Summa Philosohpica

[The Florentine Exile]

Having trouble translating the following. I've highlighted the specific part I find difficult.

Ratio autem veritatis cognitione perficitur; unde in nobis innatus sciendi appetitus nobilissimus, ad quem explendum philosophia ordinatur, nedum disserendo de mundo corporeo, sed penetrando animam nostram ut dictet unde sit, quid sit, et ad quem finem naturaliter tendat, et postea elevando mentem nostram ad contemplationem rationum omnium...

Reason, however, is perfected by the knowledge of truth; whence there is in us a most noble, innate desire to know, towards which philosophy is ordered to satisfy: much less by treating of the corporeal world, but penetrating the soul that it may dictate from whence it is, what it is, and to what end it naturally tends to; and afterwards by elevating our mind to the contemplation of the reasons (natures maybe) of everything...

In summary, the nedum part is tripping me up. I'd appreciate the help.

 

[Glabrigausapes]

Damn this stuff. Dunno how you guys can read it!

I take it as emphatically concessive, to be correlated with sed. Yet another ‘hedge’ to clarify meaning.
‘that it (philosophy) might express (ut dictet), not so much by treating (nedum disserendo) of the corporeal world, but rather (sed) by penetrating the soul...

Functionally, the particle dum is both temporal and concessive (that is both ‘while’ and ‘although’) at the same time.

 

[Matthaeus]

Damn this stuff. Dunno how you guys can read it!

Scias me eiusmodi scripta multo facilius quam poetica legere posse, quae mihi semel atque iterum difficultates praebent. :|