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.
Inchado com o orgulho da razão humana, ele havia ignorado os cânones estabelecidos da sabedoria mágica; e, confiando no que afinal era mero senso comum carnal, ele professava conduzir os homens a uma compreensão mais profunda da natureza do que a sabedoria mágica, com toda a sua altiva hostilidade a tudo que é comum, jamais havia alcançado.
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?
O que, de fato, estava na base de todo o argumento de Zadig senão a grosseira suposição trivial, sobre a qual todo ato de nossas vidas cotidianas se baseia, de que podemos concluir, a partir de um efeito, a pré-existência de uma causa capaz de produzir esse efeito?
The tracks were exactly like those which dogs and horses leave; therefore they were the effects of such animals as causes.
As pegadas eram exatamente como aquelas que cães e cavalos deixam; portanto, eram os efeitos de tais animais como causas.
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.
As marcas nas laterais das pegadas dianteiras do rastro do cão eram exatamente as que seriam produzidas por orelhas longas e arrastantes; portanto, as longas orelhas do cão eram as causas dessas marcas — e assim por diante.
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.
Nada pode ser mais irremediavelmente vulgar, mais diferente do majestoso desenvolvimento de um sistema de conclusões grandiosamente ininteligíveis a partir de premissas sublimemente inconcebíveis, como aquilo que deleita o coração mágico.
In fact, Zadig's method was nothing but the method of all mankind.
Na verdade, o método de Zadig não era nada mais do que o método de toda a humanidade.
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.
Profecias retrospectivas, muito mais surpreendentes pela sua exatidão minuciosa do que as de Zadig, são familiares àqueles que observaram a vida cotidiana dos povos nômades.
Vocabulary
- Inchado
- Swollen; puffed up with pride or arrogance.
- com
- With; accompanied by or in the company of.
- orgulho
- Pride; a feeling of deep personal satisfaction.
- da
- Of the; feminine form of possessive article.
- razão
- Reason; the faculty of logical thought and judgment.
- humana
- Human; relating to or characteristic of humans.
- ele
- He; third person singular masculine pronoun.
- havia
- Had; past tense of have in certain contexts.
- ignorado
- Ignored; disregarded or failed to notice.
- os
- The; masculine plural definite article.
- cânones
- Canons; established rules, principles, or standards.
- estabelecidos
- Established; set up or made permanent.
- sabedoria
- Wisdom; deep knowledge and good judgment.
- mágica
- Magic; mysterious or supernatural powers and practices.
- confiando
- Trusting; placing confidence or faith in something.
- no
- In the; contraction of em + o.
- que
- What; that which or the thing that.
- afinal
- After all; finally or in the end.
- era
- Was; past tense of ser for singular subjects.
- mero
- Mere; nothing more than or just.
- senso
- Sense; practical intelligence or sound judgment.
- comum
- Common; ordinary or shared by many.
- professava
- Professed; openly declared or claimed to believe.
- conduzir
- To lead; to guide or direct.
- homens
- Men; plural of man or human males.
- uma
- A; feminine singular indefinite article.
- compreensão
- Understanding; the ability to comprehend something.
- mais
- More; greater in quantity, degree, or extent.
- profunda
- Deep; extending far down or penetrating deeply.
- natureza
- Nature; the natural world and its phenomena.
- do
- Of the; masculine form of possessive article.
- toda
- All; the whole or complete amount.
- sua
- His; her; its; possessive adjective.
- hostilidade
- Hostility; unfriendly or antagonistic behavior.
- tudo
- Everything; all things without exception.
- jamais
- Never; not ever at any time.
- alcançado
- Achieved; succeeded in reaching or obtaining.
- de
- Of; indicating possession or relationship.
- fato
- Fact; something known to be true.
- estava
- Was; past tense of estar for singular.
- na
- In the; contraction of em + a.
- base
- Base; foundation or fundamental principle.
- todo
- All; every part of something.
- argumento
- Argument; a reason or set of reasons.
- senão
- Otherwise; if not or except for.
- grosseira
- Crude; rough or lacking refinement.
- suposição
- Supposition; an assumption or conjecture.
- trivial
- Trivial; of little importance or significance.
- sobre
- About; concerning or on the subject of.
- qual
- Which; what or whichever of two.
- ato
- Act; a deed or action performed.
- nossas
- Our; belonging to us collectively.
- vidas
- Lives; plural of life or existence.
- cotidianas
- Daily; happening every day or ordinary.
- se
- Itself; reflexive pronoun or conditional.
- baseia
- Base; foundation or to establish on.
- podemos
- Can; we are able to.
- concluir
- To conclude; to finish or infer.
- partir
- From; to leave or depart.
- um
- A; masculine singular indefinite article.
- efeito
- Effect; a change resulting from an action.
- causa
- Cause; something that produces an effect.
- capaz
- Capable; having power or skill to do.
- produzir
- To produce; to create or make.
- esse
- That; referring to something previously mentioned.
- As
- The; feminine plural definite article.
- pegadas
- Footprints; marks left by feet on ground.
- eram
- Were; past tense of ser for plural.
- exatamente
- Exactly; precisely or in exact manner.
- como
- Like; similar to or in the manner.
- aquelas
- Those; feminine plural demonstrative pronoun.
- cães
- Dogs; plural of dog or canines.
- cavalos
- Horses; plural of horse or equines.
- deixam
- Leave; to abandon or allow to remain.
- portanto
- Therefore; for that reason or consequently.
- efeitos
- Effects; results or consequences of action.
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