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.
実際のところ、同様の結果は同様の原因を意味するというザーディグの偉大な原理の妥当性を認めない限り、また、貝殻や歯や骨から、それが属していた動物の性質を推論する過程が、その貝殻や歯や骨と、すでに我々が知っている何らかの動物のそれとの類似性が、二つの生物の残りの部分における対応する程度の類似性を推論するに足るものであるという前提に完全に依拠している限り、古生物学の学問体系全体は崩れ去ってしまう。
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.
いわゆる古生物学者による復元は、ほとんどの場合において我々が何も知らない、想像上の生理学的相関の法則に基づくのではなく、このきわめて単純な原理に基づいているのである。
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._
この真理の豊富な実例は、古生物学に精通している人なら誰にでも思い浮かぶであろうが、いわゆるベレムナイトの事例ほど適切なものはない。
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.
化石研究の草創期において、この名称は、一方の端が円錐状の先端で終わり、もう一方が切り取られた形をした、細長い石質の物体に与えられたもので、それらは一般に雷石であり、そのようなものとして空から降ってきたと信じられていた。
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.
それらはイングランドのいくつかの地域では十分よく見られるものであり、通常発見される状態においては、それらが単なる鉱物体であることを否定する十分な理由を示すことは難しいかもしれない。
Vocabulary
- 実際
- jissai — In reality; actually; in practice
- の
- no — Possessive or nominalizing particle
- ところ
- tokoro — Place; situation; point in time
- 同様
- dōyō — Same; identical; similar in the same way
- 結果
- kekka — Result; outcome; consequence of something
- は
- wa — Topic-marking particle in Japanese sentences
- 原因
- gen'in — Cause; reason; origin of an event
- を
- wo — Object-marking particle indicating direct object
- 意味
- imi — Meaning; significance; sense of a word
- する
- suru — To do; to perform; to make happen
- という
- to iu — Called; known as; that which is said
- 偉大
- idai — Great; grand; magnificent; of remarkable stature
- な
- na — Adjectival linking particle for na-adjectives
- 原理
- genri — Principle; fundamental law or rule
- 妥当性
- datōsei — Validity; appropriateness; soundness of reasoning
- 認め
- mitome — To acknowledge; recognize; admit as true
- ない
- nai — Negative auxiliary; does not; is not
- 限り
- kagiri — As long as; to the extent that; limit
- また
- mata — Also; again; moreover; furthermore
- 貝殻
- kaigara — Seashell; shell of a mollusk or similar creature
- や
- ya — And; listing particle for non-exhaustive lists
- 歯
- ha — Tooth; teeth of a living creature
- 骨
- hone — Bone; skeletal structure of an animal
- から
- kara — From; because; starting point of reasoning
- それ
- sore — That; it; referring to something previously mentioned
- が
- ga — Subject-marking particle; but; however
- 属し
- zokushi — To belong to; be classified under a group
- て
- te — Conjunctive particle connecting verb phrases sequentially
- い
- i — Auxiliary verb indicating ongoing or resultant state
- た
- ta — Past tense auxiliary verb marker
- 動物
- dōbutsu — Animal; living creature of the animal kingdom
- 性質
- seishitsu — Nature; character; property of a thing
- 推論
- suiron — Inference; reasoning; logical deduction from evidence
- 過程
- katei — Process; course; sequence of steps or stages
- その
- sono — That; the (preceding or contextually known noun)
- と
- to — And; with; quotation particle; conditional particle
- すでに
- sudeni — Already; by now; at this point in time
- 我々
- wareware — We; us; first-person plural pronoun
- 知っ
- shitte — Knowing; being aware of (te-form of 知る)
- いる
- iru — To exist; to be; ongoing action auxiliary
- 何らか
- naniraka — Some kind of; some sort of; a certain degree
- 類似性
- ruijisei — Similarity; resemblance; degree of likeness
- 二つ
- futatsu — Two; a pair of things; two items
- 生物
- seibutsu — Living organism; creature; life form
- 残り
- nokori — Remainder; remaining parts; what is left over
- 部分
- bubun — Part; portion; section of a whole
- に
- ni — Directional or locative particle; at, in, to
- おける
- okeru — Regarding; in; pertaining to a given context
- 対応
- taiō — Correspondence; correspondence; response; matching relation
- 程度
- teido — Degree; extent; level; approximate measure
- 足る
- taru — To be sufficient; to be enough; adequate
- もの
- mono — Thing; object; that which; nominalizing expression
- で
- de — At; by means of; copula in te-form
- ある
- aru — To exist; to be; there is (inanimate)
- 前提
- zentei — Premise; precondition; presupposition for an argument
- 完全
- kanzen — Complete; perfect; total; without any deficiency
- 依拠
- ikyo — To rely on; to be based upon; dependence
- し
- shi — Conjunctive or listing verb form; and; moreover
- 古生物学
- koseibutsugaku — Paleontology; study of prehistoric life through fossils
- 学問
- gakumon — Learning; scholarship; academic discipline or study
- 体系
- taikei — System; systematic structure; organized framework
- 全体
- zentai — Whole; entirety; the entire body or system
- 崩れ
- kuzure — To collapse; crumble; fall apart structurally
- 去っ
- satte — To go away; depart; leave (te-form of 去る)
- しまう
- shimau — To end up; finish; complete regrettably
- いわゆる
- iwayuru — So-called; what is known as; commonly referred to
- による
