Can a 16th-century martyr help to save Italy from rightwing populism? | Stephanie Merritt

The philosopher Giordano Bruno, burned for heresy in 1600, has become a symbol of free expression and toleranceEvery year on 17 February, a crowd gathers in Rome ’s Campo de’ Fiori to place wreaths, poems and candles at the foot of the statue that glowers towards the Vatican from beneath its friar’s cowl. The man it memorialises, the Neapolitan philosopherGiordano Bruno, was burned alive by the Inquisition on that spot in 1600, for heresies including several books in which he advocated the heliocentric cosmology of Copernicus and argued that the universe was infinite and contained multiple other worlds.Related:Cosmos and Giordano Bruno: the problem with scientific heroes | Rebekah HiggittContinue reading...

Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - February 17, 2019 Category: Science Authors: Stephanie Merritt Tags: Italy Freedom of speech Europe Science World news Source Type: news