Meditations — Page 10
In order to live in accord with nature, it is necessary to know what nature is; and to this end a threefold division of philosophy is made—into _Physics_, dealing with the universe and its laws, the problems of divine government and teleology; _Logic_, which trains the mind to discern true from false; and _Ethics_, which applies the knowledge thus gained and tested to practical life.
Pour vivre en accord avec la nature, il est nécessaire de savoir ce qu'est la nature ; et à cette fin, une division tripartite de la philosophie est établie — en _Physique_, traitant de l'univers et de ses lois, des problèmes du gouvernement divin et de la téléologie ; en _Logique_, qui entraîne l'esprit à discerner le vrai du faux ; et en _Éthique_, qui applique la connaissance ainsi acquise et éprouvée à la vie pratique.
The Stoic system of physics was materialism with an infusion of pantheism.
Le système stoïcien de physique était un matérialisme teinté de panthéisme.
In contradiction to Plato's view that the Ideas, or Prototypes, of phenomena alone really exist, the Stoics held that material objects alone existed; but immanent in the material universe was a spiritual force which acted through them, manifesting itself under many forms, as fire, æther, spirit, soul, reason, the ruling principle.
Contrairement à la conception de Platon selon laquelle seules les Idées, ou Prototypes, des phénomènes existent réellement, les Stoïciens soutenaient que seuls les objets matériels existaient ; mais immanente à l'univers matériel était une force spirituelle qui agissait à travers eux, se manifestant sous de nombreuses formes, comme le feu, l'éther, l'esprit, l'âme, la raison, le principe directeur.
The universe, then, is God, of whom the popular gods are manifestations; while legends and myths are allegorical.
L'univers, donc, est Dieu, dont les dieux populaires sont des manifestations ; tandis que les légendes et les mythes sont allégoriques.
The soul of man is thus an emanation from the godhead, into whom it will eventually be re-absorbed.
L'âme de l'homme est ainsi une émanation de la divinité, en laquelle elle sera finalement réabsorbée.
The divine ruling principle makes all things work together for good, but for the good of the whole.
Le principe directeur divin fait concourir toutes choses au bien, mais au bien de l'ensemble.
The highest good of man is consciously to work with God for the common good, and this is the sense in which the Stoic tried to live in accord with nature.
Le bien suprême de l'homme est de travailler consciemment avec Dieu pour le bien commun, et c'est en ce sens que le Stoïcien cherchait à vivre en accord avec la nature.
In the individual it is virtue alone which enables him to do this; as Providence rules the universe, so virtue in the soul must rule man.
Dans l'individu, c'est la vertu seule qui lui permet de le faire ; de même que la Providence gouverne l'univers, de même la vertu dans l'âme doit gouverner l'homme.
Vocabulary
- Pour
- poor — Preposition meaning 'for' or 'in order to'
- vivre
- veevr — To live, to be alive
- en
- ahn — Preposition meaning 'in' or 'while'
- accord
- ah-kor — Agreement, harmony, or accord with something
- avec
- ah-vek — Preposition meaning 'with'
- nature
- nah-tür — The natural world; inherent character of something
- est
- eh — Third-person singular of 'être'; means 'is'
- nécessaire
- neh-seh-sair — Necessary, required, or essential
- savoir
- sah-vwar — To know something; to have knowledge of
- ce
- suh — Demonstrative pronoun or adjective meaning 'this' or 'that'
- cette
- set — Feminine demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' or 'that'
- fin
- fan — End, purpose, or goal of something
- division
- dee-vee-zyohn — A separation into distinct parts or categories
- tripartite
- tree-par-teet — Divided into or consisting of three parts
- philosophie
- fee-loh-zoh-fee — The study of fundamental questions about existence and knowledge
