Giordano Bruno in Olanda

Abstract

To what extent did texts by Bruno circulate in a country which, like Holland, was free from the censorship of the Roman Catholic Church and which had a tradition of tolerance and cultural openess? This article shows that, despite the relative rarity of Bruno's works, some knowledge of his thought was diffused, beyond that indicated by V. Salvestrini and A. Nowicki, in two areas: firstly, some scientists made cautious use of his comological model; secondly, some controversialists dispayed an increasing and ever more critical interest in Bruno's theories, ultimately turning him into a precursor of Descartes's 'impiety'.