On the Method of Zadig: Essay #1 from "Science and Hebrew Tradition" — Page 9
Swollen with the pride of human reason, he had ignored the established canons of magian lore; and, trusting to what after all was mere carnal common sense, he professed to lead men to a deeper insight into nature than magian wisdom, with all its lofty antagonism to everything common, had ever reached.
Aufgebläht vom Stolz der menschlichen Vernunft hatte er die etablierten Grundsätze der magischen Lehre ignoriert; und im Vertrauen auf das, was letztlich nichts weiter als schlichte fleischliche gesunde Vernunft war, behauptete er, die Menschen zu einer tieferen Einsicht in die Natur zu führen, als die magische Weisheit mit ihrer erhabenen Feindschaft gegenüber allem Gewöhnlichen jemals erreicht hatte.
What, in fact, lay at the foundation of all Zadig's argument but the coarse commonplace assumption, upon which every act of our daily lives is based, that we may conclude from an effect to the pre-existence of a cause competent to produce that effect?
Was lag tatsächlich dem gesamten Argument Zadigs zugrunde, wenn nicht die grobe, alltägliche Annahme, auf der jede Handlung unseres täglichen Lebens beruht, dass wir von einer Wirkung auf das vorherige Vorhandensein einer Ursache schließen dürfen, die imstande ist, diese Wirkung hervorzubringen?
The tracks were exactly like those which dogs and horses leave; therefore they were the effects of such animals as causes.
Die Spuren glichen genau jenen, die Hunde und Pferde hinterlassen; daher waren sie die Wirkungen solcher Tiere als Ursachen.
The marks at the sides of the fore-prints of the dog track were exactly such as would be produced by long trailing ears; therefore the dog's long ears were the causes of these marks--and so on.
Die Abdrücke an den Seiten der Vorderpfotenspur der Hundespur waren genau solche, wie sie von langen, schleifenden Ohren hinterlassen würden; daher waren die langen Ohren des Hundes die Ursachen dieser Abdrücke – und so weiter.
Nothing can be more hopelessly vulgar, more unlike the majestic development of a system of grandly unintelligible conclusions from sublimely inconceivable premisses such as delights the magian heart.
Nichts kann hoffnungsloser banal sein, weniger dem majestätischen Aufbau eines Systems von großartig unverständlichen Schlussfolgerungen aus erhaben unvorstellbaren Prämissen gleichen, wie es das magische Herz erfreut.
In fact, Zadig's method was nothing but the method of all mankind.
Tatsächlich war Zadigs Methode nichts anderes als die Methode der gesamten Menschheit.
Retrospective prophecies, far more astonishing for their minute accuracy than those of Zadig, are familiar to those who have watched the daily life of nomadic people.
Rückblickende Prophezeiungen, die durch ihre minutiöse Genauigkeit weit erstaunlicher sind als jene Zadigs, sind denjenigen vertraut, die das tägliche Leben nomadischer Völker beobachtet haben.
Vocabulary
- Aufgebläht
- Puffed up, inflated with pride or arrogance.
- vom
- From the; contraction of 'von dem'.
- Stolz
- Pride; a feeling of self-respect or dignity.
- der
- The; definite article for masculine nouns.
- menschlichen
- Human; relating to or characteristic of humans.
- Vernunft
- Reason; the capacity for rational thought and judgment.
- hatte
- Had; past tense of haben (to have).
- er
- He; third person singular masculine pronoun.
- die
- The; definite article for feminine/plural nouns.
- etablierten
- Established; settled or recognized as valid.
- Grundsätze
- Principles; fundamental rules or doctrines.
- magischen
- Magical; relating to magic or supernatural powers.
- Lehre
- Teaching; a body of doctrine or instruction.
- ignoriert
- Ignored; disregarded or failed to notice.
- und
- And; basic conjunction joining words or clauses.
- im
- In the; contraction of 'in dem'.
- Vertrauen
- Trust; confidence or reliance in someone/something.
- auf
- On, upon; preposition indicating position or reliance.
- das
- The; definite article for neuter nouns.
- was
- What; interrogative or relative pronoun.
- letztlich
- Ultimately; in the end or finally.
- nichts
- Nothing; not anything at all.
- weiter
- Further; additional or extended in space/time.
- als
- Than, as; used in comparisons or descriptions.
- schlichte
- Simple; plain and unadorned in appearance.
- gesunde
- Healthy; in good health or condition.
- war
- Was; past tense singular of sein (to be).
- behauptete
- Claimed; asserted or maintained as true.
- Menschen
- Humans; people or human beings collectively.
- zu
- To; preposition indicating direction or purpose.
- einer
- A, an; indefinite article feminine/dative form.
- tieferen
- Deeper; greater in depth or profundity.
- Einsicht
- Insight; understanding or perception of truth.
- in
- In; preposition indicating location or inclusion.
- Natur
- Nature; the natural world or essential character.
- führen
- Lead; to guide or conduct toward a destination.
- magische
- Magical; relating to or involving magic.
- Weisheit
- Wisdom; knowledge and good judgment about life.
- mit
- With; preposition indicating accompaniment or association.
- ihrer
- Its, her; possessive pronoun feminine/dative form.
- gegenüber
- Towards, against; facing or in opposition to.
- allem
- Everything; all things collectively.
- Gewöhnlichen
- Ordinary; common and unremarkable in nature.
- jemals
- Ever; at any time in the past.
- erreicht
- Reached; attained or accomplished a goal.
- Was
- What; interrogative pronoun beginning a clause.
- lag
- Lay; past tense of liegen (to lie).
- tatsächlich
- Actually; in fact or in reality.
- dem
- The; definite article dative masculine/neuter form.
- gesamten
- Entire; whole or complete in extent.
- Argument
- Argument; a reason or set of reasons.
- wenn
- If; conditional conjunction introducing a clause.
- nicht
- Not; negation particle denying a statement.
- grobe
- Crude; rough or lacking in refinement.
- alltägliche
- Everyday; occurring daily or commonly.
- Annahme
- Assumption; a supposition taken for granted.
- jede
- Every; each one without exception.
- Handlung
- Action; something done or a deed.
- unseres
- Our; possessive pronoun first person plural.
- täglichen
- Daily; occurring every day.
- Lebens
- Life; the state of being alive.
- beruht
- Rests; is based or founded upon.
- dass
- That; conjunction introducing a subordinate clause.
- wir
- We; first person plural pronoun.
- von
- From, of; preposition indicating source or origin.
- Wirkung
- Effect; a result or consequence of action.
- vorherige
- Previous; preceding in time or order.
- Ursache
- Cause; something that produces an effect.
- schließen
- Conclude; to infer or reason logically.
- dürfen
- May; to be allowed or permitted.
- ist
- Is; present tense third person singular of sein.
- diese
- This, these; demonstrative pronoun.
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