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On Liberty — Page 13

English → Fr Preface Level 9/10

She pointed out the need of such a chapter, and the extreme imperfection of the book without it; she was the cause of my writing it.

Elle fit remarquer la nécessité d'un tel chapitre, et l'extrême imperfection du livre sans celui-ci ; elle fut la cause de sa rédaction par moi.

From this it would appear that she gave Mill that tendency to Socialism which, while it lends a progressive spirit to his speculations on politics, at the same time does not manifestly accord with his earlier advocacy of peasant proprietorships.

Il semblerait ainsi qu'elle ait donné à Mill cette tendance au socialisme qui, tout en prêtant un esprit progressiste à ses spéculations sur la politique, ne s'accorde pas manifestement avec sa défense antérieure des propriétés paysannes.

Nor, again, is it, on the face of it, consistent with those doctrines of individual liberty which, aided by the intellectual companionship of his wife, he propounded in a later work.

De même, en apparence, cela ne s'accorde pas avec ces doctrines de la liberté individuelle que, aidé par la compagnie intellectuelle de son épouse, il exposa dans un ouvrage ultérieur.

The ideal of individual freedom is not the ideal of Socialism, just as that invocation of governmental aid to which the Socialist resorts is not consistent with the theory of _laisser-faire_.

L'idéal de la liberté individuelle n'est pas l'idéal du socialisme, tout comme le recours à l'aide gouvernementale auquel le socialiste a recours n'est pas compatible avec la théorie du _laisser-faire_.

Yet _Liberty_ was planned by Mill and his wife in concert.

Pourtant, _La Liberté_ fut conçue par Mill et son épouse de concert.

Perhaps a slight visionariness of speculation was no less the attribute of Mrs. Mill than an absence of rigid logical principles.

Peut-être un léger caractère visionnaire dans la spéculation était-il tout autant l'attribut de Mme Mill qu'une absence de principes logiques rigides.

Be this as it may, she undoubtedly checked the half-recognised leanings of her husband in the direction of Coleridge and Carlyle.

Quoi qu'il en soit, elle freina sans aucun doute les penchants à demi reconnus de son mari en direction de Coleridge et de Carlyle.

Whether this was an instance of her steadying influence,[5] or whether it added one more unassimilated element to Mill's diverse intellectual sustenance, may be wisely left an open question.

Que ce fût là un exemple de son influence stabilisatrice,[5] ou que cela ait ajouté un élément supplémentaire non assimilé à la nourriture intellectuelle diverse de Mill, il serait sage de laisser la question ouverte.

We cannot, however, be wrong in attributing to her the parentage of one book of Mill, _The Subjection of Women_.

Nous ne pouvons cependant pas nous tromper en lui attribuant la paternité d'un ouvrage de Mill, _L'Assujettissement des femmes_.

