  In promoting (whenever possible) the value of happiness in all circumstances of human life, Cardano does not intend to humour any human tendency to self-delusion. On the contrary, he sees his effort to dispel false beliefs and to curb proclivities to self-deception as his main contribution to moral philosophy, for there is no greater merit than “to free mankind from false opinions” (De utilitate, OO, II, 26a). Indeed, sometimes he goes so far as to criticize Averroes’ notion of mental happiness as a form of entertaining false hopes (in this case, the hope to achieve intellectual bliss). Cardano thinks that the principal task of a moral philosopher should be that of freeing the mind from misapprehensions and prejudices: “There are many people who prefer to be happy in a mistaken way rather than acknowledge the reality of their affairs and their condition” (De utilitate, OO, II, 24b). As already said, mental securitas cannot be premised on forms of self-distraction and self-delusion, which turn our mind away from the causes of our discontent. A good physician would never try to assuage the pain of the patient by recommending him to buy “paintings and precious stones” (Theonoston, OO, II, 307a). Cardano’s method of drawing profit from adversities is therefore an attempt to promote endurance while insisting on a courageous acceptance of the human condition.