Cesare Cremonini, sometimes Cesare Cremonino (22 December 1550^[1] in Cento in the then Papal States - 19 July 1631 in Padua then under Republic of Venice rule) was an Italian professor of natural philosophy, working rationalism (against revelation) and Aristotelian materialism (against the dualist immortality of the soul) inside scholasticism. He signed his latin texts Cæsar Cremoninus^[2][3] (and its genitive form Cæsaris Cremonini at the start of some titles), or Cæsar Cremonius^[4][5]. Considered one of the greatest philosophers in his time, patronized by Alfonso II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara, corresponding with kings and princes who had his portrait, paid twice the salay of Galileo, he is now more remembered as an infamous side actor of the Galileo affair, being one of the two scholars who refused to look through Galileo's telescope. Galileo used him as the main prototype for the character Simplicio in his Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems. December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events February 7 - Julius III becomes Pope. ... The Central Treaty Organization (also referred to as CENTO, the successor to the Middle East Treaty Organization or METO, also known as the Baghdad Pact) was adopted in 1955 by Iraq, Turkey, Iran, as well as United States chose not to initially participate as to avoid alienating Arab states with... Map of the Papal States. ... link title Headline text Ferrara (It. ... Emilia-Romagna is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. ... July 19 is the 200th day (201st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 165 days remaining. ... // Events February 5 - Roger Williams emigrates to Boston. ... Tronco Maestro Riviera: a pedestrian walk along a section of the inland waterway or naviglio interno of Padua. ... Map of the Venetian Republic, circa 1000 CE. The republic is in dark red, borders in light red. ... Padua (It. ... Vèneto is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. ... Aristotelianism is a tradition of philosophy that takes its defining inspiration from the work of Aristotle. ... Averroism is the term applied to either of two philosophical trends among scholastics in the late 13th century, the first of which was based on Averroës interpretations of Aristotle. ... Scholasticism comes from the Latin word scholasticus, which means that [which] belongs to the school, and is the school of philosophy taught by the academics (or schoolmen) of medieval universities circa 1100–1500. ... Aristotle (Greek: AristotélÄ“s) (384 BC – March 7, 322 BC) was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. ... Ibn Rushd, known as Averroes (1126 – December 10, 1198), was an Andalusian-Arab philosopher and physician, a master of philosophy and Islamic law, mathematics, and medicine. ... Alexander of Aphrodisias, pupil of Aristocles of Messene, the most celebrated of the Greek commentators on the writings of Aristotle, and styled, by way of pre-eminence, o exegetes (the expositor), was a native of Aphrodisias in Caria. ... Gabriel Naudé (February 2, 1600 - July 10, 1653) was a French librarian and scholar. ... Libertine has come to mean one free from restraint, particularly from social and religious norms and morals. ... December 22 is the 356th day of the year (357th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... Events February 7 - Julius III becomes Pope. ... The Central Treaty Organization (also referred to as CENTO, the successor to the Middle East Treaty Organization or METO, also known as the Baghdad Pact) was adopted in 1955 by Iraq, Turkey, Iran, as well as United States chose not to initially participate as to avoid alienating Arab states with... Map of the Papal States. ... July 19 is the 200th day (201st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 165 days remaining. ... // Events February 5 - Roger Williams emigrates to Boston. ... Tronco Maestro Riviera: a pedestrian walk along a section of the inland waterway or naviglio interno of Padua. ... Map of the Venetian Republic, circa 1000 CE. The republic is in dark red, borders in light red. ... Natural philosophy or the philosophy of nature, known in Latin as philosophia naturalis, is a term applied to the objective study of nature and the physical universe that was regnant before the development of modern science. ... In epistemology and in its broadest sense, rationalism is any view appealing to reason as a source of knowledge or justification (Lacey, 286). ... Revelation is an uncovering or disclosure via communication from the divine of something that has been partially or wholly hidden or unknown. ... In philosophy, materialism is that form of physicalism which holds that the only thing that can truly be said to exist is matter; that fundamentally, all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions. ... René Descartes illustration of dualism. ... Scholasticism comes from the Latin word scholasticus, which means that [which] belongs to the school, and is the school of philosophy taught by the academics (or schoolmen) of medieval universities circa 1100–1500. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Possessive case. ... Alfonso II dEste. ... Galileo before the Holy Office, a 19th century painting by Joseph-Nicolas Robert-Fleury The so-called Galileo affair, in which Galileo Galilei came into conflict with the Catholic Church over his support of Copernican astronomy, is often considered a defining moment in the history of the relationship between religion... Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondo (Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems) was Galileos comparison of the Copernican system, in which the Earth and other planets orbit the Sun, with the traditional Ptolemaic system, in which everything in the Universe circles around the Earth. ...

