Lucilio Vanini, or, as he styled himself in his works, Giulio Cesare (1585 - February 9, 1619), was an Italian free-thinker, born at Taurisano, near Lecce, in 1585.

He studied philosophy and theology at Rome, and after his return to Lecce applied himself to the physical studies which had come into vogue with the Renaissance. Like Giordano Bruno, though intellectually inferior to him, he was among those who led the attack on the old scholasticism and helped to lay the foundation of modern philosophy. Vanini resembles Bruno, not only in his wandering life and in his tragic death, but also in his anti-Christian ideas.

From Naples he went to Padua, where he came under the influence of the Alexandrist Pomponazzi, whom he styles his divine master. At Padua he studied law, and was ordained priest. Subsequently he led a roving life in France, Switzerland and the Low Countries, supporting himself by giving lessons and disseminating anti-religious views. He was obliged to flee from Lyon to England in 1614, but was imprisoned in London for an unknown reason for forty-nine days.

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Tue, 08 Jul 2008 18:00:00 -0400
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Tue, 08 Jul 2008 16:24:00 -0400
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