Gaetano da Thiene

Gaetano da Thiene (1387–1465) was an Italian Renaissance philosopher and physician who lived in Padua. He was a student of Paul of Venice and, like his teacher, held an Averroist interpretation of Aristotle's teachings. Gaetano worked towards a compromise between the Averroist position and Christian doctrines, particularly concerning the personal immortality of the soul. In his later life, he abandoned Averroism entirely. He became a successor to Paul of Venice as a professor of natural philosophy at the University of Padua. Among his notable pupils was Nicoletto Vernia, who succeeded him in that position after his death, and Pietro Roccabonella, a well-known professor of medicine in Padua. It is important not to confuse him with Saint Cajetan.