Biography

Cesare Cremonini was a professor of natural philosophy for about 60 years: Natural philosophy or the philosophy of nature, known in Latin as philosophia naturalis, is a term applied to the objective study of nature and the physical universe that was regnant before the development of modern science. ...

• From 1573 to 1590 at the University of Ferrara. Starting at a very young age and considered a great talent, he obtained the patronage of Alfonso II d'Este, Duke of Ferrara^[6] (to whom he'll dedicate his first major book in 1596). The jealousies caused by this protection helped his eventually accepting a position outside his native province.
• From 1591^[7] to 1631^[8] (his death) at the University of Padua (succeeding to Jacopo Zabarella, d. 1589), in a chair of natural philosophy and a chair of medicine.

He taught the doctrines of Aristotle, especially as interpreted by Alexander of Aphrodisias and Averroes. The University of Ferrara (Università degli Studi di Ferrara) is main university of the city of Ferrara in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. ... Alfonso II dEste. ... Gymnasivm Patavinum: The Universitys main Bo palace shown in a 1654 woodcut The University of Padua (Università degli Studi di Padova, UNIPD) is one of the most well-renowned universities in Italy. ... Jacopo Zabarella (or Giacomo Zabarella) (1532-1589) was an Italian Aristotelian philosopher and logician at the University of Padua. ... Aristotle (Greek: Aristotélēs) (384 BC – March 7, 322 BC) was a Greek philosopher, a student of Plato and teacher of Alexander the Great. ... Alexander of Aphrodisias, pupil of Aristocles of Messene, the most celebrated of the Greek commentators on the writings of Aristotle, and styled, by way of pre-eminence, o exegetes (the expositor), was a native of Aphrodisias in Caria. ... Ibn Rushd, known as Averroes (1126 – December 10, 1198), was an Andalusian-Arab philosopher and physician, a master of philosophy and Islamic law, mathematics, and medicine. ...

He was so popular in his time that most kings and princes had his portrait^[9] and corresponded with him, sometimes consulting him about private and public affairs^[10]. At Padua, his salary was the double of Galileo's. He was especially popular among the French intellectuals who called him "le Cremonin" (the Cremonin); even a remote writer such as Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac mentionned him as "le grand Cremonin" (the great Cremonin) in his Lettres^[11]. Jean-Louis Guez de Balzac (1594 - February 18, 1654) was a French author. ...

Cremonini and Galileo

At Padua, Cremonini was both a rival and a friend of his colleague Galileo Galilei (who teached there geometry, mechanics, and astronomy from 1592 to 1610). KDFSAJFKASJDKFJASDKLJFDKLASJFLKJASKLFJLAKSJFLKSJALFKJSKLJFto the Sun-centered solar system which Galileo supported. ...

When Galileo claimed he had discovered mountains on the Moon, Cremonini was one of the scholars who sternly refused to even check through the telescope, alleging that Aristotle had definitely proved that the Moon could only be a perfect sphere. Later, Galileo used Cremonini as the main prototype for the character Simplicio in his Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems. Dialogo sopra i due massimi sistemi del mondo (Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems) was Galileos comparison of the Copernican system, in which the Earth and other planets orbit the Sun, with the traditional Ptolemaic system, in which everything in the Universe circles around the Earth. ...

