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Italian to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Philosophy | | Italian term or phrase: capriole ontologiche | This is the context (from a book on cartography):
La tavola e la mappa sono la stessa cosa, ancora alla fine dell’Ottocento la prima era sinonimo della seconda, ambedue si riferiscono all’identica materiale “struttura che connette” come avrebbe detto Bateson, alla medesima “agenzia produttrice di pensiero” secondo l’espressione di Freud: al piano delle capriole ontologiche, delle più ardite trasmutazioni relative alla natura delle cose.
Thanks |
| | | ontological capers | Explanation:
...still going on!!!
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Note added at 2 hrs (2010-09-19 18:52:54 GMT)
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Hi, Dana. Capriole ontologiche – is not a standard expression belonging to philosophical argot: it's ironic. Therefore, it would be futile to search for its "philosophical equivalent" in English, although, I'm sure, Google would contain instances of such a usage... as Google contains instances of ANY usage (and that's why I don't trust it one bit!). It sounds good and right to me; I personally used “theoretical capers" many a time in my own books and articles, so why not? Cheers. |
| Selected response from:
Michael Korovkin
Local time: 06:56
| Grading comment I stayed with my original idea after all. Thanks to everyone.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer |
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| Discussion entries: 0 |
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Automatic update in 00:
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15 mins confidence:   peer agreement (net): +1 ontological manoeuvre
Explanation:
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=ontological manoeuvre &btnG...
|  liz askew
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:56
Does not meet criteria
Native speaker of:  English
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54 mins confidence: ontological leaps
Explanation:
Generally used in religious discussions, of the transformation from ape to humans, but can be applied to other radical changes.
Specifically, it is used to indicate the transformation from idea to substance, as in your passage.
http://forum.wolframscience.com/showthread.php?threadid=1495
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Note added at 1 hr (2010-09-19 17:27:59 GMT)
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(2500 Google hits in quotes)
| Jim Tucker
United States
Does not meet criteria
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 12
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| | Login to enter a peer comment (or grade) |
2 hrs confidence:
7 hrs confidence: peer agreement (net): +2 ontological gymnastics
Explanation:
I understand this as being in line with Saint Aquinas and Jacques Lacan's ideas on 'self-reflexivity' ... tied in directly to the text with Lacan's analysis of Descartes (along with Freud's opinions of Descartes)...and other clues.
The main clue being "La tavola e la mappa sono la stessa cosa" - 'meaning, they have folded back into 'itself' as one.'
Aquinas was similarly discussing the 'reflexivity of the soul'. The 'reditus ad seipam' - the bending of the soul back upon itself.
This folding-back - NOT a leap, or jump ahead - matches the use of 'capriola' in the idiom 'fare le capriole per quelcosa' - to 'bend over backwards for something'.
But, 'bending over backwards' is not quite the idea here, as it suggests a sacrifice. So, I went with a synonym - gymnastics. [not sure how many Ghits that gets* - I'm basing my answer on my understanding of the text.]
I think 'ontological flexibility' would give the wrong message as it doesn't indicate the direction, and deals with mutations.
Plus, 'gymnastics' gives the idea of 'contortions,' 'somersaults' and 'choreography' - as associated with 'capriole.'
The reference ("“struttura che connette” ('sensitivity to the structures that connect’)) to Gregory Bateson in the T1 also convinces me this is a 'folding backward' - as Bateson was interested in the 'economics of flexibility.'
Well, to put it simply - the translation piece is quite weighty, and ties together a history of western thought on the self quite nicely.
[*bwah - it only gets 16 Ghits. Oh, well! If answers are decided on Ghits, better forget this one.]
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Note added at 7 days (2010-09-27 13:06:24 GMT) Post-grading
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I'm glad I could at least provide a few 'real world' examples.
Example sentence(s):- Through this form of ontological gymnastics comes the primary illumination of the Discordian mystic. [web source]
- But he saves himself once again by embodying polar opposites, by performing the ontological gymnastics he attributed to Jean Genet. [web source]
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregory_Bateson
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflexive_self-consciousness
| xxxMr Murray
Italy
Does not meet criteria
Native speaker of:  English
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