Giordano Bruno
OFFPRIIIITFROM Giordano Bruno Philosopherof the Renaissance Editedby HILARY GATTI O Hilary Gatti and the contributors,2002 ASHGATE \J ;-'i'''- L..'- C}IAP'IE,RI'L,N Giordano Bruno and Astrology LeenSpruit Bruno's attitude tor,vardsastrolog)'r,vas n.rultifaceted. In his earlv as rvell as in his later lvorks, he leveliedvarious attrcks rgrrinst ertrol,.,gr,'.,yet crneof lris first rvorks, the lost De segni de' tentpi, ,u,rsprol.,ablv an astrologicaltrearise.r Moreover, in Spaccictde la bestid trionfante and, other works, he end.rsed thc horoscope of religio's,, and,in Libri Aristotelis pht'siconrm explanati, composed in thc late 1.!g0s, he explained generation and corruption drarving on clcarly asfrological concepts.'Also in his magicalworks he endorsedastrological conceprs. And at the verl- moment of his arrest in venice, he rvas in possessionof a manuscriptentitled De sigillisHermetis, Ptt)lt)ntoL,i ct a1i,.,y11111,copied in Paduabv his pupil Besler.'Theseilppar-ently conflicting attirudes are t. be understood in thc light of the specificcultural contexr of Bruno's intellectualforrnation' ancl activitv. .l Benveen 300 a.d 1700rrsrroi,rg\'\\'iìs deemed to be ncitherobscure nor implausible.It was an integratedpart of Europeernlife and cultr.rre. Astrological ideasirncl practices rvere vitallr.involved in philosophy,the arts and sciences.Astrology's appeal lay in the fact that it offerecl allegcdll' useful informari.n, s.merimes inaccessibleby any other means' while it looked and operated like a science.Ir r,vasaccepted by c'rutstandingscientists and philosophers, such as ptolomeus, Thomas Aquinas, cardano and Joha'nes Kepler. During the Renaiss:rnceit r,vas eventaught in many universitiesas an academicdiscipline.
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