Jacopo Mazzoni
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Jacopo Mazzoni , also Giacomo, Latinized Jacobus Mazzonius, (born November 27, 1548 in Cesena ; † April 10, 1598 ibid) was an Italian classical philologist, literary scholar and philosopher. He was considered one of the greatest scholars of his time in Italy, who also promoted the study of the Italian language.
Mazzoni studied in Bologna (including Greek, Latin, Hebrew, poetry, rhetoric) and at the University of Padua (philosophy and law). He had an excellent memory which helped him excel in public disputes. He was initially a professor in Macerata . From 1588 to 1597 he was a philosophy professor in Pisa , where he influenced Galileo Galilei (who taught mathematics there around 1590), with whom he became friends. In 1597 he was appointed to the La Sapienza University in Rome, but initially accompanied Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini to Ferrara and Venice. On the way back he fell ill and died in his native Cesena. Mazzoni was involved in founding the Accademia della Crusca .
He wrote a work in defense of the Divine Comedy by Dante (Difesa della Commedia di Dante 1587, after a first version had already appeared in 1572), in which he also presents his theory of poetry. He combines poetry with rhetoric - according to Mazzoni, both are not looking for a truth behind things, but rather credibility with the audience and the aim of poetry is entertainment.
He was interested in astronomy and in 1597 published In universam Platonis et Aristotelis philosophiam praeludia (published in Venice). In it he turned against the geocentric system and defended the Copernican system against the Ptolemaic. In a letter to Mazzoni dated March 30, 1597, Galileo agreed to this position - this letter is one of the earliest evidence of Galileo's turn to the Copernican system.
His main philosophical work was an attempt to combine the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle (De Triplici Hominum Vita, Activa Nempe, Contemplativa, et Religiosa Methodi, 1576).
literature
- Davide Dalmas: MAZZONI, Jacopo. In: Mario Caravale (ed.): Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (DBI). Volume 72: Massimino-Mechetti. Istituto della Enciclopedia Italiana, Rome 2009.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Membership catalog of the Crusca
- ^ Published in full in 1688. An Italian nobleman had asked Mazzoni to defend Dante against attacks from Castravilla.
- ^ English translation by Robert L. Montgomery On the Defense of the Comedy of Dante: Introduction and summary , Tallahassee: University Presses of Florida, 1983
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Mazzoni, Jacopo |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Italian classical philologist, literary scholar and philosopher |
| DATE OF BIRTH | November 27, 1548 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Cesena |
| DATE OF DEATH | April 10, 1598 |
| Place of death | Cesena |