But when Galileo was about to move, Cremonini warned him that moving from Venice-ruled Padua to Tuscany would bring him under the jurisdiction of the Roman Inquisition. The Roman Inquisition began in 1542 when Pope Paul III established the Holy Office as the final court of appeal in trials of heresy and served as an important part of the Counter-Reformation. ...

Cremonini and the Inquisition

Following up on the controversy opened in 1516 by Pietro Pomponazzi and continued by Jacopo Zabarella (his predecessors in the chair), Cremonini too taught that reason alone cannot demonstrate the immortality of the soul -- his blind adherence to Aristotle implying that he believed in the mortality of the soul. After a paper he wrote about the Jesuits, and public statements he made in favor of laic teachers, the Jesuits in Venice accused his of materialism, then relayed their grievances to Rome. He was prosecuted by the Inquisition for atheism and the Averroist heresy of "double truth", and ordered to refute his claims: as was his manner, Cremonini gently refused to rectract himself, sheltering himself behind Aristotle's authority, and because Padua was then under the tolerant Venetian rule, keeping him out of reach of a full trial. (In 1611^[12], the Inquisition would check their proceedings against Cremonini in search of ammunition against his friend Galileo.) Pietro Pomponazzi (also known by his Latin name, Petrus Pomionatius) (16 September 1462 - 18 May 1525) was an Italian philosopher born in Mantua and died in Bologna. ... Jacopo Zabarella (or Giacomo Zabarella) (1532-1589) was an Italian Aristotelian philosopher and logician at the University of Padua. ... In philosophy, materialism is that form of physicalism which holds that the only thing that can truly be said to exist is matter; that fundamentally, all things are composed of material and all phenomena are the result of material interactions. ... Atheism is the disbelief[1] in the existence of any deities. ... Averroism is the term applied to either of two philosophical trends among scholastics in the late 13th century, the first of which was based on Averroës interpretations of Aristotle. ... For other uses, see Truth (disambiguation). ... Map of the Venetian Republic, circa 1000 CE. The republic is in dark red, borders in light red. ...

As for the accusations, and beyond Cremonini's teachings: indeed his personal motto was "Intus ut libet, foris ut moris est"^[13] (latin for "In private think what you wish, in public behave as is the custom"), which was taken by humanists as meaning that a scientific thinker could hold one set of opinions as a philosopher, and another set as a Christian; it was also adopted by European Libertines (brought back to France by his student and confident Gabriel Naudé). After his death, Cremonini had his tombstone engraved with "Cæsar Cremoninus hic totus jacet" (latin for "Here lies all of Cremonini"), implying that no soul survived. Libertine has come to mean one free from restraint, particularly from social and religious norms and morals. ... Gabriel Naudé (February 2, 1600 - July 10, 1653) was a French librarian and scholar. ...

His student Naudé (who had been his confident for three months) qualified most of his Italian teachers as "Atheists"^[14] and especially Cremonini as a "déniaisé" ("one who has been wised up, unfoolish, devirginized", the Libertines' word for unbelievers); he added to his friends, translated, "The Cremonin, Professor of Philosophy in Padua, confessed to a few choice Friends of his that he believed neither in God, nor in Devil, nor in the immortality of the soul: yet he was careful that his manservant was a good Catholic, for fear he said, should he believe in nothing, that he may one morning cut my throat in my bed"^[15]. Later, Pierre Bayle pointed that Cremonini did not believe in the immortality of the soul (in the "Crémonin" article of his Historical and Critical Dictionary). Gottfried Leibniz, in his 1710 Theodicy, dealing with the Averroists, who "declared that man's soul is, according to philosophy, mortal, while they protested their acquiescence in Christian theology, which declares the soul's immortality", says "that very sect of the Averroists survived as a school. It is thought that Caesar Cremoninus, a philosopher famous in his time, was one of its mainstays"^[16]. Pierre Larousse, in his opiniated Grand dictionnaire universel du XIXe siècle, stated Cremonini was not a Christian. Pierre Bayle. ... Leibniz redirects here. ... Pierre Athanase Larousse (October 23, 1817-January 3, 1875) was a French grammarian and lexicographer born in Toucy. ... The Grand Dictionnaire universel du XIXe siècle (Great Universal Dictionary of the 19th Century), often called the Larousse du dix-neuvième is an encyclopedic dictionary, a work of Pierre Larousse. ...

