On the Method of Zadig: Essay #1 from "Science and Hebrew Tradition" — Page 1
Produced by D. R. Thompson
Erstellt von D. R. Thompson
ON THE METHOD OF ZADIG
ÜBER DIE METHODE DES ZADIG
ESSAY #1 FROM "SCIENCE AND HEBREW TRADITION"
ESSAY NR. 1 AUS „WISSENSCHAFT UND HEBRÄISCHE TRADITION"
By Thomas Henry Huxley
Von Thomas Henry Huxley
RETROSPECTIVE PROPHECY AS A FUNCTION OF SCIENCE
RETROSPEKTIVE PROPHEZEIUNG ALS FUNKTION DER WISSENSCHAFT
"Une marque plus sure que toutes celles de Zadig." [1]--Cuvier.
„Une marque plus sure que toutes celles de Zadig." [1] – Cuvier.
It is an usual and a commendable practice to preface the discussion of the views of a philosophic thinker by some account of the man and of the circumstances which shaped his life and coloured his way of looking at things; but, though Zadig is cited in one of the most important chapters of Cuvier's greatest work, little is known about him, and that little might perhaps be better authenticated than it is.
Es ist eine übliche und lobenswerte Praxis, die Erörterung der Ansichten eines philosophischen Denkers mit einer Beschreibung des Mannes und der Umstände einzuleiten, die sein Leben geprägt und seine Betrachtungsweise der Dinge beeinflusst haben; doch obwohl Zadig in einem der wichtigsten Kapitel von Cuviers bedeutendstem Werk zitiert wird, ist wenig über ihn bekannt, und selbst dieses Wenige könnte vielleicht besser belegt sein, als es tatsächlich ist.
It is said that he lived at Babylon in the time of King Moabdar; but the name of Moabdar does not appear in the list of Babylonian sovereigns brought to light by the patience and the industry of the decipherers of cuneiform inscriptions in these later years; nor indeed am I aware that there is any other authority for his existence than that of the biographer of Zadig, one Arouet de Voltaire, among whose more conspicuous merits strict historical accuracy is perhaps hardly to be reckoned.
Es heißt, er habe zu Babylon zur Zeit des Königs Moabdar gelebt; doch erscheint der Name Moabdar nicht in der Liste der babylonischen Herrscher, die durch die Geduld und den Fleiß der Entzifferer von Keilschriftinschriften in den späteren Jahren ans Licht gebracht wurde; noch bin ich mir bewusst, dass es irgendeine andere Grundlage für seine Existenz gäbe als die des Biographen des Zadig, eines gewissen Arouet de Voltaire, zu dessen auffälligeren Verdiensten strenge historische Genauigkeit wohl kaum zu zählen ist.
Happily Zadig is in the position of a great many other philosophers.
Glücklicherweise befindet sich Zadig in der Lage sehr vieler anderer Philosophen.
What he was like when he was in the flesh, indeed whether he existed at all, are matters of no great consequence.
Wie er in Wirklichkeit war, ja ob er überhaupt existiert hat, sind Fragen von keiner großen Bedeutung.
Vocabulary
- Erstellt
- Created or produced by someone
- von
- Preposition meaning 'by' or 'from'
- ÜBER
- Preposition meaning 'about' or 'over'
- DIE
- Definite article 'the' (feminine/plural)
- METHODE
- Method or systematic procedure for doing something
- DES
- Genitive definite article meaning 'of the'
- ESSAY
- Short written piece on a specific topic
- NR
- Abbreviation for 'Nummer' meaning 'number'
- AUS
- Preposition meaning 'from' or 'out of'
- WISSENSCHAFT
- Science or systematic academic knowledge and study
- UND
- Conjunction meaning 'and'
- HEBRÄISCHE
- Adjective meaning 'Hebrew', relating to Hebrew culture
- TRADITION
- Cultural or religious practice passed down through generations
- Von
- Preposition meaning 'by' or 'from'
- RETROSPEKTIVE
- Looking back at past events or developments
- PROPHEZEIUNG
- Prophecy or prediction about future events
- ALS
- Conjunction or preposition meaning 'as' or 'than'
- FUNKTION
- Function or role something plays in a system
- DER
- Definite article 'the' (masculine/genitive)
- Es
- Neuter pronoun meaning 'it'
- ist
- Third-person singular form of 'sein' (to be)
- eine
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an' (feminine)
- übliche
- Usual or customary, commonly practiced
- und
- Conjunction meaning 'and'
- lobenswerte
- Praiseworthy or commendable, deserving of praise
- Praxis
- Practice or practical application of an idea
- die
- Definite article 'the' (feminine/plural)
- Erörterung
- Discussion or detailed examination of a topic
- der
- Definite article 'the' (masculine/genitive)
- Ansichten
- Views or opinions held by a person
- eines
- Genitive indefinite article meaning 'of a'
- philosophischen
- Philosophical, relating to philosophy and thinking
- Denkers
- Thinker's, genitive form of 'Denker' (thinker)
- mit
- Preposition meaning 'with'
- einer
- Dative/genitive indefinite article meaning 'a' (feminine)
- Beschreibung
- Description or detailed account of something
- des
- Genitive definite article meaning 'of the'
- Mannes
- Genitive form of 'Mann', meaning 'of the man'
- Umstände
- Circumstances or conditions surrounding a situation
- einzuleiten
- To introduce or initiate something formally
- sein
- Possessive pronoun 'his' or infinitive 'to be'
- Leben
- Life or the course of one's existence
- geprägt
- Shaped or influenced, marked by experience
- seine
- Possessive pronoun meaning 'his' (feminine/plural form)
- Betrachtungsweise
- Way of viewing or approaching something analytically
- Dinge
- Things or objects in a general sense
- beeinflusst