- ni yoru — By means of; due to; based on; according to
- 復元
- fukugen — Reconstruction; restoration to original form or state
- ほとんど
- hotondo — Almost; nearly; mostly; in most cases
- 場合
- baai — Case; situation; circumstance; occasion
- において
- ni oite — In; at; regarding; in the context of
- 何
- nani — What; something; anything; interrogative pronoun
- も
- mo — Also; even; too; emphatic or inclusive particle
- 知ら
- shira — Not knowing; unaware of (negative stem of 知る)
- 想像
- sōzō — Imagination; conjecture; picturing something mentally
- 上
- jō / ue — Above; on top; in terms of; based on
- 生理学
- seirigaku — Physiology; study of biological functions and processes
- 的
- teki — Suffix forming adjectives meaning '-like' or '-related'
- 相関
- sōkan — Correlation; mutual relationship between variables
- 法則
- hōsoku — Law; rule; principle governing natural phenomena
- 基づく
- motozuku — To be based on; to be founded upon
- なく
- naku — Without; lacking; not having (negative conjunctive)
- この
- kono — This; referring to something near the speaker
- きわめて
- kiwamete — Extremely; exceedingly; to the utmost degree
- 単純
- tanjun — Simple; straightforward; uncomplicated; plain
- 基づい
- motozui — Based on; grounded in (conjunctive form)
- 真理
- shinri — Truth; fundamental truth; universal principle
- 豊富
- hōfu — Abundant; rich; plentiful in quantity or variety
- 実例
- jitsurei — Actual example; concrete illustration; real-life case
- 精通
- seitsū — Being well-versed in; expert knowledge of a subject
- 人
- hito — Person; human being; individual
- なら
- nara — If; in the case of; conditional particle
- 誰
- dare — Who; whoever; anyone; any person
- でも
- demo — Even; anyone; whatever; no matter who
- 思い浮かぶ
- omoiukabu — To come to mind; to think of spontaneously
- あろう
- arō — Probably is; would likely be (volitional of ある)
- 事例
- jirei — Case; example; instance of a particular phenomenon
- ほど
- hodo — To the extent that; as much as; about
- 適切
- tekisetsu — Appropriate; suitable; fitting; proper for context
- 化石
- kaseki — Fossil; preserved remains of ancient organisms
- 研究
- kenkyū — Research; study; investigation of a subject
- 名称
- meishō — Name; designation; official or given name
- 一方
- ippō — One side; on the other hand; meanwhile
- 端
- hashi — End; edge; tip; extremity of an object
- 状
- jō — Suffix meaning shape, form, or state of
- 先端
- sentan — Tip; apex; pointed end of an object
- 終わり
- owari — End; conclusion; finishing point of something
- もう
- mō — Already; another; one more; no longer
- 切り取ら
- kiritori — Cut off; severed; removed by cutting (stem form)
- れ
- re — Passive or potential auxiliary verb suffix
- 形
- katachi — Shape; form; figure; external appearance
- 細長い
- hosonagai — Long and thin; slender; elongated in shape
- 物体
- buttai — Physical object; body; material thing
- 与え
- atae — Given; provided; presented (conjunctive of 与える)
- られ
- rare — Passive auxiliary suffix indicating being acted upon
- それら
- sorera — Those; referring to multiple previously mentioned things
- 一般
- ippan — General; common; ordinary; in general usage
- あり
- ari — Existing; being; there is (conjunctive of ある)
- よう
- yō — Like; as if; seeming; manner or appearance
- として
- to shite — As; in the capacity of; in the role of
- 空
- sora — Sky; air; heavens above the earth
- 降っ
- futte — Falling (rain, etc.); coming down from sky
- き
- ki — Coming; arriving (conjunctive form of 来る)
- 信じ
- shinji — Believing; trusting; having faith (stem of 信じる)
- いくつか
- ikutsuka — Some; several; a number of things
- 地域
- chiiki — Region; area; district; local geographic zone
- 十分
- jūbun — Sufficient; enough; adequately; fully; thoroughly
- よく
- yoku — Well; often; frequently; skillfully
- 見られる
- mirareru — Can be seen; is observed; is found (passive)
- 通常
- tsūjō — Usually; normally; ordinarily; under normal circumstances
- 発見
- hakken — Discovery; finding; detection of something new
- される
- sareru — Is done; is performed (passive form of する)
- 状態
- jōtai — State; condition; situation; current status of something
- 単なる
- tannaru — Mere; simple; nothing more than; only
- 鉱物
- kōbutsu — Mineral; naturally occurring inorganic substance
- 体
- tai / karada — Body; substance; physical form; entity
- こと
- koto — Thing; fact; matter; nominalizing expression
- 否定
- hitei — Negation; denial; refusal to acknowledge something
- 理由
- riyū — Reason; grounds; basis for a claim or action
- 示す
- shimesu — To show; indicate; demonstrate; point out
- 難しい
- muzukashii — Difficult; hard; challenging; not easy
- かも
- kamo — Perhaps; maybe; might be (uncertainty expression)
- しれ
- shire — Might; may (part of かもしれない construction)
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →