The Republic — Page 2
He was the greatest metaphysical genius whom the world has seen; and in him, more than in any other ancient thinker, the germs of future knowledge are contained.
Fue el mayor genio metafísico que el mundo ha visto; y en él, más que en cualquier otro pensador antiguo, se encuentran contenidos los gérmenes del conocimiento futuro.
The sciences of logic and psychology, which have supplied so many instruments of thought to after-ages, are based upon the analyses of Socrates and Plato.
Las ciencias de la lógica y la psicología, que han proporcionado tantos instrumentos de pensamiento a épocas posteriores, se basan en los análisis de Sócrates y Platón.
The principles of definition, the law of contradiction, the fallacy of arguing in a circle, the distinction between the essence and accidents of a thing or notion, between means and ends, between causes and conditions; also the division of the mind into the rational, concupiscent, and irascible elements, or of pleasures and desires into necessary and unnecessary—these and other great forms of thought are all of them to be found in the Republic, and were probably first invented by Plato.
Los principios de definición, la ley de contradicción, la falacia de argumentar en círculo, la distinción entre la esencia y los accidentes de una cosa o noción, entre medios y fines, entre causas y condiciones; también la división de la mente en elementos racionales, concupiscentes e irascibles, o de los placeres y deseos en necesarios e innecesarios: estas y otras grandes formas de pensamiento se encuentran todas en la República, y fueron probablemente inventadas por primera vez por Platón.
The greatest of all logical truths, and the one of which writers on philosophy are most apt to lose sight, the difference between words and things, has been most strenuously insisted on by him (cp. Rep.; Polit.; Cratyl. 435, 436 ff), although he has not always avoided the confusion of them in his own writings (e.g. Rep.)
La mayor de todas las verdades lógicas, y aquella que los escritores de filosofía son más propensos a perder de vista, la diferencia entre palabras y cosas, ha sido defendida con mayor insistencia por él (cf. Rep.; Polit.; Cratyl. 435, 436 ss.), aunque no siempre ha evitado la confusión entre ambas en sus propios escritos (p. ej., Rep.).
But he does not bind up truth in logical formulae,—logic is still veiled in metaphysics; and the science which he imagines to 'contemplate all truth and all existence' is very unlike the doctrine of the syllogism which Aristotle claims to have discovered (Soph. Elenchi, 33. 18).
Pero él no encierra la verdad en fórmulas lógicas: la lógica sigue velada en la metafísica; y la ciencia que él imagina que «contempla toda la verdad y toda la existencia» es muy distinta de la doctrina del silogismo que Aristóteles afirma haber descubierto (Soph. Elenchi, 33. 18).
Vocabulary
- Fue
- Third person singular preterite of 'ser' (was).
- el
- Masculine definite article meaning 'the'.
- mayor
- Greater, older, or largest in degree or size.
- genio
- A person of exceptional intellectual or creative ability.
- metafísico
- Relating to metaphysics, the branch of abstract philosophy.
- que
- Relative pronoun or conjunction meaning 'that' or 'who'.
- mundo
- The world or earth as a whole.
- ha
- Third person singular present of 'haber,' used in perfect tenses.
- visto
- Past participle of 'ver,' meaning seen or witnessed.
- y
- Conjunction meaning 'and,' connecting words or phrases.
- en
- Preposition meaning 'in,' 'on,' or 'at.'
- él
- Subject pronoun meaning 'he' referring to a male.
- más
- Adverb meaning 'more' or 'most' in comparisons.
- cualquier
- Adjective meaning 'any' or 'whatever,' used before nouns.
- otro
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'other' or 'another.'
- pensador
- A thinker or person who engages deeply in philosophical thought.
- antiguo
- Old, ancient, or belonging to earlier historical times.
- se
- Reflexive pronoun used with reflexive or impersonal verbs.
- encuentran
- Third person plural of 'encontrar,' meaning are found or encountered.
- contenidos
- Contents or ideas contained within a text or work.
- los
- Plural masculine definite article meaning 'the.'
- gérmenes
- Seeds, germs, or origins of future ideas or developments.
- del
- Contraction of 'de' and 'el,' meaning 'of the.'
- conocimiento
- Knowledge or understanding acquired through experience or study.
- futuro
- Relating to or occurring in time yet to come.
- Las
- Plural feminine definite article meaning 'the.'
- ciencias
- Sciences or branches of systematic knowledge and study.
- de
- Preposition meaning 'of,' 'from,' or 'about.'
- la
- Feminine singular definite article meaning 'the.'
- lógica
- Logic, the study of valid reasoning and argumentation.
- psicología
- Psychology, the scientific study of mind and behavior.
- han
- Third person plural present of 'haber,' used in perfect tenses.
- proporcionado
- Past participle of 'proporcionar,' meaning provided or supplied.
- tantos
- Adjective meaning 'so many' or 'as many' in quantity.
- instrumentos
- Instruments or tools used to accomplish a specific task.
- pensamiento
- Thought or the process of thinking and reasoning mentally.
- a
- Preposition meaning 'to,' 'at,' or 'toward.'
- épocas
- Epochs or historical periods characterized by distinct features.
- posteriores
- Later or subsequent in time relative to something else.
- basan
- Third person plural of 'basar,' meaning are based or grounded.
- análisis
- Analysis or detailed examination of elements or structure.
- Los
- Plural masculine definite article meaning 'the.'
- principios
- Principles or fundamental truths guiding reasoning or behavior.
- definición
- Definition, a statement explaining the meaning of a term.
