Wednesday, September 17, 2008

The Forbidden World of Giordano Bruno

There was a link on monochrom to an interesting article about the infamous philosopher who was burned at the stake in 1600 - Giordano Bruno.

New Yorker:
"The Forbidden World"
Did a sixteenth-century heretic
grasp the nature of the cosmos?

He was murdered by the Catholic Church for challenging one of it's countless falsehoods - the perceived central position held by the Earth & mankind within the Universe.

I think Giordano Bruno had a superior conception of an infinite world system, especially compared to the cosmic mythologies of Genesis. However, actually living my life is much more important than defending some abstract & non-existent perception of "Truth" to a bunch of sadistic ideologues. Therefore, I don't think I would have been as openly defiant to the Inquisition as ol' Giordano was. Subtlety is sometimes a better vehicle for subversion. >:)

Another aspect of Bruno I found interesting, but completely unable to relate to, was his methods of memory. I find this aspect of his work to be completely incomprehensible. Maybe I'm just to lazy to apply such a complex system. I have a really good memory about trivia and all kinds of generalized & specialized knowledge. If I'm tryin to remember something, it usually 'pops up' in my mind at some point. Imagining all kinds of imagery, like interlocking wheels, just seems like a colossal pain in the ass.

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