Cardano vestito alla francese : dal "Proxeneta" a "La science du monde"

The Science du monde (first edition, Paris, 1645) is known as the mid-16th century French translation of Girolamo Cardano’s Proxeneta, the work edited posthumously in Latin (first edition, Lyon, 1627) concerning civil life, from a theorical and practical perspective. The Science du monde is not exactly a translation, but rather a paraphrase of the Latin text: it alters both the formal structure of the 1627 work, and its content. Leaving in the background the cultural context and other French readings of Cardano, the essay compares the The Science du monde (first edition, Paris, 1645) is known as the mid-16th century French translation of Girolamo Cardano’s Proxeneta, the work edited posthumously in Latin (first edition, Lyon, 1627) concerning civil life, from a theorical and practical perspective. The Science du monde is not exactly a translation, but rather a paraphrase of the Latin text with the French text, thus showing similarities and differences with special reference to the method underlying the two works, the nature and role of the proxeneta. Consistent with Cardano’s autobiographycal point of view, the Proxeneta is a handbook for the social survival of the individual, to maintain and increase his «potestas». The Science du monde is a handbook of codes of conduct for the honnête homme. It aims at being a science of opinion and persuasion, searching for objectivity in the domain of subjectivity