- ley
- Law or rule governing behavior, nature, or logical reasoning.
- contradicción
- Contradiction, a logical conflict between opposing statements.
- falacia
- Fallacy, a mistaken or deceptive argument or belief.
- argumentar
- To argue or present reasons supporting a position or claim.
- círculo
- Circle or circular reasoning, a logical fallacy in arguments.
- distinción
- Distinction or difference recognized between two things.
- entre
- Preposition meaning 'between' or 'among' multiple things.
- esencia
- Essence or the fundamental nature of something.
- accidentes
- Accidents or non-essential properties of a thing.
- una
- Feminine indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an.'
- cosa
- Thing or object referred to in a general sense.
- o
- Conjunction meaning 'or,' presenting an alternative option.
- noción
- Notion or basic concept held about something.
- medios
- Means or methods used to achieve a particular end.
- fines
- Ends or goals toward which actions are directed.
- causas
- Causes or reasons that produce a particular effect.
- condiciones
- Conditions or circumstances required for something to occur.
- también
- Adverb meaning 'also' or 'too,' adding information.
- división
- Division or separation into distinct parts or categories.
- mente
- Mind or the faculty of thought, reason, and consciousness.
- elementos
- Elements or basic components making up a larger whole.
- racionales
- Rational or based on logic and clear reasoning.
- e
- Variant of 'y' (and) used before words starting with 'i.'
- placeres
- Pleasures or enjoyable sensations or experiences.
- deseos
- Desires or strong wishes for something to happen.
- necesarios
- Necessary or required for a particular purpose or outcome.
- innecesarios
- Unnecessary or not needed for a particular purpose.
- estas
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'these,' referring to nearby things.
- otras
- Feminine plural adjective meaning 'other' or 'others.'
- grandes
- Adjective meaning 'great' or 'large' in size or importance.
- formas
- Forms or shapes; ways in which something is structured.
- todas
- Feminine plural adjective meaning 'all' or 'every.'
- República
- Republic; refers to Plato's famous philosophical dialogue.
- fueron
- Third person plural preterite of 'ser,' meaning 'were.'
- probablemente
- Adverb meaning 'probably' or 'most likely.'
- inventadas
- Past participle of 'inventar,' meaning invented or created.
- por
- Preposition meaning 'by,' 'for,' or 'through.'
- primera
- Feminine ordinal adjective meaning 'first' in a sequence.
- vez
- Time or instance; 'primera vez' means 'for the first time.'
- La
- Feminine singular definite article meaning 'the.'
- las
- Feminine plural definite article meaning 'the.'
- verdades
- Truths or facts that are accepted as accurate and real.
- lógicas
- Logical or pertaining to the principles of valid reasoning.
- aquella
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'that' referring to something distant.
- escritores
- Writers or authors who produce literary or philosophical works.
- filosofía
- Philosophy, the study of fundamental questions about existence.
- son
- Third person plural present of 'ser,' meaning 'are.'
- propensos
- Prone or inclined toward a particular behavior or tendency.
- perder
- To lose or fail to maintain possession or awareness.
- vista
- Sight or view; 'perder de vista' means 'to lose sight of.'
- diferencia
- Difference or distinction between two or more things.
- palabras
- Words or verbal units used in language and communication.
- cosas
- Things or objects referred to in a general sense.
- sido
- Past participle of 'ser,' meaning 'been.'
- defendida
- Past participle of 'defender,' meaning defended or upheld.
- con
- Preposition meaning 'with,' indicating accompaniment or means.
- insistencia
- Insistence or persistent emphasis placed on something.
- aunque
- Conjunction meaning 'although' or 'even though.'
- no
- Adverb meaning 'no' or 'not,' expressing negation.
- siempre
- Adverb meaning 'always' or 'at all times.'
- evitado
- Past participle of 'evitar,' meaning avoided or prevented.
- confusión
- Confusion or a state of disorder and lack of clarity.
- ambas
- Feminine adjective meaning 'both,' referring to two things.
- sus
- Possessive adjective meaning 'his,' 'her,' 'their,' or 'your.'
- propios
- Adjective meaning 'own' or 'proper,' belonging to oneself.
- escritos
- Writings or written works produced by an author.
- Pero
- Conjunction meaning 'but,' introducing a contrasting idea.
- encierra
- Third person singular of 'encerrar,' meaning contains or encloses.
- verdad
- Truth or the quality of being accurate and real.
- fórmulas
- Formulas or fixed expressions used in reasoning or science.
- sigue
- Third person singular of 'seguir,' meaning remains or continues.
- velada
- Veiled or obscured, hidden beneath surface appearances.
- metafísica
- Metaphysics, philosophy dealing with fundamental nature of reality.
- ciencia
- Science or a systematic body of knowledge and inquiry.
- imagina
- Third person singular of 'imaginar,' meaning imagines or conceives.
- contempla
- Third person singular of 'contemplar,' meaning contemplates or observes.
- toda
- Feminine adjective meaning 'all,' 'whole,' or 'every.'
- existencia
- Existence or the fact of being real or present.
- es
- Third person singular present of 'ser,' meaning 'is.'
- muy
- Adverb meaning 'very' or 'quite,' intensifying an adjective.
- distinta
- Feminine adjective meaning 'distinct' or 'different' from something.
- doctrina
- Doctrine or a set of principles taught within a discipline.
- afirma
- Third person singular of 'afirmar,' meaning affirms or claims.
- haber
- Auxiliary verb 'to have,' used in compound tenses.
- descubierto
- Past participle of 'descubrir,' meaning discovered or found out.
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →