 | You can helpexpand this article with text translated fromthe corresponding article in Spanish. (December 2019)Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
Benito Jerónimo Feijóo | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Portrait of Feijóo y Montenegro byMariano Salvador Maella | |
| Born | (1676-10-08)October 8, 1676 Santa María de Melias, nearOurense,Crown of Castile |
| Died | September 26, 1764(1764-09-26) (aged 89) |
| Occupations | Monk, scholar, essayist |
FriarBenito Jerónimo Feijóo y Montenegro (Spanish pronunciation:[beˈnitoxeˈɾonimofejˈxo(o)jmonteˈneɣɾo]; 8 October 1676 – 26 September 1764) was aSpanishmonk and scholar who led theSpanish Enlightenment. He was an energetic popularizer noted for encouraging scientific and empirical thought in an effort to debunk myths and superstitions.
He joined theBenedictine order at the age of 12, and had taken classes in Galicia,León, andSalamanca. He later taughttheology andphilosophy at theUniversity, where he earned a professorship in theology.
He was appalled by the superstition and ignorance of his time, and his works aimed at combating the situation.[1] His fame spread quickly throughout Europe. His revelations excited considerable opposition in certain quarters in Spain, for example fromSalvador José Mañer and others; but the opposition was futile, and Feijóo's services to the cause of education and knowledge were universally recognized long before his death inOviedo.[2]
A century laterAlberto Lista said that a monument should be erected to Feijóo, at the foot of which all his works should be burned. He was not a great genius, nor a writer of transcendent merit; his name is connected with no important discovery, but his literary style is clear and not without distinction. He tried to uproot many popular errors, awakened an interest inscientific methods,[3] and is justly regarded as the initiator of educational reform in Spain.[2]
His two famous works,Teatro crítico universal (1726–1739) andCartas eruditas y curiosas (1742–1760), are multi-volume collections of essays that cover a range of subjects, from natural history and the then known sciences, education, history, religion, literature, philology, philosophy and medicine, down to superstitions, wonders and salient points of contemporary journalistic interest. In the edition of 1777 they occupy nine and five volumes respectively, to which three supplementary volumes must be added. A reprint occurs in volume 56 of theBiblioteca de autores españoles, with an introduction by Vicente de la Fuente. As learning advanced, his writings were relatively relegated to a place of historical and literary interest. A small portion of his works were translated into English by CaptainJohn Brett (3 vols., 1777-1780).
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Feijóo y Montenegro, Benito Jerónimo".Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 10 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 237–238.
