Giuseppe Valletta (6 October 1636 ''–'' 16 May 1714) was an Italian philosopher, lawyer, jurist and scholar.

Life

Born in Naples, he studied literature under the

Jesuits The Society of Jesus (; abbreviation: S.J. or SJ), also known as the Jesuit Order or the Jesuits ( ; ), is a religious order (Catholic), religious order of clerics regular of pontifical right for men in the Catholic Church headquartered in Rom ...

as a child before switching to law. In 1663 he,

Francesco D'Andrea Francesco D'Andrea (1625–1698) was an Italian jurist and natural philosopher. Born to a patrician family in Naples, he worked as an advocate after obtaining his doctorate in law in 1641. He was active in philosophical circles, including in th ...

and others formed the Accademia degli Investiganti, which gave added impetus to the cultural renewal of southern Italy in the last decades of the 17th century. Its members like Valletta, D'Andrea, Tommaso Cornelio and Leonardo Di Capua actively supported the progressives in the heated philosophical-scientific debates of the time between progressives and conservatives. In 1681 he paid to found a chair in ancient Greek at the

University of Naples The University of Naples Federico II (; , ) is a public university, public research university in Naples, Campania, Italy. Established in 1224 and named after its founder, Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, Frederick II, it is the oldest public, s ...

, putting his own tutor and friend Gregorio Messere in charge of teaching. His nephew

Francesco Francesco, the Italian language, Italian (and original) version of the personal name "Francis (given name), Francis", is one of the List of most popular given names, most common given name among males in Italy. Notable persons with that name inclu ...

also became a scholar. In 1687 he edited the Naples edition of

Francesco Redi Francesco Redi (18 February 1626 – 1 March 1697) was an Italians, Italian physician, naturalist, biologist, and poet. He is referred to as the "founder of experimental biology", and as the "father of modern parasitology". He was the first perso ...

's ''Bacco in Toscana'' as well as Redi's complete works. He gathered a library of 18,000 books which became known as the ''Helluo librorum et Secli Peireskius alter''. Antonio Lombardi, ''Storia della letteratura italiana nel secolo XVIII'', Volume IV, Tipografia camerale, 1830
page 186
/ref> After Valletta's death in Naples,

Giambattista Vico Giambattista Vico (born Giovan Battista Vico ; ; 23 June 1668 – 23 January 1744) was an Italian philosopher, rhetorician, historian, and jurist during the Italian Enlightenment. He criticized the expansion and development of modern rationali ...

's efforts ensured that the library was merged into the Biblioteca dei Girolamini.

Works

* ''Lettera in difesa della moderna filosofia e de' coltivatori di essa'', 1691. * ''Historia filosofica'', 1697–1704.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Valletta, Giuseppe People from Naples 1636 births 1714 deaths Lawyers from the Kingdom of Naples 17th-century Italian philosophers 17th-century Italian lawyers 17th-century Italian jurists 18th-century Italian philosophers 18th-century Italian lawyers 18th-century Italian jurists Book and manuscript collectors