Diotimos Library · Journals, Notebooks & Fragments Collection · Bilingual Edition
The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume I
Complete Notebooks · French with an independent English translation.
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Facing Pages · Branch 3438 of 3781
YEAR 1804 · Entry 3438
French
p. 6875Expliquant tout par des raisons qui ne peuvent être comprises que par un effort de réflexion, sa philosophie ne pouvoit en aucune manière devenir populaire ni usuelle, entrer enfin dans le commerce habituel de pensées qu’ont les hommes avec eux mêmes et entre eux.
Malebranche. Il étoit doué (pour parler son langage) d’une disposition à laisser les idées abstraites s’imprimer fortement dans son cerveau et aucun homme n’eut plus de cette imagination forte qu’il blâme tant; mais la sienne n’étoit mise en jeu que par ce qui étoit dégagé de toute espèce de matière. Visionnaire de raisonnement. Ou mathématiquement visionnaire. Il dit qu’il y a des visionnaires de sens et des visionnaires d’entendement. Ce furent ses abstractions qui le trompèrent; mais il se trompa par des opérations propres à son esprit et où il excelloit. C’est [ce] qui lui a rendu ses erreurs glorieuses en quelque sorte, parce qu’étant comme naturelles elles ont plu et devoient plaire par cette qualité.
Toutes ses explications sont d’un matérialiste, quoique tous ses sentimens et toute sa doctrine fussent entièrement opposées au matérialisme.
Malebranche ne suppose jamais qu’il y ait aucune différence entre les âmes, il n’en admet qu’entre les cerveaux. La première semble exister cependant et suffiroit pour expliquer facilement plus de choses que la deuxième.
Mais que devoit-il donc penser du langage de l’écriture.
The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume I: YEAR 1804
p. 6876Explaining everything by reasons that can be understood only through an effort of reflection, his philosophy could in no way become popular or customary, enter, in short, into the habitual exchange of thoughts men have with themselves and with one another.
Malebranche. He was endowed (to speak his language) with a disposition to let abstract ideas impress themselves strongly upon his brain, and no man had more of that strong imagination he blames so much; but his own was brought into play only by what was freed from every kind of matter. A visionary of reasoning. Or mathematically visionary. He says there are visionaries of sense and visionaries of understanding. It was his abstractions that deceived him; but he erred through operations proper to his mind and in which he excelled. That is [what] made his errors glorious for him in some sense, because, being as it were natural, they pleased and were bound to please by this quality.
All his explanations are those of a materialist, although all his sentiments and his whole doctrine were entirely opposed to materialism.
Malebranche never supposes there is any difference between souls, he admits one only between brains. The first nevertheless seems to exist and would suffice to explain more things easily than the second.
But what, then, must he have thought of the language of scripture.
Socrates
Reading The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume I · YEAR 1804 · Entry 3438
Ask about a concept, passage, contradiction, or connection.
Socrates will begin with this book and its sources.About This Reading Edition
Joubert’s notebooks return to the work of thinking and writing, the demands of friendship, and questions of faith, beauty and conduct. This edition pairs the French with a new English translation, preserving the order of the chosen source and the unfinished character of its fragments. Dates and source references allow readers to follow a thought through time or return to its printed context.
Historical Text and Translation
The French text follows André Beaunier’s 1938 edition of Les Carnets de Joseph Joubert, published by Gallimard from Joubert’s autograph manuscripts. Volume I presents the entries on printed pages 32–475. French and English are aligned paragraph by paragraph, retaining the source order, printed dates and page references so readers can return to the facsimile.
About Diotimos Editions
Diotimos Editions prepared this new English translation directly from the French, preserving Joubert’s distinctions, recurring images, ambiguities and unfinished thoughts. Translator’s notes clarify wording, references and uncertain readings: Essential keeps notes that help explain a passage, while All includes technical detail. Annotations from the 1938 source edition remain distinct from the new translator’s notes.
Rights
The linked facsimile records identify the French source as public domain in the United States. The new English translation and editorial notes are © 2026 Diotimos, with source annotations and new editorial contributions credited separately. This edition pairs the complete French notebooks with an independent English translation, preserving the distinction between Joubert’s text and its accompanying notes.