Jacopo Mazzoni

Jacopo Mazzoni, Giacomo, Latinized Jacobus Mazzonius, ( born November 27, 1548 Cesena, † April 10, 1598 ) was an Italian classical scholar, literary critic and philosopher. He was considered one of the greatest scholars of his time in Italy, promoted the study of the Italian language.

Mazzoni studied in Bologna (including Greek, Latin, Hebrew, poetry, rhetoric ) and at Padua University ( philosophy and law ). He had to shine an excellent memory, which helped him in public disputations. He was formerly a professor in Macerata. 1588 to 1597 he was professor of philosophy at Pisa, where he had influence on Galileo Galilei ( who taught there in 1590 mathematics), with whom he became friends. 1597 he was appointed to the University La Sapienza in Rome, but first Cardinal Pietro Aldobrandini accompanied by Ferrara and Venice. On the way back he fell ill and died in his native Cesena. Mazzoni was involved in the founding of the Accademia della Crusca.

He wrote a work in defense of the Divine Comedy by Dante ( Difesa della Commedia di Dante in 1587, after a first version was published in 1572 ) in which he presents his theory of poetry. It combines poetry with rhetoric - both looking for Mazzoni not a truth behind things but credibility with the public and aim of poetry is entertainment.

He was interested in astronomy and published in 1597 in Universam Platonis et Aristotelis philosophiam Praeludia ( published in Venice). He argued against the geocentric system and defended the Copernican system against the Ptolemaic. In a letter to Mazzoni from March 30, 1597 Galileo agreed with this position - this letter is one of the earliest evidence for Galileo's turning to the Copernican system.

His philosophical work was an attempt to combine the philosophies of Plato and Aristotle ( De triplici Hominum Vita Activa Nempe, Contemplativa, et religiosa Methodius, 1576 ).