On the Method of Zadig: Essay #1 from "Science and Hebrew Tradition" — Page 7
Those who are interested in learning more of the fateful history of Zadig must turn to the original; we are dealing with him only as a philosopher, and this brief excerpt suffices for the exemplification of the nature of his conclusions and of the methods by which he arrived at them.
ザディグの運命的な歴史についてさらに詳しく知りたい方は原典に当たらなければならない。ここでは彼をあくまで哲学者として扱っており、この短い抜粋は彼の結論の性質とそれに至った方法を例示するには十分である。
These conclusions may be said to be of the nature of retrospective prophecies; though it is perhaps a little hazardous to employ phraseology which perilously suggests a contradiction in terms--the word "prophecy" being so constantly, in ordinary use, restricted to "foretelling."
これらの結論は遡及的な予言の性質を持つものと言えるかもしれないが、用語の矛盾を危うく示唆するような表現を用いるのは多少危険かもしれない――「予言」という言葉は日常的な用法において常に「未来を告げること」に限定されているからである。
Strictly, however, the term prophecy applies as much to outspeaking as to foretelling; and, even in the restricted sense of "divination," it is obvious that the essence of the prophetic operation does not lie in its backward or forward relation to the course of time, but in the fact that it is the apprehension of that which lies out of the sphere of immediate knowledge; the seeing of that which, to the natural sense of the seer, is invisible.
しかし厳密には、「予言」という言葉は未来を告げることと同様に公言することにも適用される。そして「占い」という限定的な意味においてさえ、予言的行為の本質は時間の流れに対する後ろ向きまたは前向きの関係にあるのではなく、直接的な知識の領域外にあるものを把握すること、すなわち予見者の自然な感覚には見えないものを見ることにあるのは明らかである。
The foreteller asserts that, at some future time, a properly situated observer will witness certain events; the clairvoyant declares that, at this present time, certain things are to be witnessed a thousand miles away; the retrospective prophet (would that there were such a word as "backteller!") affirms that, so many hours or years ago, such and such things were to be seen.
未来を告げる者は、いつか将来、適切な場所に位置する観察者がある出来事を目撃するだろうと主張する。透視者は、現在この瞬間、千マイル離れた場所である事柄が目撃されていると断言する。遡及的な予言者（「過去告知者」というような言葉があればよいのだが！）は、何時間あるいは何年か前に、かくかくしかじかのものが見られたと断言する。
Vocabulary
- の
- no — Possessive or nominalizing particle
- 運命的
- unmeiteki — Fateful, destined, related to fate
- な
- na — Adjectival linking particle for na-adjectives
- 歴史
- rekishi — History, the record of past events
- に
- ni — Particle indicating direction, location, or purpose
- つい
- tsui — Regarding, concerning, about something
- て
- te — Conjunctive particle connecting verb phrases
- さら
- sara — Further, even more, additionally
- 詳しく
- kuwashiku — In detail, thoroughly, with specificity
- 知り
- shiri — To know, stem form of 知る (shiru)
- たい
- tai — Auxiliary expressing desire or wanting to do
- 方
- kata — Person, a polite word for someone
- は
- wa — Topic-marking particle indicating the subject
- 原典
- genten — Original text, primary source document
- 当たら
- atara — To consult, refer to, check a source
- なけれ
- nakere — Conditional negative form, must do
- ば
- ba — Conditional particle meaning if or when
- なら
- nara — Conditional form meaning if it is
- ない
- nai — Negative auxiliary, not, does not exist
- ここ
- koko — Here, this place, this location
- で
- de — Particle indicating location of action or means
- 彼
- kare — He, him, referring to a male person
- を
- wo — Object-marking particle indicating direct object
- あくまで
- akumade — To the last, persistently, strictly speaking
- 哲学者
- tetsugakusha — Philosopher, one who studies philosophy
- と
- to — Particle meaning and, with, or as
- し
- shi — Conjunctive form of する, to do
- 扱っ
- atsukat(te) — Treating, handling, dealing with something
- おり
- ori — Humble form of いる, to be, to exist
- この
- kono — This, indicating something nearby or mentioned
- 短い
- mijikai — Short, brief in length or duration
- 抜粋
- bassui — Extract, excerpt, selected passage from text
- 結論
- ketsuron — Conclusion, final judgment or determination
- 性質
- seishitsu — Nature, character, quality of something
- それ
- sore — That, referring to something previously mentioned
- 至っ
- ittat(te) — Reaching, arriving at a point or conclusion
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary verb ending
- 方法
- houhou — Method, way, means of doing something
- 例示
- reiji — Illustration by example, exemplification
- する
- suru — To do, to perform an action
- 十分
- juubun — Sufficient, enough, fully adequate
- ある
- aru — To exist, to be, to have (inanimate)
- これら
- korera — These, plural demonstrative for nearby things
- 予言
- yogen — Prophecy, prediction, foretelling future events
- 持つ
- motsu — To have, to hold, to possess
- もの
- mono — Thing, one who, nominalizing expression
- 言える
- ieru — Can say, able to state or claim
- かも
- kamo — Perhaps, maybe, expressing possibility