Death and legacy

When he died in 1631 (during the Paduan outbreak of the Italian Plague of 1629-1631), more than 400 students were working with him. His previous students included, alphabetically: The Italian Plague of 1629-1631 was a series of outbreaks of bubonic plague from 1629 through 1631 in northern Italy. ...

• William Harvey, graduated 1602, an English doctor who first correctly described the circulation of the blood
• Joachim Jung, graduated 1619, a German mathematician and naturalist popularized by John Ray
• Ioannis Kottounios, an eminent Greek scholar and his successor to the chair of philosophy at Padua
• Giusto Lipsio, an Italian philosopher
• Gabriel Naudé, in 1625-27, a French scholar and Cardinal Mazarin's librarian
• Guy Patin, a French doctor, headmaster of the School of Medicine in Paris
• Antonio Rocco, an Italian philosophy teacher and libertine writer
• Corfitz Ulfeldt, in 1628-29, a famous Danish statesman and traitor

He was buried in the benedictine monastery of St. Justina of Padua (to which he also willed his possessions). His name has been given to several streets ("via Cesare Cremonini" in Cento, "via Cesare Cremonino" in Padua) and an institute ("Istituto Magistrale Cesare Cremonini" in Cento). William Harvey William Harvey the biggest ediot ever (April 1, 1578 – June 3, 1657) was an English medical doctor, who is credited with first correctly describing, in exact detail, the properties of blood being pumped around the body by the heart. ... John Ray. ... Ioannis Kottounios, (Greek: Ιωάννης Κοττούνιος) was an eminent Greek scholar. ... Gabriel Naudé (February 2, 1600 - July 10, 1653) was a French librarian and scholar. ... Cardinal Jules Mazarin, French diplomat and statesman Jules Mazarin, born Giulio Raimondo Mazzarino; but best known as Cardinal Mazarin (July 14, 1602 – March 9, 1661) served as the France from 1642, until his death. ... Guy (or Gui) Patin (1601 in Hodenc-en-Bray, Oise – 1672 in Paris) was a French doctor and man of letters. ... Antonio Rocco (1586-1653) was an Italian philosopher and writer. ... Corfitz Ulfeldt, painted by Sebastien Bourdon in 1653. ... Saint Justina (Justine) of Padua ( Santa Giustina) is a Christian saint who was said to have been martyred in 304 AD. Justina was said to have been a young woman who took private vows of chastity and was killed during the persecutions of Diocletian. ...

Bibliography

Below are his main books (with usual short titles, original full titles, and indication of some variants or misspellings commonly found in literature). As was the practice of the time, many of them are made of opuscules, separate treatises grouped in a single binding. (Please note that latin title spelling can vary depending on their grammatical position in a sentence, such as a "tractatus" becoming a "tractatum" in the accusative case when inside a longer title.) The accusative case of a noun is the grammatical case used to mark the direct object of a verb. ...

