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.
他因人类理性的骄傲而自命不凡，无视了魔法学问中既定的法则；他信赖的归根结底不过是世俗的常识，却自称能引领人们对自然获得比魔法智慧更深刻的洞见——而那魔法智慧，凭借其对一切寻常事物的崇高对立，也从未达到这般境界。
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?
事实上，扎迪格全部论证的基础，不过是一种粗浅的常识性假设——这一假设是我们日常生活中每一行为的根基，即：我们可以从一个结果推断出，必然先存在一个足以产生该结果的原因。
The tracks were exactly like those which dogs and horses leave; therefore they were the effects of such animals as causes.
那些足迹与狗和马留下的痕迹一模一样；因此，它们便是以这些动物为原因所产生的结果。
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.
狗的前爪印两侧的痕迹，恰好与拖曳的长耳所留下的印记相符；因此，狗的长耳便是这些痕迹的原因——如此类推。
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.
没有什么比这更为彻底地平庸，更有别于那种令魔法师之心欢欣雀跃的体系——那体系从崇高得难以想象的前提出发，宏伟地推演出令人高深莫测的结论。
In fact, Zadig's method was nothing but the method of all mankind.
事实上，扎迪格的方法不过是全人类共同的方法。
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.
那些回溯性的推断，其精微准确程度远胜于扎迪格的推断，对于观察过游牧民族日常生活的人来说，早已司空见惯。
Vocabulary
- 他
- tā — Third person singular pronoun: he, him
- 因
- yīn — Because of; due to; on account of
- 人类
- rénlèi — Humankind; the human race; humanity
- 理性
- lǐxìng — Reason; rationality; rational thinking
- 的
- de — Structural particle indicating possession or modification
- 骄傲
- jiāoào — Pride; arrogance; to be proud of
- 而
- ér — And; yet; but; linking conjunction
- 自命不凡
- zìmìng bùfán — To consider oneself extraordinary; conceited self-importance
- 无视
- wúshì — To ignore; to disregard; to turn a blind eye
- 了
- le — Particle indicating completed action or change
- 魔法
- mófǎ — Magic; sorcery; supernatural power
- 学问
- xuéwen — Learning; knowledge; scholarship; erudition
- 中
- zhōng — In; within; among; the middle
- 既定
- jìdìng — Already established; fixed; predetermined
- 法则
- fǎzé — Rule; law; principle; established regulation
- 信赖
- xìnlài — To trust; to rely on; confidence in someone
- 归根结底
- guīgēn jiédǐ — Ultimately; at the root; when all is said
- 不过
- búguò — Only; merely; no more than; however
- 是
- shì — To be; is; am; are
- 世俗
- shìsú — Worldly; secular; conventional; mundane
- 常识
- chángshí — Common sense; general knowledge; everyday understanding
- 却
- què — Yet; but; however; on the contrary
- 自称
- zìchēng — To call oneself; to claim to be
- 能
- néng — Can; able to; capable of doing
- 引领
- yǐnlǐng — To guide; to lead; to direct people
- 人们
- rénmen — People; the masses; everyone; folks
- 对
- duì — Regarding; toward; facing; correct
- 自然
- zìrán — Nature; the natural world; natural
- 获得
- huòdé — To obtain; to acquire; to gain; to achieve
- 比
- bǐ — Compared to; than; more than
- 智慧
- zhìhuì — Wisdom; intelligence; profound understanding
- 更
- gèng — Even more; still more; further; additionally
- 深刻
- shēnkè — Profound; deep; incisive; penetrating insight
- 洞见
- dòngjiàn — Penetrating insight; keen perception; deep understanding
- 那
- nà — That; those; in that case
- 凭借
- píngjiè — By means of; relying on; with the help of
- 其
- qí — Its; his; their; one's; that
- 一切
- yīqiè — All; everything; every single thing
- 寻常
- xúncháng — Ordinary; common; usual; unremarkable
- 事物
- shìwù — Things; objects; matters; phenomena
- 崇高
- chónggāo — Lofty; sublime; noble; exalted ideal
- 对立
- duìlì — Opposition; antithesis; to stand in contrast
- 也
- yě — Also; too; as well; even
- 从未
- cóngwèi — Never; at no time; not ever
- 达到
- dádào — To reach; to attain; to achieve a goal
- 这般
- zhèbān — Such; like this; of this kind
- 境界
- jìngjiè — Realm; level; state; degree of attainment
- 事实上
- shìshí shàng — In fact; actually; as a matter of fact
- 全部
- quánbù — All; entire; whole; complete totality
- 论证
- lùnzhèng — Argumentation; to demonstrate; logical proof
- 基础
- jīchǔ — Foundation; basis; groundwork; fundamental basis
- 一种
- yī zhǒng — A kind of; a type of; one sort
- 粗浅
- cūqiǎn — Superficial; shallow; simple and crude
- 常识性
- chángshíxìng — Common-sense; of a commonsense nature
- 假设
- jiǎshè — Hypothesis; assumption; to suppose; to assume
- 我们
- wǒmen — We; us; our group
- 日常
- rìcháng — Daily; everyday; routine; ordinary life
- 生活
- shēnghuó — Life; daily living; to live; lifestyle
- 每一
- měi yī — Every; each one; every single
- 行为
- xíngwéi — Behavior; action; conduct; deed
- 根基
- gēnjī — Foundation; root; basis; underlying support
- 即
- jí — That is; namely; i.e.; immediately
