Meditations — Page 12
It is probable that no Stoic claimed for himself that he was this Wise Man, but that each strove after it as an ideal much as the Christian strives after a likeness to Christ.
È probabile che nessuno Stoico abbia mai affermato di essere questo Saggio, ma che ciascuno lo perseguisse come un ideale, così come il cristiano aspira alla somiglianza con Cristo.
The exaggeration in this statement was, however, so obvious, that the later Stoics were driven to make a further subdivision of things indifferent into what is preferable (προηγμένα) and what is undesirable (ἀποπροηγμένα).
L'esagerazione in questa affermazione era, tuttavia, così evidente, che i tardi Stoici furono spinti a operare un'ulteriore suddivisione delle cose indifferenti in ciò che è preferibile (προηγμένα) e ciò che è indesiderabile (ἀποπροηγμένα).
They also held that for him who had not attained to the perfect wisdom, certain actions were proper.
Sostenevano inoltre che per colui che non aveva raggiunto la saggezza perfetta, certe azioni fossero appropriate.
(καθήκοντα) These were neither virtuous nor vicious, but, like the indifferent things, held a middle place.
(καθήκοντα) Queste non erano né virtuose né viziose, ma, come le cose indifferenti, occupavano una posizione intermedia.
Two points in the Stoic system deserve special mention.
Due punti del sistema stoico meritano una menzione particolare.
One is a careful distinction between things which are in our power and things which are not.
Uno è una distinzione accurata tra le cose che sono in nostro potere e quelle che non lo sono.
Desire and dislike, opinion and affection, are within the power of the will; whereas health, wealth, honour, and other such are generally not so.
Il desiderio e l'avversione, l'opinione e l'affetto, rientrano nel potere della volontà; mentre la salute, la ricchezza, l'onore e altre cose simili generalmente non vi rientrano.
The Stoic was called upon to control his desires and affections, and to guide his opinion; to bring his whole being under the sway of the will or leading principle, just as the universe is guided and governed by divine Providence.
Lo Stoico era chiamato a controllare i propri desideri e affetti, e a guidare la propria opinione; a porre il proprio intero essere sotto il dominio della volontà o principio guida, proprio come l'universo è guidato e governato dalla divina Provvidenza.
This is a special application of the favourite Greek virtue of moderation, (σωφροσύνη) and has also its parallel in Christian ethics.
Questa è un'applicazione particolare della virtù greca prediletta della moderazione, (σωφροσύνη) e trova il suo parallelo anche nell'etica cristiana.
The second point is a strong insistence on the unity of the universe, and on man's duty as part of a great whole.
Il secondo punto è una forte insistenza sull'unità dell'universo e sul dovere dell'uomo in quanto parte di un grande tutto.
Vocabulary
- probabile
- Likely, probable; expressing possibility or likelihood
- che
- That, which, who; common conjunction or relative pronoun
- nessuno
- Nobody, no one; indicates absence of any person
- Stoico
- Stoic; relating to the ancient philosophical school of Stoicism
- abbia
- Subjunctive form of 'avere'; to have
- mai
- Never, ever; used in negations or questions about time
- affermato
- Affirmed, stated, declared; past participle of 'affermare'
- essere
- To be; fundamental Italian auxiliary and linking verb
- questo
- This; demonstrative adjective or pronoun indicating nearby thing
- Saggio
- Wise man, sage; a person of great wisdom
- ma
- But; conjunction indicating contrast or opposition
- ciascuno
- Each one, everyone; referring to every individual separately
- lo
- Him, it; masculine singular direct object pronoun
- perseguisse
- Pursued; imperfect subjunctive of 'perseguire'
- come
- As, like, how; used for comparison or manner
- ideale
- Ideal; a standard or principle of perfection to strive for
- così
- So, thus, in this way; adverb of manner
- cristiano
- Christian; a follower of the Christian religion
- aspira
- Aspires, yearns; third person singular of 'aspirare'
- somiglianza
- Resemblance, likeness, similarity between two things
- con
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or means
- esagerazione
- Exaggeration; overstating or magnifying beyond the truth
- questa
- This; feminine singular demonstrative adjective or pronoun
- affermazione
- Affirmation, statement, assertion; a declared proposition
- era
- Was; third person singular imperfect of 'essere'
- tuttavia
- Nevertheless, yet, however; indicates contrast or concession
- evidente
- Evident, obvious, clear; easily seen or understood
- tardi
- Late; later Stoics referring to later period thinkers
- Stoici
- Stoics; plural of Stoico, philosophers of the Stoic school
- furono
- Were; third person plural past tense of 'essere'
- spinti
- Pushed, driven, compelled; past participle of 'spingere'
- operare
- To operate, to make, to carry out an action
- ulteriore
- Further, additional; going beyond what already exists
- suddivisione
- Subdivision, further division into smaller categories or groups
- cose
- Things; plural of 'cosa', general reference to objects or matters
- indifferenti
- Indifferent things; neither good nor bad in Stoic ethics
- ciò
- That, this, what; neutral demonstrative pronoun
- preferibile
- Preferable; more desirable or suitable than the alternative
- indesiderabile
- Undesirable; not wanted or wished for; to be avoided
- Sostenevano
- They maintained, upheld; imperfect of 'sostenere'
- inoltre
- Furthermore, moreover, in addition; adds information