- établie
- eh-tah-blee — Established, set up, or instituted formally
- _Physique_
- fee-zeek — Branch of philosophy dealing with the natural world
- traitant
- treh-tahn — Treating, dealing with, or addressing a subject
- univers
- ü-nee-vair — The universe; the totality of all existing things
- ses
- seh — Possessive adjective meaning 'his', 'her', or 'its'
- lois
- lwah — Laws, rules, or principles governing behavior or nature
- problèmes
- proh-blem — Problems, issues, or difficult questions to resolve
- gouvernement
- goo-vairn-mahn — Government; the system of ruling or administering a state
- divin
- dee-van — Divine; relating to or coming from God
- téléologie
- teh-leh-oh-loh-zhee — Study of purpose or design in natural phenomena
- _Logique_
- loh-zheek — Logic; the branch of philosophy studying valid reasoning
- entraîne
- ahn-tren — Trains, leads, or involves something or someone
- esprit
- eh-spree — Mind, spirit, or intellect of a person
- discerner
- dee-sair-neh — To discern, distinguish, or perceive differences clearly
- vrai
- vreh — True, real, or genuine
- faux
- foh — False, incorrect, or untrue
- _Éthique_
- eh-teek — Ethics; the branch of philosophy studying moral principles
- applique
- ah-pleek — Applies, puts into practice, or enforces something
- connaissance
- koh-neh-sahns — Knowledge, understanding, or awareness of something
- ainsi
- an-see — Thus, so, or in this way
- acquise
- ah-keez — Acquired, gained, or obtained through effort or experience
- éprouvée
- eh-proo-veh — Tested, proven, or verified through experience
- vie
- vee — Life; existence or way of living
- pratique
- prah-teek — Practical; relating to real action rather than theory
- système
- see-stem — A system; an organized set of connected principles or things
- stoïcien
- stoh-ee-syan — Stoic; relating to the ancient philosophical school of Stoicism
- physique
- fee-zeek — Physical; relating to matter or the natural world
- était
- eh-teh — Past tense of 'être'; was or used to be
- matérialisme
- mah-teh-ryah-leezm — Materialism; the view that only physical matter exists
- teinté
- tan-teh — Tinged, tinted, or colored by something
- panthéisme
- pahn-teh-eezm — Pantheism; the belief that God and the universe are identical
- Contrairement
- kohn-trair-mahn — Contrary to; in opposition or contrast to something
- conception
- kohn-sep-syohn — Conception, idea, or way of understanding something
- selon
- suh-lohn — According to; based on the view of someone
- laquelle
- lah-kel — Relative pronoun meaning 'which' referring to feminine noun
- seules
- suhl — Only, alone; feminine plural form of 'seul'
- Idées
- ee-deh — Ideas; in Platonic philosophy, perfect eternal forms
- Prototypes
- proh-toh-teep — Prototypes; original models or archetypes of things
- phénomènes
- feh-noh-men — Phenomena; observable events or facts in the world
- existent
- eg-zeest — Exist; to have real being or presence
- réellement
- reh-el-mahn — Really, truly, or actually in reality
- Stoïciens
- stoh-ee-syan — Stoics; followers of the ancient Stoic philosophical school
- soutenaient
- soo-teh-neh — Maintained, argued, or upheld a position or view
- seuls
- suhl — Only, alone; masculine plural form of 'seul'
- objets
- ob-zheh — Objects; material things that can be perceived
- matériels
- mah-teh-ryel — Material; consisting of or relating to physical matter
- existaient
- eg-zeest-eh — Existed; past tense of 'exister', to have being
- mais
- meh — Conjunction meaning 'but'
- immanente
- ee-mah-nahnt — Immanent; inherently present within the physical world
- matériel
- mah-teh-ryel — Material; physical substance or matter
- force
- fors — Force, strength, or power acting upon something
- spirituelle
- spee-ree-tü-el — Spiritual; relating to the spirit or non-material realm
- agissait
- ah-zhee-seh — Was acting or operating upon something; imperfect of 'agir'
- travers
- trah-vair — Through; across or by means of something