- しれ
- shire — Potential form used in かもしれない (maybe)
- が
- ga — Subject marker or conjunctive contrast particle
- 用語
- yougo — Term, terminology, specialized vocabulary
- 矛盾
- mujun — Contradiction, inconsistency, paradox
- 危うく
- ayauku — Dangerously, narrowly, almost causing a problem
- 示唆
- shisa — Suggestion, implication, hinting at something
- よう
- you — Seems like, appears to, expressing resemblance
- 表現
- hyougen — Expression, representation, way of saying something
- 用いる
- mochiiru — To use, to employ, to apply
- 多少
- tashou — More or less, somewhat, a little
- 危険
- kiken — Danger, risk, hazardous situation
- いう
- iu — To say, to call, to be called
- 言葉
- kotoba — Word, language, expression, speech
- 日常的
- nichijouteki — Everyday, ordinary, commonplace, routine
- 用法
- youhou — Usage, way of using a word
- 常
- tsune — Always, usually, habitually, ordinarily
- 未来
- mirai — Future, time yet to come
- 告げる
- tsugeru — To tell, to inform, to announce
- こと
- koto — Thing, fact, nominalizing abstract concepts
- 限定
- gentei — Limitation, restriction, confining to specific scope
- さ
- sa — Suffix nominalizing adjectives or passive helper
- れ
- re — Passive auxiliary verb form
- いる
- iru — To exist, to be (animate beings)
- から
- kara — Because, from, after, indicating reason or source
- しかし
- shikashi — However, but, expressing contrast or contradiction
- 厳密
- genmitsu — Strict, precise, exact, rigorous
- 同様
- dōyō — Similarly, in the same way, likewise
- も
- mo — Also, too, even, particle of addition
- 適用
- tekiyou — Application, applying a rule to something
- れる
- reru — Passive or potential auxiliary verb suffix
- そし
- soshi — And then, furthermore (colloquial そして)
- 占い
- uranai — Divination, fortune-telling, reading the future
- 限定的
- genteiteki — Limited, restrictive, narrow in scope
- 意味
- imi — Meaning, significance, sense of a word
- さえ
- sae — Even, as long as, only, just
- 予言的
- yogenteki — Prophetic, of or relating to prophecy
- 行為
- koui — Act, action, deed, conduct
- 本質
- honshitsu — Essence, true nature, fundamental quality
- 時間
- jikan — Time, hours, duration
- 流れ
- nagare — Flow, current, stream of time
- 対する
- taisuru — To face, to oppose, regarding, in relation to
- 後ろ向き
- ushiromuki — Backward-facing, negative, retrospective orientation
- また
- mata — Also, again, or, moreover
- 前向き
- maemuki — Forward-looking, positive, proactive attitude
- 関係
- kankei — Relationship, connection, relevance
- なく
- naku — Without, not having, negating a noun
- 直接的
- chokusetsuteki — Direct, immediate, straightforward
- 知識
- chishiki — Knowledge, information, understanding
- 領域
- ryouiki — Domain, realm, field, territory
- 外
- soto / hoka — Outside, exterior, beyond a boundary
- 把握
- haaku — Grasp, understanding, comprehending fully
- すなわち
- sunawachi — That is, namely, in other words
- 自然
- shizen — Nature, natural, spontaneous
- 感覚
- kankaku — Sense, feeling, perception, sensation
- 見え
- mie — Visible, appears, can be seen
- 見る
- miru — To see, to look, to observe
- 明らか
- akiraka — Clear, obvious, evident, apparent
- 者
- sha / mono — Person, one who does something
- いつか
- itsuka — Someday, sometime, at some point
- 将来
- shourai — Future, prospects, what lies ahead
- 適切
- tekisetsu — Appropriate, suitable, proper, fitting
- 場所
- basho — Place, location, spot, venue
- 位置
- ichi — Position, location, place, situation
- 観察者
- kansatsusha — Observer, one who watches and records
- 出来事
- dekigoto — Event, happening, occurrence, incident
- 目撃
- mokugeki — Witnessing, seeing an event firsthand
- だろう
- darou — Probably, likely, expressing conjecture
- 主張
- shuchou — Claim, assertion, argument, insistence
- 現在
- genzai — Present, current time, the now
- 瞬間
- shunkan — Moment, instant, a brief point in time
- 千
- sen — One thousand, 1000
- マイル
- mairu — Mile, unit of distance measurement
- 離れ
- hanare — Separated, distant, away from
- 事柄
- kotogara — Matter, affair, thing, circumstances
- 断言
- dangen — Assertion, definitive statement, declaring something certain
- 予言者
- yogensha — Prophet, one who foretells future events
- 過去
- kako — Past, former times, history
- あれ
- are — That over there, be (imperative of ある)
- よい
- yoi — Good, fine, acceptable, alright
- だ
- da — Copula, is, informal form of です
- 何
- nani / nan — What, how many, some amount
- い
- i — Verb stem or adjective suffix form
- 年
- nen / toshi — Year, a unit of time measurement
- か
- ka — Question marker or expressing uncertainty
- 前
- mae — Before, in front, previous, ago
- 見ら
- mira — Passive stem of 見る, to be seen
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