- 可以
- kěyǐ — Can; may; able to; permissible
- 从
- cóng — From; since; following; according to
- 一个
- yī gè — One; a single; one item or person
- 结果
- jiéguǒ — Result; outcome; consequence; as a result
- 推断
- tuīduàn — To infer; to deduce; to draw a conclusion
- 出
- chū — Out; to emerge; to produce; resultative particle
- 必然
- bìrán — Inevitable; certain; necessarily; bound to happen
- 先
- xiān — First; before; earlier; previously
- 存在
- cúnzài — To exist; existence; to be present
- 足以
- zúyǐ — Sufficient to; enough to; adequate to
- 产生
- chǎnshēng — To produce; to give rise to; to generate
- 该
- gāi — The said; that particular; should; ought to
- 原因
- yuányīn — Reason; cause; factor; explanation
- 那些
- nàxiē — Those; those particular ones
- 足迹
- zújì — Footprint; footstep; track; traces left behind
- 与
- yǔ — And; with; together with
- 狗
- gǒu — Dog; canine animal
- 和
- hé — And; with; together; peaceful
- 马
- mǎ — Horse; equine animal
- 留下
- liúxia — To leave behind; to remain; to keep
- 痕迹
- hénjì — Trace; mark; imprint; remnant sign
- 一模一样
- yī mú yī yàng — Exactly alike; identical; carbon copy
- 因此
- yīncǐ — Therefore; consequently; as a result; thus
- 它们
- tāmen — They; them (referring to non-human things)
- 便是
- biàn shì — Is precisely; is exactly; that is to say
- 以
- yǐ — By means of; using; with; according to
- 这些
- zhèxiē — These; these particular ones
- 动物
- dòngwù — Animal; creature; fauna
- 为
- wéi — As; to be; for; to act as
- 所
- suǒ — Particle used with passive or relative clauses
- 两侧
- liǎng cè — Both sides; either side; bilateral
- 恰好
- qiàhǎo — Exactly; just right; coincidentally; precisely
- 拖曳
- tuōyè — To drag; to trail; to pull along
- 印记
- yìnjì — Imprint; mark; stamp; impression left behind
- 相符
- xiāngfú — To match; to correspond; to be consistent with
- 如此
- rúcǐ — Like this; thus; in this way; so
- 类推
- lèituī — To analogize; to reason by analogy
- 没有
- méiyǒu — To not have; there is no; without
- 什么
- shénme — What; anything; something; whatever
- 这
- zhè — This; this one; here
- 更为
- gèng wéi — Even more; still more; to a greater degree
- 彻底
- chèdǐ — Thorough; complete; radical; wholly
- 地
- de — Adverbial particle linking adverb to verb
- 平庸
- píngyōng — Mediocre; ordinary; commonplace; undistinguished
- 有别于
- yǒu bié yú — To differ from; to be distinct from
- 那种
- nà zhǒng — That kind of; that type of
- 令
- lìng — To cause; to make; to order someone
- 魔法师
- mófǎshī — Magician; sorcerer; wizard; magic practitioner
- 欢欣雀跃
- huānxīn quèyuè — To be overjoyed; jubilant; jumping for joy
- 体系
- tǐxì — System; framework; organized structure
- 得
- dé — Resultative or degree complement particle
- 难以
- nányǐ — Difficult to; hard to; not easy to
- 想象
- xiǎngxiàng — To imagine; imagination; to envision
- 前提
- qiántí — Premise; precondition; prerequisite assumption
- 出发
- chūfā — To set out from; to depart; starting from
- 宏伟
- hóngwěi — Grand; magnificent; imposing; majestic
- 推演
- tuīyǎn — To deduce; to derive; logical deduction; inference
- 令人
- lìng rén — To make people feel; causing one to
- 高深莫测
- gāoshēn mòcè — Profound and unfathomable; beyond ordinary comprehension
- 结论
- jiélùn — Conclusion; final judgment; resulting determination
- 方法
- fāngfǎ — Method; approach; way; technique
- 全人类
- quán rénlèi — All of humanity; the entire human race
- 共同
- gòngtóng — Common; shared; together; jointly
- 精微
- jīngwēi — Subtle; refined; minute; exquisitely precise
- 准确
- zhǔnquè — Accurate; precise; exact; correct
- 程度
- chéngdù — Degree; extent; level; magnitude
- 远胜
- yuǎn shèng — Far superior to; greatly surpassing; much better
- 于
- yú — In; at; to; from; than; preposition
- 对于
- duìyú — Regarding; concerning; with respect to
- 观察
- guānchá — To observe; to watch; observation; examination
- 过
- guò — Experiential particle indicating past experience
- 游牧民族
- yóumù mínzú — Nomadic people; nomadic ethnic group; wandering tribe
- 人
- rén — Person; human being; people
- 来说
- láishuō — In terms of; for; speaking from perspective of
- 早已
- zǎoyǐ — Long since; already for a long time
- 司空见惯
- sīkōng jiànguàn — Common occurrence; nothing surprising; seen so often
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →