Gerolamo Cardano (in Italian)

Описание: Mathematical online seminar of the University of Bologna, 17.02.2021

``It appears that knowledge possesses a kind of magic which is never understood by those not captured by this magic. I mean knowledge as the one of Cardano. He was definitely a great man despite all his mistakes, and without them he would be unmatched.'' (Leibniz)

Gerolamo Cardano is one of the most enigmatic and fascinating figures in the history of Italian thought.

Mathematician, doctor, philosopher and magician, a teacher beloved by his students, a writer of infinite generosity and with a prophetic gift, Gerolamo Cardano revolutionized algebra and founded probability.

``All these he knew ; untold renown
More glorious for the peril passed,
Flight, then the victory at last,
The pains of exile doffed the crown;'' (Alessandro Manzoni, ``The Fifth of May'')

The envy of colleagues at the University of Bologna; a fabricated prosecution; rescue from the gallows; support of Pope Gregory XIII, his former colleague in Alma Mater; almost complete oblivion at home (his works will come to light in France), posthumous glory and modern interest, ever growing.

In this introductory lecture we will review his dazzling biography and his fundamental contributions.