netdis · Medicine, Heresy and Freedom of Thought in sixteenth-century Italy: a Network of Dissident Physicians in the Confessional Age

Medicine, Heresy and Freedom of Thought in sixteenth-century Italy:a Network of Dissident Physicians in the Confessional Age

NETDIS examines and interprets the link between 16th century heretical thought and the rise of modern science, exploring the local, national and trans-national levels of this connection. NETDIS uses digital humanities tools to reveal the network of Italian physicians who developed non-conformist religious views in the Confessional age. By exploring the nature, extent and function of the ties among physicians, NETDIS inquiries into the genesis of freedom of thought – which stands today at the core of European identity – as an embryonic value shared by most physicians in response to the spread of intolerance. This is supposed to have positive insights for several ongoing difficulties facing the EU, such as the revival of religious violence (i.e. terrorism). The problem of religious intolerance has old roots, which also go back to 16th century Christian context, as shown by the dissenters’ biographies examined. NETDIS describes the progressive rise of a community of scholars who resisted fanaticism, practiced religious tolerance, and opposed the erection of dogmatic boundaries through an open-minded attitude to science and religion. Moreover, NETDIS can have positive insights for the spread of Eurosceptic movements. Its main innovative aspect is the application of digital visualisations to the history of 16th century religious dissent, tackled through a networked approach. The archive research, combined with the reconstruction of networks and visualisation through digital humanities tools, has brought to reconsider the way we look at early modern religious dissent.

Data: CORDIS, © European Union