On the Method of Zadig: Essay #1 from "Science and Hebrew Tradition" — Page 15
The whole fabric of palaeontology, in fact, falls to the ground unless we admit the validity of Zadig's great principle, that like effects imply like causes, and that the process of reasoning from a shell, or a tooth, or a bone, to the nature of the animal to which it belonged, rests absolutely on the assumption that the likeness of this shell, or tooth, or bone, to that of some animal with which we are already acquainted, is such that we are justified in inferring a corresponding degree of likeness in the rest of the two organisms.
Tout l'édifice de la paléontologie, en fait, s'effondre à moins que nous n'admettions la validité du grand principe de Zadig, à savoir que des effets semblables impliquent des causes semblables, et que le processus de raisonnement à partir d'une coquille, ou d'une dent, ou d'un os, pour déterminer la nature de l'animal auquel il appartenait, repose absolument sur l'hypothèse que la ressemblance de cette coquille, ou dent, ou os, avec celle de quelque animal que nous connaissons déjà, est telle que nous sommes justifiés à en inférer un degré correspondant de ressemblance dans le reste des deux organismes.
It is on this very simple principle, and not upon imaginary laws of physiological correlation, about which, in most cases, we know nothing whatever, that the so-called restorations of the palaeontologist are based.
C'est sur ce principe très simple, et non sur des lois imaginaires de corrélation physiologique, au sujet desquelles, dans la plupart des cas, nous ne savons absolument rien, que sont fondées les soi-disant restaurations du paléontologue.
Abundant illustrations of this truth will occur to every one who is familiar with palaeontology; none is more suitable than the case of the so-called _Belemnites._
De nombreuses illustrations de cette vérité viendront à l'esprit de quiconque est familier avec la paléontologie ; aucune n'est plus appropriée que le cas des soi-disant _Bélemnites_.
In the early days of the study of fossils, this name was given to certain elongated stony bodies, ending at one extremity in a conical point, and truncated at the other, which were commonly reputed to be thunderbolts, and as such to have descended from the sky.
Aux premiers temps de l'étude des fossiles, ce nom fut donné à certains corps pierreux allongés, se terminant à une extrémité par une pointe conique et tronqués à l'autre, que l'on considérait communément comme des foudres, et comme tels, censés être descendus du ciel.
They are common enough in some parts of England; and, in the condition in which they are ordinarily found, it might be difficult to give satisfactory reasons for denying them to be merely mineral bodies.
Ils sont assez communs dans certaines régions d'Angleterre ; et, dans l'état dans lequel on les trouve ordinairement, il pourrait être difficile de donner des raisons satisfaisantes pour nier qu'ils ne soient que de simples corps minéraux.
Vocabulary
- Tout
- Everything; all; wholly; completely
- édifice
- Building; structure; edifice or framework
- de
- Of; from; some; any
- la
- The (feminine singular article)
- paléontologie
- Study of fossils and prehistoric life forms
- en
- In; on; by; made of; while
- fait
- Fact; deed; action; actually; in fact
- effondre
- To collapse; to crumble; to break down
- moins
- Less; least; minus; fewer
- que
- That; which; than; what
- nous
- We; us; ourselves
- validité
- Validity; legal force; soundness
- du
- Of the; from the (contracted)
- grand
- Great; big; large; important
- principe
- Principle; rule; fundamental truth
- savoir
- To know; knowledge; learning
- des
- Of the; some; any (plural)
- effets
- Effects; results; consequences
- semblables
- Similar; alike; resembling; comparable
- impliquent
- Imply; entail; involve (third person plural)
- causes
- Causes; reasons; grounds; purposes
- et
- And; plus; with
- le
- The (masculine singular article)
- processus
- Process; procedure; method; progression
- raisonnement
- Reasoning; logic; argument; thought process
- partir
- To leave; to depart; to start from
- une
- A; an (feminine singular article)
- coquille
- Shell; shellfish; printing error or typo
- ou
- Or; either
- dent
- Tooth; teeth; pointed projection
- un
- A; an; one (masculine singular)
- os
- Bone; bones
- pour
- For; in order to; to; per
- déterminer
- To determine; to decide; to establish
- nature
- Nature; character; kind; natural world
- animal
- Animal; creature; beast; living organism
- auquel
- To which; which; to whom (relative pronoun)
- il
- He; it (masculine singular pronoun)
- appartenait
- Belonged; pertained; was property of
- repose
- Rests; lies; is based on
- absolument
- Absolutely; entirely; completely; definitely
- sur
- On; upon; over; about; at
- hypothèse
- Hypothesis; assumption; supposition; theory
- ressemblance
- Resemblance; similarity; likeness; appearance
- cette
- This; that (feminine singular demonstrative)
- avec
- With; in company of; together with
- celle
- That one; this one; she (feminine)
- quelque
- Some; a certain; any; whatever
- connaissons
- Know; are acquainted with (first person plural)
- déjà
- Already; yet; before; previously
- est
- Is; are (third person singular present)
- telle
- Such; like that; so great (feminine)
- sommes
- Are; remain (first person plural present)
- justifiés
- Justified; warranted; right; legitimate
- inférer
- To infer; to deduce; to conclude
- degré
- Degree; level; extent; rank; grade
- correspondant
- Corresponding; matching; proportional; equivalent
- dans
- In; inside; within; during
- reste
- Remainder; rest; leftover; balance
- deux
- Two; both; a couple of
- organismes
- Organisms; bodies; living systems; structures
- ce
- This; that; it (neuter demonstrative)
- très
- Very; highly; greatly; most
- simple
- Simple; plain; easy; uncomplicated
- non
- No; not; non-; negation
- lois
- Laws; rules; regulations; principles
- imaginaires
- Imaginary; fictitious; illusory; unreal
- corrélation
- Correlation; relationship; connection; interdependence
- physiologique
- Physiological; relating to body functions
- au
- To the; at the (contracted)
- sujet
- Subject; topic; matter; person; individual
- plupart
- Most; majority; greater part
- cas
- Case; instance; situation; event
- ne
- Not; no; nor (negation particle)
- savons
- Know; are aware of (first person plural)
- rien
- Nothing; anything; naught; something
- sont
- Are (third person plural present)
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