Girolamo Balduino, the philosopher of dialectics between Aristotle and Averroes

Girolamo Balduino was a significant philosopher and logician of the Renaissance. Born in Montesardo (Lecce) in the early 16th century, Balduino came from a wealthy family, which allowed him to receive a high-quality education. His father, Giovanni, passionate about philosophy and a supporter of Aristotelian theories, started him on a path of study that proved fundamental to his intellectual formation. Balduino deepened his knowledge at the University of Padua.

In this academic environment, Balduino developed a philosophical thought that was close to the positions of Averroes, while maintaining a strong critical spirit. He carefully examined all the main texts of the Greek and Latin tradition on the Aristotelian corpus, recognizing the superiority of the Peripatetic doctrine and the Averroistic commentary, but stating that such doctrines should be rejected if they were found to conflict with the original text of Aristotle.

Balduino distinguished himself as a professor of great fame at the University of Salerno, according to Corvaglia, but more reliable sources, such as those of Papuli, indicate that he initially taught in Padua. In 1528, he obtained his doctorate and received the chair of sophistics. During his stay in Padua, he had the opportunity to influence another intellectual from Salento, Angelo Thio from Morciano di Leuca, who published some works that reflected the contents of Balduino's teaching.

After Balduino's death, many of his writings were published by the convent of San Lorenzo in Naples, and later by Vincenzo del Colle, who would become Giordano Bruno's teacher. Balduino's teachings, although appreciated, were also criticized by another Salento philosopher, Francesco Storella. Despite this, Balduino is considered one of the most extraordinary peripatetic logicians of Italy of his time, and his thought was assimilated by numerous thinkers of the late Renaissance.

Balduino firmly believed that logic was the only tool through which human beings can acquire new knowledge. Despite their anchoring in Aristotelian methodology, both Balduino and Zimara developed a thought that, although rooted in tradition, allowed Galileo to reach the conclusion that traditional logic was inadequate and that it was necessary to adopt a method based on observation and verification of hypotheses.

Ultimately, Girolamo Balduino fits fully into the panorama of Renaissance philosophy and is considered one of the “Homines novi” that modern philosophical thought can boast, especially in the context of naturalism, on a par with figures such as Giordano Bruno. His main works, which demonstrate his versatility and intellectual commitment, include significant titles such as “Quesita tum naturalia, tumlogicalia cum additionibus Gometii pagani”, published in Naples in 1550, and “Interpretationem in magnam commentationem Averrois”. Other noteworthy works are “De propositione singulari, an ingrediatur Syllogsmum”.