Description: (Philosopher)
Bernardino Telesio played a key role in the Southern Italian movement that questioned the authority of abstract reason. He promoted an empirical approach to knowledge, highlighting the importance of observation over traditional reasoning. Telesio's ideas had a significant impact on later philosophers such as Tommaso Campanella, Giordano Bruno, Francis Bacon, and René Descartes. He emphasized the significance of sensory perception as the primary source of knowledge about the natural world. Telesio's notable work, particularly "De Rerum Natura," focused on providing mechanistic explanations and introducing concepts like hot/cold theory and the instinct of self-preservation.