Il natural desiderio di sapere - Pontifical Academy of Sciences

ON THE NATURAL DESIRE FOR KNOWLEDGE 121cine or theology, remaining in philosophy only as long as necessary, 56 andrushing through it as quickly as possible.There will remain only a very few who wish to attend to these sciencesand studies to later profess them, but with an end, however, differentfrom the others, who propose either to attain a public chair with stipendor a place of maintenance under some prince or other; hence, not aimingat knowledge, but at the above-mentioned gains and comforts, it is nowonder if they do not achieve the former, and in these yet again the naturaldesire is not well satisfied.If they pretend or possess public lecture, 57 they seek always with newreasons to acquire great name and authority in order to attain or maintainit, and their aim is more in appearing than in being, and at having fame ofdoctrine rather than knowledge, and because this has to come to them fromthose who do not know, and particularly from the attendance and applauseof their auditors, the one and the other are obtained by giving pleasure tothese and by pulling out only famous and sonorous dogmas, not caring ifthe opinions are true or not, but rather that they be plausible, magisterial,authorized by the most commonly held opinions of the reigning sect.Giving satisfaction to the students usually means such a desire to have areputation for benevolence that, 58 throwing off all magisterial authority, onecompetes with them in games, pranks, vain entertainments, or better, theyare received with cheery banquets and farcical conversations and fromsuperior one becomes even inferior to them to the point of going to receivethem at home and taking them to the lesson and then taking them back andsimilar compliments and ways belonging more to courtship than to studyand as alien to the acquisition of knowledge as anyone can consider.The position at the service of princes, on the other hand, is all courtliness;the grace of the master and of the entire court is sought after withcontinual arts 59 along with the reputation of knowing very much, and it isvery dangerous for the honored rank of philosopher to fall into the mostvile role of the parasite, clown, or at least adulator, as is well representedfor us by Aristippus. 60 Admiration is sought from those who ordinarily56 As required by the curriculum studiorum or program of study.57 If they desire or already hold a public chair.58 Construction: ‘To have a reputation for benevolence it is usual to have such a greatdesire to give satisfaction to the students that’, etc.59 Artifices or cunnings.60 As is symbolized by the figure of Aristippo. Cf. Dyogenes Laertius, Lives of thePhilosophers, II, 65 ff.