Francesco Maria Zanotti Cavazzoni (Bologna, 6 January 1692 – Bologna, 25 December 1777) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

philosopher and writer. Besides being a writer, he was also a commentator on works of art. He was considered an authoritative source on many topics.

Life

He was the son of

Giampietro Zanotti Giampietro Zanotti (1674–1765) was an Italian painter and art historian of the late-Baroque or Rococo period. He studied painting in Bologna with Lorenzo Pasinelli. In the first decade of the 18th century, he became one of the founding members ...

, and a pupil of

Eustachio Manfredi Eustachio Manfredi (20 September 1674 – 15 February 1739) was an Italian mathematician, astronomer and poet. Biography Eustachio Manfredi was born in Bologna on 20 September 1674. He attended Jesuit school, then studied at the University of ...

. In 1718 he became professor of philosophy at the

University of Bologna The University of Bologna ( it, Alma Mater Studiorum – Università di Bologna, UNIBO) is a public research university in Bologna, Italy. Founded in 1088 by an organised guild of students (''studiorum''), it is the oldest university in continuo ...

, and in 1723 he was appointed as secretary of

Luigi Ferdinando Marsigli Count Luigi Ferdinando Marsili (or Marsigli, Lat. ''Marsilius''; 10 July 1658 – 1 November 1730) was an Italian scholar and eminent natural scientist, who also served as an emissary and soldier. Biography Born in Bologna, he was a member ...

. Initially a

Cartesian Cartesian means of or relating to the French philosopher René Descartes—from his Latinized name ''Cartesius''. It may refer to: Mathematics *Cartesian closed category, a closed category in category theory *Cartesian coordinate system, modern ...

, he became a follower of

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Newton'' (film), a 2017 Indian film * Newton ( ...

. In 1728

Francesco Algarotti Count Francesco Algarotti (11 December 1712 – 3 May 1764) was an Italian polymath, philosopher, poet, essayist, anglophile, art critic and art collector. He was a man of broad knowledge, an expert in Newtonianism, architecture and opera. He wa ...

experimented with light in his lab, replicating the

prism Prism usually refers to: * Prism (optics), a transparent optical component with flat surfaces that refract light * Prism (geometry), a kind of polyhedron Prism may also refer to: Science and mathematics * Prism (geology), a type of sedimentary ...

and

spectrum A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors i ...

experiments of

Isaac Newton Sir Isaac Newton (25 December 1642 – 20 March 1726/27) was an English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author (described in his time as a "natural philosopher"), widely recognised as one of the grea ...

. In 1741 he became a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

. Zanotti's 1741 essay on the 'attractive force of ideas' defended a view of the

association of ideas Association of ideas, or mental association, is a process by which representations arise in consciousness, and also for a principle put forward by an important historical school of thinkers to account generally for the succession of mental phenomen ...

influenced by

Newtonian physics Classical mechanics is a physical theory describing the motion of macroscopic objects, from projectiles to parts of machinery, and astronomical objects, such as spacecraft, planets, stars, and galaxies. For objects governed by classical mec ...

. In 1754 Zanotti criticised Pierre-Louis Maupertuis for his views on

Stoicism Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early 3rd century Common Era, BCE. It is a philosophy of personal virtue ethics informed by its system of logic and its views on the natural world, asser ...

and

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

, and was drawn into controversy about Stoicism with the Dominican professor

Casto Innocenzio Ansaldi Casto Innocenzio Ansaldi (7 March 1710, Piacenza, Italy—1780, Turin) was an Italian professor, theologian and archaeologist. Biography In 1726 Ansaldi entered the Dominican Order at Parma, where he pursued his preparatory studies. In 1733 he ...

. In 1766 he became president of Institute of Science in Bologna. In 1775

Benjamin Wilson (painter) Benjamin Wilson (June 21, 1721 – June 6, 1788) was a British painter, printmaker and scientist (natural philosopher). Life He was the 14th child of Major Wilson, a wealthy York clothier whose house was decorated by the French history painter ...

began a correspondence with Zanotti on

phosphor A phosphor is a substance that exhibits the phenomenon of luminescence; it emits light when exposed to some type of radiant energy. The term is used both for fluorescent or phosphorescent substances which glow on exposure to ultraviolet or vi ...

Other members of the family

His brother, Giampietro Cavazzoni Zanotti was a Writer, painter, and art historian; Eustachio Zanotti was a famous astronomer and hydraulic engineer.

Works

*''La forza attrattiva delle idee'' (1747) *''La filosofia morale secondo i peripatetici'' (1754) *''Dell'arte poetica'' (1758) *''Lettere famigliari in difesa della Felsina Pittrice'' *''Delle lodi delle belle arti'' *''Dialogo in difesa di G. Reni'' * Fantuzzi - Notizie della vita e degli scritti di Francesco Maria Zanotti, 1778 - 1515075

Fantuzzi - Notizie della vita e degli scritti di Francesco Maria Zanotti, 1778 - 1515075

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Zanotti, Francesco Maria 1777 deaths 1692 births Academic staff of the University of Bologna Moral philosophers Italian philosophers 18th-century Italian philosophers Fellows of the Royal Society