Borro, Girolamo

1. Dates

Born: Arezzo (Tuscany), 1512

Died: Perugia, 26 August 1592

Dateinfo: Dates Certain

Lifespan: 80

2. Father

Occupation: I Find Only His Name, Mariano Borro

No information on financial status.

3. Nationality

Birth: Italy

Career: Italy, France

Death: Italy

4. Education

Schooling: Padua; Ph.D., M.D., D.D.

He studied theology, philosophy, and medicine, perhaps at Padua. No record of his having received a degree there. However, both DBI and Viviani credit him with a doctorate in all three fields. I assume a B.A.

5. Religion

Affiliation: Catholic, Heterodox

In 1567 he was implicated in the third heresy trial of Pietro Carnesecchi. In 1582, he again had difficulties with the Roman Inquisition, but was freed through the intercession of Pope Gregory XIII. It seems clear that he held heterodox views, undoubtedly (considering other elements in his career) naturalistic, Aristotelian ones, perhaps reminiscent of Pomponazzi, and that he was saved from their consequences only because he had the protection of the Pope and the Grand Duke.

6. Scientific Disciplines

Primary: Natural Philosophy

His published works included De flusso e reflusso del mare, a treatise which attempts to explain the motion of tides by appealing to Aristotelian principles, De motu gravium et levium (1575), which contained some significant suggestions on the motion of falling bodies, anticipating Galileo's putative Leaning Tower experiment, and De peripatetica docendi atque addiscendi methodo (1584), an exposition of scientific method according to Aristotelian principles. He represented the conservative style of Peripatetic philosophy, that is, not medieval scholastic philosophy, but the return to Aristotle himself with the naturalistic tendencies this involved.

7. Means of Support

Primary: Patronage, Academia

He served as a theologian to Cardinal Giovanni Salviati, 1537-1553. He was with the Cardinal in Paris for a time, something that he and his supporters always mentioned.

He lectured on philosophy at the University of Pisa, 1553-1559, and again, after an interlude, 1575-1586.

Relatively little is known about his life between 1559 and 1575. He may have taught in Sienna in the interlude after 1559.

The inscription on his tomb, composed by his nephew, asserts that he taught in Pisa, Siena, and Perugia for fifty-two years. This would make the teaching begin in 1540, which conflicts with other accounts.

Because of the constant trouble he caused, Borro was dismissed from Pisa in 1586, and he taught philosophy at the University of Perugia for the rest of his life.

8. Patronage

Types: Eccesiastic Official, Court Official

Cardinal Giovanni Salviati. See above.

The appointments in Pisa had to come from the court. There are some fascinating letters to the court in the 80's concerning a quarrel between Borro and other philosophers in Pisa. All sides take the issue, not to any university authorities, but straight to the Grand Duke. Borro refers to the Grand Duke as "my only Master (Padron)" and he explicitly states that the Grand Duke granted him the chair.

Borro dedicated his first work (on the tides) to Giovanna of Austria, duchess of Tuscany. He dedicated De motu gravium to the Grand Duke.

He wrote a life of Cosimo I, dedicated to Francesco I.

He dedicated his general exposition of Aristotelian philosophy to Francesco Maria da Feltre, Duke of Urbino.

The Pope himself freed Borro from the Inquisition in 1583. It was Borro himself who stated this. The protection of the Grand Duke is also mentioned.

9. Technological Involvement

Type: None

10. Scientific Societies

Memberships: None

Borro was lecturing on natural philosophy at the University of Pisa when Galileo was a student there. Borro's De motu gravium et levium was in Galileo's library and was referred to specifically in Galileo's De motu. Galileo also knew Borro's work on tides.

Borro's years at Pisa ware marred by polemics and personal quarrels with colleagues, including Francesco de' Vieri, Francesco Buonamici, and Andrea Camuzio. His opponents finally persuaded the university to dismiss him in 1586.

Sources

1. G. Stabile's article in Dizionario biografico degli Italiani, XIII (1971), pp. 13-17.
2. U. Viviani, Medici, fisici e cerusici della provincia aretina, Arezzo, 1923, pp. 103-109.
3. G. Spini, Ricerca dei libertini, (Rome, 1950), pp. 29-32.
4. G.M. Mazzuchelli, Gli scrittori d'Italia, (Brescia, 1753- ), 2, pt. 3, 1789.
5. U. Viviani, Vita ed opere di Andrea Cesalpino, (Arezzo, 1923), pp. 182-3.

Not Available and Not Consulted

1. U. Viviani, Tre medici aretini (Cesalpino, Redi, e Folli), (Arezzo, 1936), 47-52.
2. A.Fabroni, Historia Academiae Pisanae, II, Pisa, 1792, repr.
3. Bologna, 1971, pp.281-282.

Compiled by:

Richard S. Westfall

Department of History and Philosophy of Science

Indiana University

Note: the creators of the Galileo Project and this catalogue cannot answer email on geneological questions.