086768
Cambridge, Massachusetts - London
2001
15,5×23,5
meki
284
engleski
Cijena: 18,00 EUR
In this book historian Anthony Grafton explores the life and work of Girolamo Cardano (1501–1576), an Italian polymath who was one of the most prominent physicians, mathematicians, and astrologers of his time. Grafton portrays astrology not as superstition but as a rigorous intellectual discipline that served as a key tool for understanding nature, politics, and human destiny in the 16th century. Grafton argues that Cardano approached astrology with an empirical fervor, attempting to bring order to the chaos of everyday life using quantitative models similar to those used by economists today. The book traces Cardano's rise from writing astrological pamphlets to advising the European elite. Astrologers at the time predicted everything from the outcome of wars and investment risks to the weather. The central theme is Cardano's attempt to use the stars to decipher the logic of his own past and predict the future, which he described in detail in his candid and modern autobiography, De vita propria. Because of his astrological claims, including the creation of a horoscope for Jesus Christ, Cardano came under investigation by the Inquisition and was forced to withdraw from public teaching. Grafton analyzes how Cardano and his contemporaries adapted ancient astrological knowledge to the new age of printing and marketing, creating the first mass-produced astrological manuals.
