Francesco Patrizi is one of the great figures of scholars of the XVI Century. The broad range of interests of Patrizi reflects both the continuous development of humanism in the scholarly circles during the sixteenth century, and the attention to practical, scientific and engineering issues carried on by many philosophers of his time. From 1577 to 1592 Patrizi was in Ferrara at the Court of the Dukes of Este, appointed to teach Platonic philosophy at the local University. Patrizi was involved in the hydraulic problems of the city from 1579 to 1581. In these three years he produced a great amount of writings, reports and letters addressed mostly to Duke of Ferrara. It is clear that, in Patrizi’s mind, all practical works had to be subordinate to science. In hydraulics this meant subordinating the works to knowledge of the nature of water. In the letter to Alfonso II dated November 28, 1580, Patrizi claimed he was the first to have established a general, orderly, real science of water, resulting from natural and mathematical principles. He based his hydraulic proposals on a scientific basis which took several elements into account: quantity, level and velocity of the water, gradient, breadth and shape of the bed.
Francesco Patrizi, Humanist and Scientist in the Late Renaissance
FIOCCA, Alessandra
2014
Abstract
Francesco Patrizi is one of the great figures of scholars of the XVI Century. The broad range of interests of Patrizi reflects both the continuous development of humanism in the scholarly circles during the sixteenth century, and the attention to practical, scientific and engineering issues carried on by many philosophers of his time. From 1577 to 1592 Patrizi was in Ferrara at the Court of the Dukes of Este, appointed to teach Platonic philosophy at the local University. Patrizi was involved in the hydraulic problems of the city from 1579 to 1581. In these three years he produced a great amount of writings, reports and letters addressed mostly to Duke of Ferrara. It is clear that, in Patrizi’s mind, all practical works had to be subordinate to science. In hydraulics this meant subordinating the works to knowledge of the nature of water. In the letter to Alfonso II dated November 28, 1580, Patrizi claimed he was the first to have established a general, orderly, real science of water, resulting from natural and mathematical principles. He based his hydraulic proposals on a scientific basis which took several elements into account: quantity, level and velocity of the water, gradient, breadth and shape of the bed.I documenti in SFERA sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
