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.
Enflé de l'orgueil de la raison humaine, il avait ignoré les canons établis de la doctrine magienne ; et, se fiant à ce qui n'était après tout que du simple bon sens charnel, il prétendait conduire les hommes à une compréhension plus profonde de la nature que la sagesse magienne, avec tout son altier antagonisme envers tout ce qui est commun, n'avait jamais atteinte.
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?
Qu'y avait-il, en fait, au fondement de toute l'argumentation de Zadig, sinon la grossière supposition banale, sur laquelle repose chacun des actes de notre vie quotidienne, selon laquelle nous pouvons conclure d'un effet à la pré-existence d'une cause apte à produire cet effet ?
The tracks were exactly like those which dogs and horses leave; therefore they were the effects of such animals as causes.
Les empreintes ressemblaient exactement à celles que laissent les chiens et les chevaux ; elles étaient donc les effets de tels animaux en tant que causes.
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.
Les marques sur les côtés des empreintes de devant de la piste du chien étaient exactement telles qu'elles auraient été produites par de longues oreilles traînantes ; donc les longues oreilles du chien étaient les causes de ces marques — et ainsi de suite.
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.
Rien ne peut être plus irrémédiablement vulgaire, plus éloigné du majestueux développement d'un système de conclusions grandiosement inintelligibles tirées de prémisses sublimement inconcevables, tel qu'il réjouit le cœur magien.
In fact, Zadig's method was nothing but the method of all mankind.
En fait, la méthode de Zadig n'était rien d'autre que la méthode de toute l'humanité.
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.
Les prophéties rétrospectives, bien plus étonnantes par leur précision minutieuse que celles de Zadig, sont familières à ceux qui ont observé la vie quotidienne des peuples nomades.
Vocabulary
- Enflé
- Swollen; puffed up with pride or arrogance.
- de
- Of; from; indicating possession or relationship.
- orgueil
- Pride; excessive self-esteem or arrogance.
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article.
- raison
- Reason; rational thought or logical thinking.
- humaine
- Human; relating to or characteristic of humans.
- il
- He; masculine singular personal pronoun.
- avait
- Had; past tense of avoir.
- ignoré
- Ignored; disregarded or failed to notice.
- les
- The; plural definite article.
- canons
- Canons; established rules or principles.
- établis
- Established; set up or made permanent.
- doctrine
- Doctrine; a set of beliefs or principles.
- et
- And; conjunction joining words or clauses.
- se
- Himself; reflexive pronoun.
- fiant
- Trusting; relying on or having confidence in.
- ce
- This; that; demonstrative pronoun or adjective.
- qui
- Who; which; relative pronoun.
- était
- Was; past tense of être.
- après
- After; following in time or sequence.
- tout
- All; everything or the whole amount.
- que
- That; than; which; relative/comparative pronoun.
- du
- Of the; masculine singular partitive article.
- simple
- Simple; not complicated or complex.
- bon
- Good; having positive qualities or merit.
- sens
- Sense; perception, meaning, or direction.
- charnel
- Carnal; relating to bodily or physical desires.
- prétendait
- Claimed; asserted or alleged something.
- conduire
- Conduct; lead or guide someone.
- hommes
- Men; plural of homme, human beings.
- une
- A; an; feminine singular indefinite article.
- compréhension
- Understanding; comprehension or grasp of meaning.
- plus
- More; greater in quantity or degree.
- profonde
- Deep; extending far down or inward.
- nature
- Nature; the natural world or essence.
- sagesse
- Wisdom; knowledge and good judgment.
- avec
- With; accompanied by or together.
- son
- His; her; its; possessive adjective.
- altier
- Haughtier; more proud or arrogant.
- antagonisme
- Antagonism; active opposition or hostility.
- envers
- Toward; in the direction of.
- est
- Is; third person singular of être.
- commun
- Common; shared by many or ordinary.
- jamais
- Never; at no time whatsoever.
- atteinte
- Reached; affected or touched.
- Qu
- What; interrogative or relative pronoun.
- en
- In; on; some; partitive pronoun.
- fait
- Fact; actually or in reality.
- au
- At the; to the; masculine singular.
- fondement
- Foundation; basis or underlying support.
- toute
- All; every; entire or whole.
- argumentation
- Argumentation; presenting reasons or evidence.
- sinon
- Otherwise; if not; except.
- grossière
- Coarse; crude or lacking refinement.
- supposition
- Supposition; an assumption or conjecture.
- banale
- Banal; ordinary, commonplace, or trite.
- sur
- On; upon; above or over.
- laquelle
- Which; feminine singular relative pronoun.
- repose
- Rests; is based upon or supported.
- chacun
- Each; each one or everybody.
- des
- Of the; some; plural article.
- actes
- Acts; actions or deeds.
- notre
- Our; possessive adjective.
- vie
- Life; existence or living.
- quotidienne
- Daily; occurring every day or ordinary.
- selon
- According; as stated by someone.
- nous
- We; us; personal pronoun.
- pouvons
- Can; are able to do something.
- conclure
- Conclude; infer or determine as a result.
- un
- A; an; masculine singular article.
- effet
- Effect; a result or consequence.
- existence
- Existence; the state of existing or being.
- cause
- Cause; the reason something happens.
- apte
- Apt; suitable or capable of doing.
- produire
- Produce; create or bring about.
- cet
- This; that; masculine singular demonstrative.
- Les
- The; plural definite article.
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