• 1596: Explanatio proœmii librorum Aristotelis De physico auditu [1+20+22+43+1 folios^[17]] (Explanatio proœmii librorum Aristotelis De physico auditu cum introductione ad naturalem Aristotelis philosophiam, continente tractatum de pædia, descriptionemque universæ naturalis Aristoteliæ philosophiæ, quibus adjuncta est præfatio in libros De physico auditu. Ad serenissimum principem Alphonsum II Estensem Ferrariæ ducem augustissimum) also ("Explanatio proœmii librorum Aristotelis De physico auditu, et in eosdem Præfatio, una cum Tractatu de Pædia, seu, Introductione ad philosophiam naturalem Aristotelis."^[18]) (ed. Melchiorre Novello as "Melchiorem Novellum") - Padua: Novellum
  • "Tractatus de pædia" alias "De pædia Aristotelis" or sometimes "De pœdia Aristotelis" (also as "Descriptio universæ naturalis Aristoteliæ philosophiæ", or erroneously "Diatyposis universæ naturalis aristotelicæ philosophiæ")
  • "Introductio ad naturalem Aristotelis philosophiam" (sometimes "Introductio ad naturalem Aristotelis philosophiam")
  • "Explanatio proœmii librorum Aristotelis De physico auditu" (sometimes "Explanatio proœmii librorum De physico auditu")
• 1605: De formis elementorum (Disputatio De formis quatuor corporum simplicium quæ vocantur elementa) - Venice
• 1611: De Anima (De Anima lectiones 31, opiniones antiquorum de anima lect. 17) - student transcript of a Cremonini lecture
• 1613: Disputatio de cœlo (Disputatio de cœlo : in tres partes divisa, de natura cœli, de motu cœli, de motoribus cœli abstractis. Adjecta est Apologia dictorum Aristotelis, de via lactea, et de facie in orbe lunæ) - Venice: Thomam Balionum
  • "De cœlo"
    • "De natura cœli"
    • "De motu cœli"
    • "De motoribus cœli abstractis"
  • "De via lactea"
  • "De facie in orbe lunæ"
• 1616: De quinta cœli substantia (Apologia dictorum Aristotelis, de quinta cœli substantia adversus Xenarcum, Joannem Grammaticum, et alios) - Venice: Meiettum (second series of De cœlo)
• 1626: De calido innato (Apologia dictorum Aristotelis De calido innato adversus Galenum) - Venice: Deuchiniana (reprinted in 1634)
• 1627: De origine et principatu membrorum (Apologia dictorum Aristotelis De origine et Principatu membrorum adversus Galenum) - Venice: Hieronymum Piutum
  • "De origine"
  • "De principatu membrorum"
• 163?: De semine (Expositio in digressionem Averrhois de semine contra Galenum pro Aristotele)^[19] - (printed or reprinted in 1634)

  --- Posthumous:

• 1634: De calido innato et semine (Tractatus de calido innato, et semine, pro Aristotele adversus Galenum) - Leiden: Elzevir (Lugduni-Batavorum) (expanding 1626 with 163?)
  • "De calido innato"
  • "De semine" (Apologia dictorum Aristotelis De Semine)
• 1644: De sensibus et facultate appetitiva (Tractatus tres : primus est de sensibus externis, secundus de sensibus internis, tertius de facultate appetitiva. Opuscula haec revidit Troylus Lancetta auctoris discipulus, et adnotatiotes confecit in margine) also (Tractatus III : de sensibus externis, de sensibus internis, de facultate appetitiva) (ed. Troilo Lancetta, as "Troilus Lancetta" or "Troilo de Lancettis"), Venice: Guerilios
  • "De sensibus externis"
  • "De sensibus internis"
  • "De facultate appetitiva"
• 1663: Dialectica (Dialectica, Logica sive dialectica) (ed. Troilo Lancetta, as "Troilus Lancetta" or "Troilo de Lancettis") (sometimes "Dialecticum opus posthumum") - Venice: Guerilios

(Not included are poems and other personal texts.)

