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Glossary entry

French term or phrase:

de la métaphysique

English translation:

about metaphysics/a matter of metaphysics

Added to glossary by Barbara Cochran, MFA
Jul 6, 2021 15:50
2 yrs ago
39 viewers *
French term

de la métaphysique

Non-PRO French to English Social Sciences Philosophy
From an academic text on mid-nineteenth century French philosophy:

Certes, Renan reconnaît comme légitime la volonté de donner de la précision à la philosophie, et il parle de Dieu comme d’un idéal nécessaire ; l’infini, l’absolu, ne sont pas des « chimères », mais des notions indispensables ; toutefois ce n'est pas « de la métaphysique » comme science première des principes.

It's about this article:

https://fr.wikisource.org/wiki/De_la_Métaphysique_et_son_ave...

What I don't quite get is 1) whys it in quotes - is it a reference to the title? 2) If it isn't, what does "de la" refer to? notions indispensables?
Proposed translations (English)
3 +9 about metaphysics/a matter of metaphysics
4 +1 this is not (/doesn't belong to /is not part of) "metaphysics"
Change log

Jul 6, 2021 17:48: Yolanda Broad changed "Term asked" from "\"de la métaphysique\"" to "de la métaphysique"

Jul 12, 2021 14:25: Barbara Cochran, MFA Created KOG entry

Jul 20, 2021 15:59: Daryo changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"

Votes to reclassify question as PRO/non-PRO:

Non-PRO (3): Wilsonn Perez Reyes, Carol Gullidge, Daryo

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Discussion

Carol Gullidge Jul 7, 2021:
@ Wilsonn while it is definitely true that Glossary form must be maintained, this applies at the point of entering the term in the Glossary, and does not necessarily mean that the Question itself, or the Answer proposed - being merely a suggested translation for the source term - shouldn't contain quotes if appropriate to the context.
Melissa McMahon Jul 7, 2021:
scare quotes The quotes are to bracket off what appears to be metaphysical thought in Renan, from metaphysics in the traditional, ie Aristotelian, sense, as a first philosophy of principles. So, he's doing metaphysics but not "metaphysics" in the common sense it has in philosophy. The quotation marks are a distancing device.
Daryo Jul 7, 2021:
Although "metaphysics" has a rather "fluid" meaning, the sentence structure is quite straightforward (rien de sorcier!).

However the exact intended meaning of "la métaphysique" could be difficult to pinpoint, there is only translation "metaphysics", not much choice about that.

The element to get right is the sentence structure, the construction "ce n'est pas de ..."
philgoddard Jul 6, 2021:
This is definitely a pro question - I'm not clear what it means. It looks like a reference to the title, in which case one option would be to leave it in French.
Wilsonn Perez Reyes Jul 6, 2021:
1.4 Glossary form must be maintained Question marks, quote marks, unnecessary capitalization and anything else that would not be found in a dictionary, should not be entered.
https://www.proz.com/siterules/kudoz_general/1.4#1.4

Proposed translations

+9
9 mins
French term (edited): "de la métaphysique"
Selected

about metaphysics/a matter of metaphysics

>>>
Peer comment(s):
agree liz askew
1 hr
Thank you, liz.
agree Domini Lucas
2 hrs
Thanks, Domini.
agree Frank Gerace
3 hrs
Thanks, Frank.
agree SafeTex : I like "a matter of" which could also be translated as "in the realm of"
13 hrs
Thank you, SafeTex.
agree Iuliia Vinitchenko
16 hrs
Thanks, Iulia.
agree ormiston : A matter of works nicely (the quotation marks could mean metaphysics 'as such')
16 hrs
Thank you, ormiston.
agree Katarina Peters
21 hrs
Thanks, Katarina.
agree Samuël Buysschaert
23 hrs
Thank you, Samuel.
agree Nikki Scott-Despaigne
1 day 21 hrs
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "Thank you!"
+1
8 hrs
French term (edited): ce n'est pas « de la métaphysique »

this is not (/doesn't belong to /is not part of) "metaphysics"

Certes, Renan reconnaît comme légitime la volonté de donner de la précision à la philosophie, et il parle de Dieu comme d’un idéal nécessaire ; l’infini, l’absolu, ne sont pas des « chimères », mais des notions indispensables ; toutefois ce n'est pas « de la métaphysique » comme science première des principes.

=>

these concepts:

l’infini, l’absolu

[are "real" and we can't do without them]

but nevertheless they are not (/don't belong to /are not part of) "metaphysics" [the kind of "metaphysics"] seen as, interpreted as the primary/fundamental science of principles.



same as the assertion

"there are 3 primary colours"

is not (/doesn't belong to /is not part of) say "geography"


Peer comment(s):
disagree SafeTex : To make this work nicely in English, you should have said "this is not in the realm of...". Your suggestion is missing that true English touch.
5 hrs
What did you expect? Some tribute act to "Exercices de style"????
agree Melissa McMahon : Yes, simply "this isn't "metaphysics"" (without "about"/"a matter of" etc) is fine I think
10 hrs
That part is only a list of synonyms added for clarification. Thanks!
agree Carol Gullidge : ..., but without either of "doesn't belong to /is not part of"
10 hrs
That part is only a list of synonyms added for clarification. Thanks!
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