- colui
- He who, that man; formal demonstrative pronoun
- aveva
- Had; third person singular imperfect of 'avere'
- raggiunto
- Reached, attained; past participle of 'raggiungere'
- saggezza
- Wisdom; the quality of having deep knowledge and judgment
- perfetta
- Perfect; complete, flawless, without defect
- certe
- Certain, some; indicating specific but unspecified things
- azioni
- Actions, deeds; things done or performed by someone
- fossero
- Were; imperfect subjunctive third person plural of 'essere'
- appropriate
- Appropriate, fitting; suitable for the context or person
- Queste
- These; feminine plural demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- erano
- Were; third person plural imperfect of 'essere'
- né
- Neither, nor; used in negative correlative constructions
- virtuose
- Virtuous; morally excellent, embodying virtue
- viziose
- Vicious, corrupt; morally flawed or depraved
- occupavano
- Occupied, held; imperfect of 'occupare'
- posizione
- Position, place, stance; location or standpoint
- intermedia
- Intermediate, middle; situated between two extremes
- Due
- Two; the cardinal number 2
- punti
- Points; key aspects or specific topics under discussion
- sistema
- System; an organized set of principles or doctrines
- stoico
- Stoic; relating to the philosophy of Stoicism
- meritano
- Deserve, merit; third person plural of 'meritare'
- menzione
- Mention; a brief reference to something
- particolare
- Particular, special; distinct from others, noteworthy
- distinzione
- Distinction; a difference or contrast between two things
- accurata
- Accurate, careful, precise; done with great attention
- tra
- Between, among; preposition indicating position or relation
- sono
- Are; first or third person plural present of 'essere'
- nostro
- Our; first person plural possessive adjective
- potere
- Power, ability; also the verb 'to be able to'
- quelle
- Those; feminine plural demonstrative pronoun or adjective
- desiderio
- Desire, wish, longing; a strong feeling of wanting something
- avversione
- Aversion, dislike; strong feeling against something
- opinione
- Opinion; a personal view or judgment about something
- affetto
- Affection, feeling; emotional attachment or sentiment
- rientrano
- Fall under, belong to; third person plural of 'rientrare'
- volontà
- Will, volition; the power or capacity to make choices
- mentre
- While, whereas; temporal or contrastive conjunction
- salute
- Health; the state of being well physically or mentally
- ricchezza
- Wealth, richness; abundance of valuable possessions or money
- onore
- Honor; high respect, esteem, or moral integrity
- altre
- Other; feminine plural of 'altro', additional things
- simili
- Similar; alike, comparable, of the same kind
- generalmente
- Generally, usually; in most cases or typically
- vi
- There, you; locative pronoun or reflexive particle
- Lo
- Him, it; masculine singular direct object pronoun
- chiamato
- Called; past participle of 'chiamare', to call or name
- controllare
- To control, to check; to have power over something
- propri
- Own; masculine plural of 'proprio', belonging to oneself
- desideri
- Desires, wishes; plural of 'desiderio'
- affetti
- Feelings, affections; plural of 'affetto'
- guidare
- To guide, to lead, to direct someone or something
- propria
- Own; feminine singular of 'proprio', belonging to oneself
- porre
- To place, to put; to set or position something
- proprio
- Own; belonging to oneself; also used as an intensifier
- intero
- Entire, whole; complete, not divided or lacking anything
- sotto
- Under, below; preposition indicating subordinate position
- dominio
- Dominion, control; authority or power over something
- principio
- Principle, beginning; fundamental rule or starting point
- guida
- Guide, guidance; something or someone that leads
- universo
- Universe; all existing matter, space, and the cosmos
- guidato
- Guided, led; past participle of 'guidare'
- governato
- Governed, ruled; past participle of 'governare'
- divina
- Divine; of or relating to God or a deity
- Provvidenza
- Providence; divine guidance and care over the universe
- Questa
- This; feminine singular demonstrative adjective or pronoun
- applicazione
- Application; the act of applying a principle or concept
- virtù
- Virtue; moral excellence, goodness, or positive quality
- greca
- Greek; feminine form of 'greco', relating to Greece
- prediletta
- Favorite, preferred; most loved or chosen above others
- moderazione
- Moderation; the quality of avoiding excess or extremes
- trova
- Finds; third person singular present of 'trovare'
- suo
- His, her, its; third person singular possessive adjective
- parallelo
- Parallel; a corresponding or analogous element or concept
- anche
- Also, too, even; adds emphasis or inclusion
- etica
- Ethics; the branch of philosophy dealing with moral principles
- cristiana
- Christian; feminine adjective relating to Christianity
- secondo
- Second; the ordinal number two or 'according to'
- punto
- Point; a specific aspect, detail, or topic
- forte
- Strong; powerful, intense, or emphatic
- insistenza
- Insistence; persistent emphasis or stress on something
- unità
- Unity; the state of being united or forming a whole
- dovere
- Duty, obligation; also the verb 'to have to/must'
- uomo
- Man, human being; an adult male or humanity in general
- quanto
- As, how much, insofar as; used for comparisons
- parte
- Part; a portion of a larger whole
- grande
- Great, large, big; of considerable size or importance
- tutto
- All, everything, the whole; totality without exception
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