Il natural desiderio di sapere - Pontifical Academy of Sciences

ON THE NATURAL DESIRE FOR KNOWLEDGE 115the longed for truth, are seen today to be very far removed from moststudents and literati. One serves oneself of the authority of this or thatancient scholar, in support of this or that sect. Hence, while only thosethings philosophized by others are apprehended and the fruits of otherintellects enjoyed, with the laziness and sterility of our own, we thusreduce ourselves to being philodoxers 38 instead of philosophers: nor is itany wonder if someone, seeing us place the nullity of privation as a positiveprinciple of all bodies that really exist, 39 should mock us with thetitle of privatetics, truly deprived of science.This impassioned affection for the authors, once expressly prohibited byAristotle, now so exquisitely followed by the Aristotelians, impedes not onlythe necessary reading of the book of the universe, 40 but also of any bookwhich has not come out of the favorite sect and its dear maestros; thus thereremains much less hope that, lending our ears also to the contemplations ofothers, we can manumit our subjugated intellect; thus we remain totallyimpeded in the acquisition of wisdom, 41 of which lackings, for the informationof scholars, we speak more fully in our Libri delle filosofiche querele. 42We must also observe that even the university degree, instituted toadorn the attainment of the sciences and thus to serve as an incitementto it, as one sees it indifferently crowning all those who finish the coursewithout any regard whatsoever either for how they arrived there, orwhether limping or walking straight, comes to be placed as a goal and aterminus, ordinarily, to the studious labors of each, either because hedoesn’t believe there is anything else to know, or because he doesn’t seeany other grade of approval in literature 43 which, if he were to go on,would declare him greater than those who were content to stop. So thedoctorate 44 often truncates for many the way of knowledge in such a man-38 Lovers of opinion.39 Read: seeing us place that nullity which is privation as the effective principle ofreal bodies. Privation (stéresis) is a technical term from the Aristotelian tradition; cf.Metaphysics, V, 22, 1022b 22; Physics, I, 7, 191a 7.40 Cf. note 26 above.41 Read: we remain impeded in the acquisition of wisdom because there is almostno hope that, thanks to having also given attention to other philosophers, we are able toliberate our imprisoned intellect.42 The Libri delle filosofiche querele are apparently one of Cesi’s numerous projects,about which we have been unable to find more precise references.43 University degree.44 The title of doctor used for all those with a university degree.