On the Method of Zadig: Essay #1 from "Science and Hebrew Tradition" — Page 14
At the present day, it would probably be impossible to find any sane advocate of this opinion; and the fact is rather surprising, that among the people from whom the circle-squarers, perpetual-motioners, flat-earthed men and the like, are recruited, to say nothing of table-turners and spirit-rappers, somebody has not perceived the easy avenue to nonsensical notoriety open to any one who will take up the good old doctrine, that fossils are all _lusus naturae._
En la actualidad, probablemente sería imposible encontrar a algún defensor cuerdo de esta opinión; y el hecho es bastante sorprendente, que entre las personas de las que se reclutan los cuadradores de círculos, los perpetuomobilistas, los terraplanistas y similares, por no hablar de los giradores de mesas y los golpeadores de espíritus, nadie haya percibido la fácil vía hacia una notoriedad absurda abierta a cualquiera que quiera adoptar la buena y vieja doctrina de que los fósiles son todos _lusus naturae_.
The position would be impregnable, inasmuch as it is quite impossible to prove the contrary.
La posición sería inexpugnable, en la medida en que es completamente imposible probar lo contrario.
If a man choose to maintain that a fossil oyster shell, in spite of its correspondence, down to every minutest particular, with that of an oyster fresh taken out of the sea, was never tenanted by a living oyster, but is a mineral concretion, there is no demonstrating his error.
Si un hombre elige sostener que una concha de ostra fosilizada, a pesar de su correspondencia, hasta el más mínimo detalle, con la de una ostra recién sacada del mar, nunca fue habitada por una ostra viva, sino que es una concreción mineral, no hay manera de demostrar su error.
All that can be done is to show him that, by a parity of reasoning, he is bound to admit that a heap of oyster shells outside a fishmonger's door may also be "sports of nature," and that a mutton bone in a dust-bin may have had the like origin.
Todo lo que se puede hacer es mostrarle que, por una paridad de razonamiento, está obligado a admitir que un montón de conchas de ostras frente a la puerta de una pescadería también pueden ser "caprichos de la naturaleza", y que un hueso de cordero en un cubo de basura puede haber tenido un origen similar.
And when you cannot prove that people are wrong, but only that they are absurd, the best course is to let them alone.
Y cuando no se puede demostrar que las personas están equivocadas, sino solo que son absurdas, la mejor opción es dejarlas en paz.
Vocabulary
- En
- In, on, at (preposition indicating location or time)
- la
- The (feminine singular definite article)
- actualidad
- Currently, at present, nowadays (noun)
- probablemente
- Probably, likely (adverb)
- sería
- Would be (conditional form of ser)
- imposible
- Impossible (adjective)
- encontrar
- To find, to encounter (verb)
- algún
- Some, any (apocopated form of alguno)
- defensor
- Defender, advocate, supporter (noun)
- cuerdo
- Sane, sensible, reasonable (adjective)
- de
- Of, from, by (preposition)
- esta
- This (feminine singular demonstrative)
- opinión
- Opinion, view, belief (noun)
- el
- The (masculine singular definite article)
- hecho
- Fact, event, deed (noun)
- es
- Is (present tense of ser)
- bastante
- Enough, quite, rather (adjective/adverb)
- sorprendente
- Surprising, astonishing, striking (adjective)
- que
- That, which, what (conjunction/relative pronoun)
- entre
- Between, among (preposition)
- las
- The (feminine plural definite article)
- personas
- People, persons (noun plural)
- se
- Reflexive pronoun, passive voice marker
- reclutan
- Are recruited, enlist (verb, present tense)
- los
- The (masculine plural definite article)
- círculos
- Circles (noun plural)
- similares
- Similar, alike, comparable (adjective)
- por
- For, by, through (preposition)
- no
- Not, no (negation)
- hablar
- To speak, to talk (verb)
- mesas
- Tables, boards (noun plural)
- espíritus
- Spirits, ghosts (noun plural)
- nadie
- Nobody, no one (pronoun)
- haya
- May have, subjunctive of haber (verb)
- percibido
- Perceived, noticed, sensed (past participle)
- fácil
- Easy, simple (adjective)
- vía
- Way, path, route, means (noun)
- hacia
- Toward, towards (preposition)
- una
- A, an (feminine singular indefinite article)
- notoriedad
- Notoriety, fame, public renown (noun)
- absurda
- Absurd, ridiculous, unreasonable (adjective, feminine)
- abierta
- Open, open-minded (adjective, feminine)
- cualquiera
- Anyone, anybody, any (pronoun/adjective)
- quiera
- Wants, wishes (present subjunctive of querer)
- adoptar
- To adopt, to take up (verb)
- buena
- Good (adjective, feminine singular)
- vieja
- Old (adjective, feminine singular)
- doctrina
- Doctrine, teaching, belief system (noun)
- fósiles
- Fossils (noun plural)
- son
- Are (present tense of ser)
- todos
- All, everyone, everybody (pronoun/adjective)
- La
- The (feminine singular definite article, capitalized)
- posición
- Position, stance, situation (noun)
- inexpugnable
- Impregnable, unconquerable, unassailable (adjective)
- medida
- Measure, extent, step, degree (noun)
- completamente
- Completely, entirely, totally (adverb)
- probar
- To prove, to test, to try (verb)
- lo
- It, the (neuter pronoun/article)
- contrario
- Contrary, opposite, adverse (adjective/noun)
- Si
- If (conditional conjunction)
- un
- A, an (masculine singular indefinite article)
- hombre
- Man, male, person (noun)
- elige
- Chooses, selects, picks (present tense of elegir)
- sostener
- To hold, to sustain, to support (verb)
- concha
- Shell, conch, shellfish (noun)
- ostra
- Oyster (noun)
- fosilizada
- Fossilized, turned to stone (adjective, feminine)
- pesar
- Despite, in spite of (preposition); to weigh (verb)
- su
- His, her, your, their (possessive adjective)
- correspondencia
- Correspondence, mail, connection (noun)
- hasta
- Until, up to, even (preposition/adverb)
- más
- More, most, plus (adjective/adverb)
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →