On the Method of Zadig: Essay #1 from "Science and Hebrew Tradition" — Page 10
From freshly broken twigs, crushed leaves, disturbed pebbles, and imprints hardly discernible by the untrained eye, such graduates in the University of Nature will divine, not only the fact that a party has passed that way, but its strength, its composition, the course it took, and the number of hours or days which have elapsed since it passed.
À partir de brindilles fraîchement brisées, de feuilles écrasées, de cailloux dérangés et d'empreintes à peine discernables pour un œil non exercé, de tels diplômés de l'Université de la Nature devineront, non seulement le fait qu'un groupe est passé par là, mais sa force, sa composition, la direction qu'il a prise, et le nombre d'heures ou de jours qui se sont écoulés depuis son passage.
But they are able to do this because, like Zadig, they perceive endless minute differences where untrained eyes discern nothing; and because the unconscious logic of common sense compels them to account for these effects by the causes which they know to be competent to produce them.
Mais ils sont capables de faire cela parce que, comme Zadig, ils perçoivent d'infinimes différences là où des yeux non exercés ne discernent rien ; et parce que la logique inconsciente du bon sens les contraint à expliquer ces effets par les causes qu'ils savent être aptes à les produire.
And such mere methodised savagery was to discover the hidden things of nature better than _a priori_ deductions from the nature of Ormuzd--perhaps to give a history of the past, in which Oannes would be altogether ignored!
Et une telle simple sauvagerie méthodisée allait découvrir les choses cachées de la nature mieux que les déductions _a priori_ tirées de la nature d'Ormuzd -- peut-être pour donner une histoire du passé dans laquelle Oannes serait totalement ignoré !
Decidedly it were better to burn this man at once.
Décidément, il vaudrait mieux brûler cet homme sur-le-champ.
If instinct, or an unwonted use of reason, led Moabdar's magi to this conclusion two or three thousand years ago, all that can be said is that subsequent history has fully justified them.
Si l'instinct, ou un usage inhabituel de la raison, a conduit les mages de Moabdar à cette conclusion il y a deux ou trois mille ans, tout ce que l'on peut dire, c'est que l'histoire ultérieure leur a pleinement donné raison.
For the rigorous application of Zadig's logic to the results of accurate and long-continued observation has founded all those sciences which have been termed historical or palaetiological, because they are retrospectively prophetic and strive towards the reconstruction in human imagination of events which have vanished and ceased to be.
Car l'application rigoureuse de la logique de Zadig aux résultats d'une observation précise et prolongée a fondé toutes ces sciences que l'on a qualifiées d'historiques ou de palétiologiques, parce qu'elles sont prospectivement prophétiques en sens inverse et s'efforcent de reconstruire dans l'imagination humaine des événements qui ont disparu et cessé d'exister.
Vocabulary
- partir
- To leave; to depart from a place or start.
- de
- Of; from; indicates possession or origin.
- fraîchement
- Recently; freshly; in a fresh manner.
- brisées
- Broken; shattered; past participle of briser.
- feuilles
- Leaves; sheets of paper or material.
- écrasées
- Crushed; squashed; flattened.
- dérangés
- Disturbed; displaced; put out of order.
- et
- And; conjunction linking words or phrases.
- empreintes
- Footprints; imprints; marks left behind.
- peine
- Difficulty; hardship; barely; scarcely.
- pour
- For; in order to; intended for.
- un
- A; an; the masculine singular indefinite article.
- œil
- Eye; the organ of sight.
- non
- No; not; negation or refusal.
- exercé
- Trained; practiced; experienced in a skill.
- tels
- Such; like; of that kind or nature.
- diplômés
- Graduates; people holding a diploma or degree.
- Université
- University; higher education institution.
- la
- The; feminine singular definite article.
- Nature
- Nature; the natural world and environment.
- devineront
- Will guess; will discern; future of deviner.
- seulement
- Only; merely; just; solely.
- le
- The; masculine singular definite article.
- fait
- Fact; deed; something that happened.
- qu
- That; whom; relative pronoun (shortened form).
- groupe
- Group; gathering of people or things.
- est
- Is; third person singular of être.
- passé
- Passed; went by; past tense verb.
- par
- By; through; indicates agent or means.
- là
- There; in that place or spot.
- mais
- But; however; conjunction of contrast.
- sa
- His; her; its; possessive adjective.
- force
- Strength; power; force or intensity.
- composition
- Composition; arrangement; way something is made.
- direction
- Direction; way; path or course.
- il
- He; it; masculine singular personal pronoun.
- prise
- Taking; capture; grip; feminine form of pris.
- nombre
- Number; quantity; amount of something.
- heures
- Hours; units of time; 60 minutes.
- ou
- Or; conjunction indicating choice between options.
- jours
- Days; 24-hour periods; daylight hours.
- qui
- Who; which; relative pronoun.
- se
- Oneself; reflexive pronoun; himself/herself/itself.
- sont
- Are; third person plural of être.
- écoulés
- Elapsed; passed; flowed away.
- depuis
- Since; from; after a certain time.
- son
- His; her; its; masculine singular possessive.
- passage
- Passage; passing; transit through a place.
- Mais
- But; however; conjunction of contrast.
- ils
- They; masculine plural personal pronoun.
- capables
- Capable; able; competent to do something.
- faire
- To do; to make; to perform action.
- cela
- That; this; demonstrative pronoun.
- parce
- Because; for the reason that.
- que
- That; which; what; relative pronoun.
- comme
- Like; as; in the same way.
- perçoivent
- Perceive; discern; notice; third person plural.
- différences
- Differences; distinctions; variations between things.
- où
- Where; in which; relative adverb.
- des
- Of the; some; plural article or preposition.
- yeux
- Eyes; plural of œil; organs of sight.
- exercés
- Trained; practiced; experienced or skilled.
- ne
- Not; negation particle in French.
- discernent
- Discern; distinguish; perceive; third person plural.
- rien
- Nothing; not anything; zero.
- logique
- Logic; reasoning; system of rational thought.
- inconsciente
- Unconscious; not conscious; unaware state.
- bon
- Good; right; well; pleasant or suitable.
- sens
- Sense; meaning; direction or feeling.
- les
- The; plural definite article.
- contraint
- Compelled; forced; obliged to do something.
- expliquer
- To explain; to make clear or understand.
- ces
- These; those; plural demonstrative adjective.
- effets
- Effects; results; consequences of something.
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