also the anniversary of Giordano Bruno being burned at the stake

Hat tip, Cameron. Today is also the 412th anniversary of Bruno’s burning at the stake in Rome in 1600.

If you’ve never read Bruno, you’re missing a lot. His philosophy is interesting (if somewhat underdetermined in places). In terms of literary talent he has sometimes been mentioned in the same breath as Plato and Nietzsche. And in terms of sense of humor, he joins Žižek and Diogenes of Sinope on a very short of list of “philosophers who could also earn a living in stand-up comedy if they needed to.”

Incidentally, it’s not just that he was burned to death. It’s that he was in a dungeon for over a decade before that and was tortured for much of that time.

Among the heresies for which he was burned, my favorite is surely “that the Devil will be saved.”

My favorite Bruno book is Cause, Principle, and Unity. Give it a try; see what you think.