Vocabulary

fit
Past tense of 'faire'; made or did something.
remarquer
To notice or point out something to someone.
nécessité
Necessity; the state of being absolutely required.
tel
Such; of that kind or degree.
chapitre
A chapter in a book or document.
extrême
Extreme; very great in degree or intensity.
imperfection
A flaw or deficiency; state of being imperfect.
livre
A book; a written or printed literary work.
sans
Preposition meaning 'without'.
celui-ci
Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this one' (masculine).
fut
Simple past of 'être'; was, in formal or literary style.
cause
Cause; the reason or origin of something.
rédaction
Writing or drafting of a text or document.
semblerait
Conditional form of 'sembler'; would seem or appear.
ainsi
Thus; in this way or therefore.
ait
Subjunctive form of 'avoir'; has, used in dependent clauses.
donné
Past participle of 'donner'; given something to someone.
tendance
A tendency or inclination toward something.
socialisme
Socialism; political doctrine advocating collective ownership.
tout
All, every, or entirely; used as adjective or adverb.
prêtant
Present participle of 'prêter'; lending or attributing to something.
esprit
Mind, spirit, or wit; intellectual quality or character.
progressiste
Progressive; favoring reform and social advancement.
spéculations
Speculations; theoretical ideas or intellectual conjectures.
politique
Politics or policy; relating to government and society.
accorde
Agrees or is consistent with; from 'accorder'.
manifestement
Manifestly; obviously or clearly to any observer.
défense
Defense or advocacy; protection or support of something.
antérieure
Earlier or prior; referring to a preceding time or position.
propriétés
Properties; things owned, especially land or real estate.
paysannes
Peasant (feminine plural); relating to rural farming people.
même
Same; equally, likewise, used for emphasis or comparison.
apparence
Appearance; the outward look or impression of something.
cela
Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'that' or 'this thing'.
doctrines
Doctrines; sets of beliefs or principles taught or held.
liberté
Liberty or freedom; the state of being free.
individuelle
Individual; relating to or characteristic of one person.
aidé
Past participle of 'aider'; helped or assisted someone.
compagnie
Company; companionship or a group of people together.
intellectuelle
Intellectual; relating to the use of the mind and reason.
épouse
Spouse or wife; a woman married to someone.
exposa
Simple past of 'exposer'; presented or set forth ideas.
ouvrage
A work, especially a literary or scholarly publication.
ultérieur
Later or subsequent; coming after in time or order.
idéal
Ideal; a standard of perfection or an ultimate goal.
recours
Recourse; the act of turning to for help or assistance.
aide
Help or assistance provided to someone in need.
gouvernementale
Governmental; relating to or provided by a government.
auquel
Relative pronoun 'à lequel'; to which or to whom.
socialiste
Socialist; a person or idea advocating collective ownership.
compatible
Compatible; able to exist or work together harmoniously.
théorie
Theory; a set of ideas explaining something systematically.
_laisser-faire_
Laissez-faire; policy of minimal government economic intervention.
Pourtant
However or yet; used to introduce a contrasting statement.
conçue
Past participle of 'concevoir'; conceived or developed together.
concert
Concert; agreement or joint action between people.
Peut-être
Perhaps or maybe; expressing uncertainty or possibility.
léger
Light or slight; not heavy or serious in degree.
caractère
Character; the nature or distinctive quality of something.
visionnaire
Visionary; impractically idealistic or dreamily speculative.
spéculation
Speculation; theoretical thinking beyond established facts.
autant
As much or as many; used for comparison in quantity.
attribut
An attribute; a quality or characteristic belonging to someone.
absence
Absence; the lack or nonexistence of something.
principes
Principles; fundamental rules or beliefs guiding behavior.
logiques
Logical; based on clear reasoning and valid arguments.
rigides
Rigid; strict, inflexible, not easily changed or bent.
Quoi
What; used as an interrogative or relative pronoun.
soit
Subjunctive form of 'être'; be, used in formal expressions.
freina
Simple past of 'freiner'; restrained or slowed down something.
aucun
No, none, or not any; negates a noun entirely.
doute
Doubt; uncertainty or lack of conviction about something.
penchants
Inclinations or tendencies; natural leanings toward something.
demi
Half; partly or incompletely acknowledged or recognized.
reconnus
Recognized or acknowledged; admitted to be true or valid.
mari
Husband; a man who is married to someone.
direction
Direction; the path or tendency toward something or someone.
fût
Imperfect subjunctive of 'être'; were, in formal literary use.
exemple
Example; an instance that illustrates or clarifies something.
influence
Influence; the power to affect someone or something.
stabilisatrice
Stabilizing; having the effect of making something stable.
ajouté
Past participle of 'ajouter'; added or introduced additionally.
élément
Element; a component or part of a larger whole.
supplémentaire
Additional or supplementary; extra beyond what is standard.
assimilé
Assimilated; absorbed or integrated into a larger whole.
nourriture
Food or nourishment; sustenance taken in by a person.
diverse
Diverse or varied; consisting of many different elements.
serait
Conditional form of 'être'; would be, indicating hypothetical.
sage
Wise; showing good judgment and prudence in decisions.
laisser
To leave or let; to allow something to remain or happen.
question
Question; a matter or issue raised for discussion.
ouverte
Open; not closed or settled, left unresolved deliberately.
pouvons
First person plural present of 'pouvoir'; we can or are able.
cependant
However or nevertheless; introduces a contrasting thought.
tromper
To deceive or be mistaken; to make an error in judgment.
attribuant
Present participle of 'attribuer'; attributing or assigning credit.
paternité
Authorship or paternity; origin or creation of something.
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