The Sickness of the World: Boccalini’s Prophecy for Our Time

 "The Sickness of the World: Boccalini’s Prophecy for Our Time"

 A General Reformation of the World  (77th section of Ragguagli di Parnaso):

The Setup:
Apollo, saddened by the number of human beings killing themselves (out of despair over how bad the world has gotten), summons the wisest philosophers of all time — Plato, Aristotle, Socrates, and others — to form a grand committee.
Their mission:

"Investigate the sickness of mankind, propose remedies, and find a way to cure the world."

The Philosophers’ Investigation:
The committee studies the world thoroughly. They investigate governments, commerce, religion, justice, social life — all human affairs.

Their Findings:

  • Greed rules all sectors: Merchants deceive; officials accept bribes; religious leaders chase wealth.
  • Governments protect special interests: Protective tariffs, monopolies, unfair taxation schemes benefit a few while crushing the many.
  • Usury and debt trap the common people: The rich grow richer lending at ruinous rates; the poor drown in debt.
  • Laws serve power, not justice: Legal systems are complex by design, so truth gets lost in technicalities.
  • Vanity and pride govern hearts: People crave fame and fortune more than virtue.
  • Genuine wisdom and virtue are mocked: Honest men are poor and despised; flatterers and deceivers rise to power.

The Proposed Remedies:
The philosophers come up with many "reforms" — but every suggestion is weighed down by this reality:

"Those in power will never willingly surrender their advantage, and the masses, corrupted by long abuse, will resist true reform."

Thus, every solution seems impossible without a total collapse.

The Final Conclusion:
After much sorrowful debate, the committee reports to Apollo:

"The diseases of mankind are so deep-rooted that only through long suffering, painful disasters, and bitter experience might humanity slowly, painfully recover."

In other words: There is no shortcut to saving humanity.

  • Wisdom cannot be legislated.
  • Justice cannot be forced from corrupt hearts.
  • Only time, hardship, and catastrophe can cleanse and teach.

Apollo accepts their judgment — but, disheartened, he retreats to his palace in mourning for the fate of mankind.

Key Takeaway (and why it feels so modern):
Boccalini shows that all the reforms and ideas in the world are powerless against human greed and vanity unless there is an inner change — and sadly, suffering seems to be the only teacher powerful enough to spark that change.

It feels like what we’re watching today: endless plans, endless debates — but deeper problems (greed, pride, division) prevent any real, lasting cure.


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