Sources

Dictionaries and encyclopedias

• Pierre Bayle: Dictionaire historique et critique, volume 2, 1697, reprinted Amsterdam: 1740, pp. 224-225, article "Cremonin, César" (in Old French) online
• John Gorton: A General Biographical Dictionary, London: Henry G. Bohn, 1828, new edition 1851, page 146, article "Cremonini, Cæsar" online
• Adolphe Franck: Dictionnaire des sciences philosophiques, volume 1, Paris: Hachette, 1844, pp. 598-599, article "Crémonini, César" (in French) online
• Ferdinand Hoefer : Nouvelle biographie générale, volume XII, Paris: Firmin-Didot, 1855, second edition 1857, pp. 416-419, article "Cremonini, César" (in French) online
• Pierre Larousse: Grand dictionnaire universel du XIXe siècle, volume 5, Paris: 1869, page 489, article "Crémonini, César" (in French) online (PDF or TIFF plugin required)
• Marie-Nicolas Bouillet, Alexis Chassang (ed.): Dictionnaire universel d'histoire et de géographie, 26th edition, Paris: Hachette, 1878, page 474, article "Cremonini, César" (in French) online (PDF or TIFF plugin required)
• Joseph Mazzini Wheeler: A Biographical Dictionary of Freethinkers, of All Ages and Nations, London: Progressive Publishing Company, 1889, article "Cremonini, Cesare" online
• Werner Ziegenfuss: Philosophen-lexikon: Handwörterbuch der Philosophie nach Personen, Walter de Gruyter, 1950, ISBN 3110028964, page 208, article "Cremoninus, Caesar (Cesare Cremonini)"
• Various: Encyclopædia Universalis, CD-ROM edition: 1996, article "Cremonini, C." (in French)
• Herbert Jaumann: Handbuch Gelehrtenkultur der Frühen Neuzeit, Walter de Gruyter, 2004, ISBN 3110160692, page 203, article "Cremonini, Cesare"
• Filosofico.net: Indice alfabetico dei dilosofi, article "Cesare Cremonino" (in Italian) online : picture and profile
• Philosophy Institute of the Düsseldorf University: Philosophengalerie, article "Caesar Cremoninus (Cesare Cremonini)" (in German) online : another picture, bibliography, literature

Philosophy

• Léopold Mabilleau: Étude historique sur la philosophie de la Renaissance en Italie, Paris: Hachette, 1881
• J.-Roger Charbonnel: La pensée italienne au XVIe siècle et le courant libertin, Paris: Champion, 1919
• David Wootton: "Unbelief in Early Modern Europe", History Workshop Journal, No. 20, 1985, pages 83-101 : Averroes, Pomponazzi, Cremonini

Cremonini and Galileo

• Evan R. Soulé, Jr.: "The Energy Machine of Joseph Newman", Discover Magazine, May 1987, online version : telescope incident account
• Thomas Lessl: "The Galileo Legend", New Oxford Review, June 2000, pp. 27-33, online at CatholicEducation.org : telescope incident note
• Paul Newall: "The Galileo Affair", 2005, online at Galilean-Library.org : telescope incident note (with typo "Cremoni")
• W.R. Laird: "Venetischer Aristotelismus im Ende der aristotelischen Welt: Aspekte der Welt und des Denkens des Cesare Cremonini (1550-1631)(Review)" in Renaissance Quarterly, 1999, online excerpt at Amazon.com or excerpt at FindArticles.com
• Stephen Mason: "Galileo's Scientific Discoveries, Cosmological Confrontations, and the Aftermath", in History of science, volume 40, December 2002, pp. 382-383 (article pp. 6-7), PDF version online : salary, advices to Galileo
• Galileo Galilei, Andrea Frova, Mariapiera Marenzana: Thus Spoke Galileo, Oxford University Press, 2006 (translated from a 1998 book), ISBN 0198566255, page 9 : Inquisition

Pierre Bayle. ... Jean Chrétien Ferdinand Hoefer (1811-1878) was a French physician. ... Pierre Athanase Larousse (October 23, 1817-January 3, 1875) was a French grammarian and lexicographer born in Toucy. ... The Grand Dictionnaire universel du XIXe siècle (Great Universal Dictionary of the 19th Century), often called the Larousse du dix-neuvième is an encyclopedic dictionary, a work of Pierre Larousse. ...

References

Leibniz redirects here. ...

External links

• Cesare Cremonino site (in Italian) including detailed biography, bibliography, literature.
• Heinrich C. Kuhn: Cesare Cremonini: volti e maschere di un filosofo scomodo per tre secoli e mezzo (in Italian) 1999 conference about "the masks of Cremonini: Blind Man, Libertine Atheist, Rational Rigorist, and more"

Texts of Cremonini

• Cæsar Cremoninus - Disputatio de cœlo (1613), online scans (Javascript required)