- eux
- uh — Third-person plural pronoun meaning 'them'
- manifestant
- mah-nee-fes-tahn — Manifesting; expressing or showing itself in various forms
- sous
- soo — Preposition meaning 'under' or 'in the form of'
- nombreuses
- nohm-bruhz — Numerous, many; a large number of things
- formes
- form — Forms, shapes, or manifestations of something
- comme
- kohm — Like, as, or such as; used for comparison
- feu
- fuh — Fire; one of the classical elements in ancient philosophy
- éther
- eh-tair — Ether; a subtle element filling the upper heavens
- âme
- ahm — Soul; the spiritual or immaterial part of a being
- raison
- reh-zohn — Reason; the faculty of rational thought and judgment
- principe
- pran-seep — Principle; a fundamental rule or guiding concept
- directeur
- dee-rek-tuhr — Director; guiding or governing principle or agent
- donc
- dohnk — Therefore, so, or consequently
- Dieu
- dyuh — God; the supreme divine being
- dont
- dohn — Relative pronoun meaning 'of which', 'whose', or 'from which'
- dieux
- dyuh — Gods; plural of 'dieu', multiple divine beings
- populaires
- poh-pü-lair — Popular; relating to or known by ordinary people
- sont
- sohn — Third-person plural of 'être'; means 'are'
- manifestations
- mah-nee-fes-tah-syohn — Manifestations; visible expressions or appearances of something
- tandis
- tahn-dee — While; used in 'tandis que' meaning 'whereas' or 'while'
- légendes
- leh-zhahnd — Legends; traditional stories passed down through generations
- mythes
- meet — Myths; traditional stories explaining natural or cultural phenomena
- allégoriques
- ah-leh-goh-reek — Allegorical; symbolic representations of deeper meanings
- homme
- ohm — Man; a human being or adult male person
- émanation
- eh-mah-nah-syohn — Emanation; something that flows out from a source
- divinité
- dee-vee-nee-teh — Divinity; the quality of being divine or a deity
- sera
- suh-rah — Future tense of 'être'; will be
- finalement
- fee-nal-mahn — Finally, ultimately, or in the end
- réabsorbée
- reh-ab-sor-beh — Reabsorbed; taken back into or merged with a whole
- fait
- feh — Makes, causes, or does; third-person of 'faire'
- concourir
- kohn-koo-reer — To contribute, cooperate, or work together toward a goal
- toutes
- toot — All; feminine plural form of 'tout'
- choses
- shohz — Things; objects or matters in general
- bien
- byan — Good; something morally right or beneficial
- ensemble
- ahn-sahmbl — Together; as a whole or collectively
- suprême
- sü-prem — Supreme; highest in authority, quality, or importance
- travailler
- trah-vah-yeh — To work; to exert effort toward a goal
- consciemment
- kohn-syah-mahn — Consciously; with deliberate awareness and intention
- pour
- poor — For; in order to achieve something
- commun
- koh-man — Common; shared by all, relating to the community
- sens
- sahn — Meaning, sense, or direction of something
- Stoïcien
- stoh-ee-syan — Stoic; a follower of Stoic philosophy
- cherchait
- shair-sheh — Was seeking or looking for something; imperfect of 'chercher'
- Dans
- dahn — Preposition meaning 'in' or 'within'
- individu
- an-dee-vee-dü — Individual; a single human being considered separately
- vertu
- vair-tü — Virtue; moral excellence or righteous quality of character
- seule
- suhl — Only, alone; feminine form of 'seul'
- lui
- lwee — Him, to him; third-person singular pronoun
- permet
- pair-meh — Allows, permits, or enables someone to do something
- faire
- fair — To do or to make something
- même
- mem — Same; even; very; used for emphasis or comparison
- Providence
- proh-vee-dahns — Providence; divine guidance or care over the world
- gouverne
- goo-vairn — Governs, rules, or directs something or someone
- dans
- dahn — Preposition meaning 'in' or 'within'
- doit
- dwah — Must, should; third-person of 'devoir', expressing obligation
- gouverner
- goo-vair-neh — To govern, rule, or control something or someone
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