«Certis experimentis et sufficienti ratione». Experientia and experimentum in Bruno’s thought

The role played by Giordano Bruno in the genesis of the Scientific Revolution has been widely investigated in particular as far as the theory of the infinite universe and the advocacy of Copernican heliocentrism are concerned. Less attention has been devoted to Bruno’s role in the development of new methodologies for scientific inquiry, which has, in turn, characterized the emergence of modern natural science. This paper aims to analyse the concepts of experientia and experimentum in Bruno’s thought, with special reference to the magical works, where the philosopher dwells on the necessity of interaction between theory and practice, ratio and experimentum in order to achieve good results in magical operations, casting new light on the attention paid by the Italian philosopher to the practical and experimental part of the knowledge of nature. By means of this analysis, during which the experimentum will emerge as a pivotal moment in the progress of the human knowledge of nature, this essay will attempt to describe the complex continuity between Renaissance magic and Scientific Revolution, a continuity in which Bruno plays a relevant but ambiguous and multifaced role