- Influenced or affected by something or someone
- haben
- To have; auxiliary verb used in perfect tense
- doch
- However or yet, used as a contrasting conjunction
- obwohl
- Although or even though, concessive conjunction
- in
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'within'
- einem
- Dative indefinite article meaning 'a' (neuter/masculine)
- wichtigsten
- Most important, superlative of 'wichtig'
- Kapitel
- Chapter of a book or document
- bedeutendstem
- Most significant or most important (dative superlative)
- Werk
- Work or major written or artistic creation
- zitiert
- Cited or quoted from a source
- wird
- Third-person singular of 'werden', meaning 'is/becomes'
- wenig
- Little or not much of something
- über
- Preposition meaning 'about', 'over', or 'above'
- ihn
- Accusative pronoun meaning 'him'
- bekannt
- Known or familiar to people generally
- selbst
- Even or oneself, used for emphasis
- dieses
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this' (neuter)
- Wenige
- The little that is known; a small amount
- könnte
- Could; subjunctive form of 'können'
- vielleicht
- Perhaps or maybe, expressing uncertainty
- besser
- Better, comparative form of 'gut'
- belegt
- Documented or substantiated with evidence
- als
- Than or as, used in comparisons
- es
- Neuter pronoun meaning 'it'
- tatsächlich
- Actually or in fact, truly the case
- heißt
- Is called or means; third-person singular of 'heißen'
- er
- Third-person masculine pronoun meaning 'he'
- habe
- Subjunctive of 'haben', meaning 'have' (reported speech)
- zu
- Preposition meaning 'to' or 'at'
- zur
- Contraction of 'zu der', meaning 'at the/to the'
- Zeit
- Time or era, a period of history
- Königs
- Genitive form of 'König', meaning 'of the king'
- gelebt
- Lived; past participle of 'leben'
- erscheint
- Appears or seems; third-person singular of 'erscheinen'
- Name
- Name of a person, place, or thing
- nicht
- Not; negation particle in German
- Liste
- List or enumeration of items
- babylonischen
- Babylonian, relating to ancient Babylon
- Herrscher
- Ruler or sovereign who governs a territory
- durch
- Preposition meaning 'through' or 'by means of'
- Geduld
- Patience or perseverance in difficult circumstances
- den
- Definite article 'the' (accusative masculine/dative plural)
- Fleiß
- Diligence or industriousness in one's work
- Entzifferer
- Decipherer, one who decodes ancient scripts
- Keilschriftinschriften
- Cuneiform inscriptions, ancient wedge-shaped writing records
- späteren
- Later or subsequent, occurring at a later time
- Jahren
- Years, dative plural form of 'Jahr'
- ans
- Contraction of 'an das', meaning 'to the'
- Licht
- Light; also used metaphorically for revelation
- gebracht
- Brought; past participle of 'bringen'
- wurde
- Was; simple past passive auxiliary of 'werden'
- noch
- Still or yet; also used for 'nor'
- bin
- First-person singular of 'sein', meaning 'am'
- ich
- First-person singular pronoun meaning 'I'
- mir
- Dative first-person pronoun meaning 'me' or 'myself'
- bewusst
- Aware or conscious of something
- dass
- Conjunction meaning 'that', introducing subordinate clauses
- irgendeine
- Any or some, an unspecified feminine indefinite pronoun
- andere
- Other or different, referring to something else
- Grundlage
- Foundation or basis for something
- für
- Preposition meaning 'for'
- Existenz
- Existence or the state of being real
- gäbe
- Subjunctive of 'geben', meaning 'there would be'
- Biographen
- Biographers, those who write about others' lives
- gewissen
- Certain or a particular, used as indefinite adjective
- dessen
- Genitive relative pronoun meaning 'whose' (masculine)
- auffälligeren
- More conspicuous or more notable qualities
- Verdiensten
- Merits or achievements, dative plural of 'Verdienst'
- strenge
- Strict or rigorous in standards or judgment
- historische
- Historical, relating to history and past events
- Genauigkeit
- Accuracy or precision in facts or details
- wohl
- Probably or indeed; modal particle expressing probability
- kaum
- Hardly or barely, almost not at all
- zählen
- To count or to belong to a category
- Glücklicherweise
- Fortunately or luckily, in a fortunate manner
- befindet
- Finds itself or is located; reflexive verb form
- sich
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'himself/herself/itself/themselves'
- Lage
- Situation, position, or condition someone is in
- sehr
- Very, used to intensify adjectives and adverbs
- vieler
- Genitive plural of 'viele', meaning 'of many'
- anderer
- Genitive plural of 'andere', meaning 'of other'
- Philosophen
- Philosophers, those who study fundamental questions
- Wie
- How or as, used in questions or comparisons
- Wirklichkeit
- Reality or actuality, what is truly real
- war
- Was; simple past of 'sein'
- ja
- Yes; also a modal particle adding emphasis
- ob
- Whether; conjunction introducing indirect yes/no questions
- überhaupt
- At all or in general, used for emphasis
- existiert
- Exists; third-person singular of 'existieren'
- hat
- Has; third-person singular of 'haben'
- sind
- Are; third-person plural of 'sein'
- Fragen
- Questions or inquiries about something
- keiner
- Of no, none; genitive of 'kein'
- großen
- Great or large, inflected form of 'groß'
- Bedeutung
- Meaning or significance of something
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