
Rome, teaching and enjoying the pleasures that come with civilian life. From Rome he traveled to Savona and then onto
Geneva. Each stop on his journey required Bruno, somewhat
chameleon like, to assume whichever façade would make for a peaceful life. It seems there were few places in 16th century
Italy which was genial to a philosopher who dared to question the established dogmas. At times he would reassume the cloak of a
priest, but outside of this peacekeeping measure he earned his living by correcting manuscripts
and proofs. He came under fire when, against recommendation,
he pointed out twenty errors in a lecture given by a Calvinist theologian. He was promptly summoned to trial and while
under duress, retracted, and was set free. The man who took the liberty of publishing
the review was not so fortunate. Following this revealing encounter Bruno,
fearing further persecution, eventually made his was to Toulouse where he spent his time
lecturing on Aristotle’s “De Anima” (On the Soul). Eighteen months would pass without incident,
but the allure of Paris was too much to let pass. By the time Bruno had reached his Paris his
name had become relatively well known as not only a successful philosopher, but also a
master of Mnemonics and Occult lore; so well known, in fact, that the King of France, Henry
III, would request his services. Apparently he was pleased with the lessons
since he was quick to appoint him to a professorship in the College of France. Two years would pass by with relative peace
only ending after Bruno penned a fiery comedy. Titled “The Torch Bearer,” Bruno went
on to lambast and satirize member of the ruling class, namely the monks, professors, and aristocrats. At the end of its production he begrudgingly
signed the play “Bruno the Noland, graduate of the academy, called the nuisance.” We can confidently speculate that it was this
which caused his employer to, rather than retain his services, recommend him to the
French ambassador in London, Michel de Castelnav, Sieur da la Mauvissiere. He was more accepting than most of Bruno’s
numerous ramblings and gave him refuge for approximately two years. While here he had the privilege of conversing
with some of Elizabethan England’s most developed minds including, but not limited
to, Sir Philip Sidney and Edmund Spencer. He even managed to meet the Queen herself
a time or two; writing of her a eulogy which would later be used against him by the inquisition. In 1583 he was given permission to lecture
at Oxford, wherein he promptly spoke on “The Fivefold Sphere,” and the immortality of
the soul. This was predictably not received well and
Bruno, a scathing critic of those who rejected his views, called Oxford a “Constellation
of Pedantic and most obstinate ignorance and presumption, mixed with rustic incivility
that would exhaust the patience of Job.” Toward the latter half of 1585 he returned
to Paris, teaching at the Sorbonne and giving the local Aristotelians someone to loathe. He was not in Paris for long as the war against
Henry III pushed him away to Germany. Applied but rejected from the University of
Marburg, Bruno moved on to Wittenberg where for two more years he lectured at Luther’s
university. The theology which surrounded him was what
probably drove him to, once again, seek higher ground, and so he found the university of
Helmstedt in Brunswick. At first this seemed like an honest and fair
home, but once he caught the gaze of the head of the local Lutheran church he was denounced
and excommunicated, presumably for his unorthodox views. He continued this vacillating journey until
1591 when he would make the fatal decision of accepting an invitation from Giovanni Mocenigo
to return to Italy. What made this a treacherous journey was the
fact that Bruno had already been declared an outlaw by the inquisition; he was to be
arrested on first sight. We can confidently say that his book “The
Expulsion of the Triumphant Beast,” wherein the beast was easily interpreted to be theological
dogmas, was the primary reason for his bounty. It is unclear as to what his primary motivation
for returning was; perhaps he simply longed to see his home again or maybe he thought
himself capable of convincing the inquisitors of his innocence on the off chance he were
to be questioned. His host, Mocenigo, belonged to one of the
most wealthy and prominent families in Venice. Strangely enough he, a pious catholic, requested
the aid of Bruno because he believed him to be well informed in regards to occult powers. Regardless of the risk involved Bruno set
out, arriving in 1592. He promptly began teaching Mocenigo in mnemonics,
but it was not long before he began suspecting Bruno of withholding information presumably
on account of his slow learning; this compounded with the multiple heresies begin expelled
caused more than a little concern. When Mocenigo asked his confessor what he
should do about the matter he was instructed to continue with his lessons for a bit longer
before turning him over to the authorities. This plan was still in play when Bruno, perhaps
suspecting some foul play, announced that he would be returning to Frankfort. Mocenigo promptly informed the inquisitors
of his whereabouts and on May 23rd, 1592 Bruno was arrested. He was held in the prison of the Holy Office
in Venice on multiple charges which included, most severely, the denial of the trinity,
incarnation, and transubstantiation. Mocenigo also informed them of Bruno’s propensity
to indulge in sensual pleasures, once Bruno had even told him that “Ladies pleased him
well, though he had not yet reached Solomon’s number,” I will let you speculate on what
he means to convey. During his initial examination Bruno reported
that he had only written as a philosopher and had availed himself of Pomponazzi’s
distinction between the “two truths” – that one might question, as a philosopher, doctrines
that he accepted as a Catholic. He was not shy in admitting his doubts about
the trinity and confessed to his extramarital affairs. Yes there was at first a time wherein Bruno
sought repentance which, early on, seemed to be going his way. However when the head of the Roman inquisition
requested that he be deported to Rome, the request was granted and on February 27th,
1593 Bruno arrived to his final destination. It was not uncommon for a prisoner to be held
for years before receiving a sentence and so from December 1593 to January of 99 he
waited. On January the 4th of the year 1599 he was
summoned before Clement VIII and given a final 40 days to acknowledge his errors. From that time on he was heard 4 more times,
but at the end of this process he declared that he would not retract. On February 8th, 1600 his sentence was passed,
it read that Bruno “should be delivered to the secular court, . . . to the governor
of Rome here present, that thou mayest be punished with the punishment deserved, though
we earnestly pray that he will mitigate the rigor of the laws concerning the pains of
thy person, that thou mayest not be in danger of death or mutilation of thy members.” To this Bruno sallied forth, a second Socrates,
and exclaimed “Perchance you who pronounce my sentence are in greater fear than I who
receive it.” And so bound to the iron stake, Bruno, nude
with his tongue bound, burned in the Piazza Comp de’Fiori, he was 52 years old. Bruno was not without his faults, but even
so he remains to this day a symbol of free thought and tolerance of differences. Many, including the gentle Spinoza, warmed
themselves by the fire which he left behind. In the very piazza within which he was burned
there now stands a monument which was erected in 1889 by patrons spanning the world over. Let me know if you enjoyed learning about
the life of this incredibly intriguing man. And if you enjoy learning about all aspects
of eastern and western philosophy consider subscribing to the channel; here my goal is
the illumination and exaltation of history’s greatest philosophic minds and ideas. And as always thank you for talking philosophy
with me . . . until next time.
