BALDINOTTI, CESARE. - Philosopher, of the Olivetan Benedictine Order, b. in Firenze on 12 July 1747, d. in Padova on 23 Dec. 1821. He was abbot of S. Miniato al Monte in Firenze. He first taught at the gymnasium of Mantova, then at the University of Pavia, and finally logic and metaphysics at the University of Padova. It is false (F. Überweg, Grundriss der Geschichte der Philosophie, V, 12th ed., Berlino 1928, p. 200) that B. had Rosmini among his pupils in 1820, since Rosmini’s Diario shows that he left the University of Padova in 1819. Under the influence of Locke and Condillac, B. inclined towards sensationalism, which he nevertheless sought to harmonize with the requirements of Christian truths.
He wrote: De recta humanae rationis institutione (Padova 1787) and Tentaminum metaphysicorum libri tres. Tentamen primum. De metaphysica generali, lib. unicus (ibid. 1817). This work contains a critical appendix on Kant, condemning his categorical apriorism and the scepticism to which B. believed it necessarily led.