Famous Philosophers from Italy

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Updated June 15, 201981 items

List of notable or famous philosophers from Italy, with bios and photos, including the top philosophers born in Italy and even some popular philosophers who immigrated to Italy. If you're trying to find out the names of famous Italian philosophers then this list is the perfect resource for you. These philosophers are among the most prominent in their field, and information about each well-known philosopher from Italy is included when available.

List people include Giordano Bruno, Julius Evola and more.

This historic philosophers from Italy list can help answer the questions "Who are some Italian philosophers of note?" and "Who are the most famous philosophers from Italy?" These prominent philosophers of Italy may or may not be currently alive, but what they all have in common is that they're all respected Italian philosophers.

Use this list of renowned Italian philosophers to discover some new philosophers that you aren't familiar with. Don't forget to share this list by clicking one of the social media icons at the top or bottom of the page. {#nodes}
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  • Achille Gagliardi

    Achille Gagliardi

    Dec. at 70 (1537-1607)
    • Birthplace: Padua, Italy
    Achille Gagliardi (1537 – 6 July 1607) was an ascetic writer and spiritual director; and a member of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Gagliardi was born at Padua, Italy. After a brilliant career at the University of Padua Gagliardi entered the Society of Jesus in 1559 with two brothers younger than himself. He taught philosophy at the Roman college, theology at Padua and Milan, and successfully directed several houses of his order in Northern Italy. He displayed indefatigable zeal in preaching, giving retreats and directing congregations, and was held in great esteem as a theologian and spiritual guide by the Archbishop of Milan, St. Charles Borromeo, whom he accompanied on his pastoral visitations, and at whose request he published his popular handbook of religion, "Catechismo della fede cattolica" (Milan, 1584). Gagliardi is the author of various works on asceticism and mysticism. Others were printed; shortly after his death, appeared the "Breve compendio intorno alla perfezione cristiana" (Brescia, 1611), which has been translated into five languages, and more recently the valuable "Commentarii in Exercitia spiritualia S.P. Ignatii de Loyala" (Bruges, 1882), in which he explains very lucidly the author's suggestions for distinguishing between the good and evil external influences or internal motives which inspire or control human conduct. Gagliardi died at Modena.
  • Alessandro Achillini

    Alessandro Achillini

    Dec. at 48 (1463-1512)
    • Birthplace: Bologna, Italy
    Alessandro Achillini (Latin Alexander Achillinus; 20 or 29 October 1463 (or possibly 1461) – 2 August 1512) was an Italian philosopher and physician.
  • Alessandro Piccolomini

    Alessandro Piccolomini

    Dec. at 70 (1508-1579)
    • Birthplace: Siena, Italy
    Alessandro Piccolomini (13 June 1508 – 12 March 1579) was an Italian astronomer and philosopher from Siena, who promoted the popularization in the vernacular of Latin and Greek scientific and philosophical treatises. His early works include Il Dialogo della bella creanza delle donne, o Raffaella (1539) and the comedies Amor costante, and Alessandro, (other titles are erroneously attributed to him) which were sponsored and produced by the Sienese Accademia degl'Intronati, of which he was a member and an official. Much of his literary production consisted of translations from the Classics, of which Book xiii of Ovid's Metamorphoses and book vi of the Aeneid are early examples. In 1540, while a student at the University of Padua, he helped found the Infiammati Academy, in which he gave lectures in philosophy. (He never taught at the University of Padua, as is often stated incorrectly.) His poetry, in which he followed the Petrarchan tradition, appeared first in various contemporary collections, and in 1549 he published as a single volume one hundred sonnets titled Cento sonetti. Later in life, he translated Aristotle's Poetics on which he wrote a learned commentary issued in 1575. His interest in Aristotle included the publication of a paraphrase of Aristotle's Rhetoric with commentary. In his Trattato della grandezza della terra e dell' acqua (1558), he opposed the Aristotelean and Ptolemaic opinion that water was more extensive than land. The treatises Sfera del mondo e Delle stelle fisse (The sphere of the world and The fixed stars) (1540), in which he adhered to Ptolemaic theories, were some of his major contributions to the field of astronomy. He also wrote, at the behest of Cosimo de' Medici, a proposal for reforming the calendar (1578). In 1574 Pope Gregory XIII appointed him titular bishop of Patras (Patrae) and Coadjutor Archbishop of Siena.His comedy Alessandro was adapted by George Chapman into May Day (printed 1611). The lunar crater Piccolomini is named after him.
  • Alexander Bonini

    Alexander Bonini

    Dec. at 44 (1270-1314)
    Alexander Bonini (c. 1270 – 1314) was an Italian Franciscan philosopher, who became Minister General of the Order of Friars Minor. He taught at the University of Paris. A prolific writer, he is now remembered most for his Tractatus de Usuris. It is especially notable for its subtle treatment of the pricing of contracts involving risks; for example it writes of life annuities, 'we see men and women twenty-five years old buying life annuities for a price such that within eight years they will receive their stake back; and although they may live less than those eight years, it is more probable (probabilius) that they will live twice that. Thus the buyer has in his favour what happens more frequently and is more probable.'
  • Andrea Bonomì

    Andrea Bonomì

    Age: 83
    Andrea Bonomi (born 1940 in Rome) is an Italian philosopher and logician, who studied with Enzo Paci. After an initial interest in phenomenology (Existence and structure: Essay on Merleau-Ponty, 1967), he decided to dedicate himself wholeheartedly to the study of analytic philosophy, particularly the philosophy of language. His major contributions have been concentrated in the area of formal semantics, especially in the field of the logic of epistemic, modal and temporal sentences. In particular, in Mental Events (1983), he proposed an original solution to the problem of the intentionality of propositional attitude attributions, based on the idea of perspectivity: the systematic ambiguity of interpretation which characterizes propositional attitude sentences is explained by way of the contrast between the point of view of the attributor and the point of view of the person who entertains the attitude attributed. Also of notable importance is his semantic analysis of fictitious contexts of language use (Universes of Discourse, 1979; The spirit of narration, 1994).
  • Andrea Cesalpino

    Andrea Cesalpino

    Dec. at 83 (1519-1603)
    • Birthplace: Arezzo, Italy
    Andrea Cesalpino (Latinized as Andreas Cæsalpinus) (6 June 1519 – 23 February 1603) was an Italian physician, philosopher and botanist.In his works he classified plants according to their fruits and seeds, rather than alphabetically or by medicinal properties. In 1555, he succeeded Luca Ghini as director of the botanical garden in Pisa. The botanist Pietro Castelli was one of his students. Cesalpino also did limited work in the field of physiology. He theorized a circulation of the blood. However, he envisioned a "chemical circulation" consisting of repeated evaporation and condensation of blood, rather than the concept of "physical circulation" popularized by the writings of William Harvey (1578–1657).