Il natural desiderio di sapere - Pontifical Academy of Sciences

ON THE NATURAL DESIRE FOR KNOWLEDGE 103their acquisition, which, coming after and subject to many occurrences, 8they hold to be uncertain and of dubious profit. They also recognize thelarge role of fortune, on which no one willingly relies, with expenses [of] 9time and one’s own labor. 10 Hence from medicine and laws, little and coldly,11 while from philosophy and mathematics, which truly are the aim ofthe innate desire, it is quite usual to expect nothing of the longed for riches,and man more easily applies himself to other things where he hasmore secure hopes of attaining them.Yet honors, dignity and satisfaction are sought by many for an end noless common among the ambitious, than is gain to everyone generally; 12and they are often conjoined. The satisfaction and true decency thatknowledge brings in and of itself, indelible, is not what moves, but thatwhich is distributed by the powerful; nor is it usual that money and powersbe given more largely in rewards to the literati than what is done; andinstead it can be seen among many of the powerful that the sciences, inthe attainment of charges and recognition, are more of an obstacle ratherthan a help or merit; on the contrary, the esteem for those who possessthe sciences seems to diminish; because it is judged sinisterly, 13 and mostof all with respect to the speculative ones that, by occupying and pullingto themselves the whole man, they render him inept at business. Likewisethe active and practical ones, if they are in excellence, 14 this not possiblybeing great without contemplation; 15 and thence, instead of honoredpraise, they very often hear themselves called melancholy, abstract andeven stolid, and it is equally usual to be mocked and misunderstood for acondition, although most worthy, by those who lack it, and rarely is someonerewarded and honored who is very different from the one who is to8 Following many happenings or chance events, or rather dependent on them.9 Here and in subsequent brackets are editor’s additions.10 Much of the profit following the acquisition of knowledge seems to depend on fortune,on which one does not willingly rely if first of all one must invest time and labor.11 Read: it is usual to expect little and coldly from medicine and law.12 Ambition is in fact the end that is no less common among the ambitious than gainis generally common to everybody.13 Malignly.14 The same thing is thought even of active and practical sciences, if they are at anexcellent level.15 It should be noted here that in Cesi’s view even the practical sciences rely on anecessary foundation of contemplation, and the more so the closer they come to theapex of their own perfection. This is a significant indication of the underlying ideal ofthe author.