Diotimos Library · Journals, Notebooks & Fragments Collection · Bilingual Edition

Joseph Joubert

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II

Name: The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II
Author: Joseph Joubert

Complete Notebooks · French with an independent English translation.

Explore the Lexicon

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume IIYEAR 1814 · Entry 6965

Swipe or use the arrow keys.

Facing Pages · Branch 3184 of 4529

YEAR 1814 · Entry 6965

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 6367

Dieu est le lieu de la vérité, non seulement parce qu’elle est en lui, […]ais parce qu’elle ne peut être vuë et jugée que dans lui, par rapport […] lui et par ce qu’elle est en lui.

La vérité universelle et la vérité particulière. Sans doute, ce que […]ieu pense est bien pensé. La vérité de fait (ou de simple existence) […] la vérité de nature (ou d’existence nécessaire).

La vérité est la réalité dans les choses intelligibles.

« L’homme est un animal religieux », voilà une vérité de nature […] de nécessité. « Les hommes sont avides, intéressés », voilà une […]érité de simple fait qui, pouvant être ou n’être pas, peut être ignorée […]ans dommage pour l’esprit. Car la connoissance de la vérité univer[…]elle, de la vérité des natures, de la vérité proprement dite et néces[…]aire est d’une grande importance pour le bon ordre et la lumière […]e l’esprit. Mais la connoissance des vérités particulières n’est néces[…]aire ou même utile qu’à nos affaires.

(Ort. sol.) Per differentiam proximam. Quand je dis « l’homme est […]n animal religieux », je fais de l’homme une définition d’autant meil[…]eure que je l’isole réellement de tout ce qui le touche. Je le distingue […]es anges et des bêtes. Je détermine son genus proprium par un seul […]ot dont la vérité est sensible, visible et pour ainsi dire palpable.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1814

p. 6368

God is the place of truth, not only because it is in him, [but] because it can be seen and judged only in him, in relation [to] him and by what it is in him.

Universal truth and particular truth. Doubtless, what [God] thinks is well thought. Truth of fact (or of simple existence) [and] truth of nature (or of necessary existence).

Truth is reality in intelligible things.

“Man is a religious animal”: that is a truth of nature [or] of necessity. “Men are greedy, self-interested”: that is a [truth] of simple fact which, since it can be or not be, can be unknown [without] harm to the mind. For knowledge of [universal] truth, of the truth of natures, of truth properly so called and [necessary], is of great importance for the good order and light [of] the mind. But knowledge of particular truths is [necessary] or even useful only to our affairs.

(Sunrise.) By the proximate difference. When I say “man is [a] religious animal,” I give a definition of man all the [better] because I truly isolate him from everything that touches him. I distinguish him [from] angels and beasts. I determine his proper genus by a single [word] whose truth is perceptible, visible and, so to speak, palpable.

T122.The place image, not-only and restrictive-only clauses, paired seen/judged and repeated in him remain. The two pronouns distinguish truth from God without replacing the spatial metaphor. [But] interprets mais from […]ais; [to] contextually interprets à at the complete loss before lui. These English choices do not restore the French or collapse its differing prepositions.

T435.All five source paragraphs remain in one unit. The first paragraph retains ais after the damaged conjunction and an unresolved loss before lui in par rapport […] lui; no m or à is restored. Vuë has two upper components joined by a narrow bridge, supporting a qualified diaeresis. The repeated en/dans/par relations are not reconciled into one formulation. Paragraph 2 retains ieu with its abraded but identifiable initial i, and an explicit loss before la vérité de nature; the detached upright before la is not a complete t. Neither Dieu nor et is restored. Both parenthetic alternatives and the separate short third paragraph remain. In the French source, paragraph 4 keeps both quoted judgments, the first comma outside its closing guillemet, and all restrictions. A loss precedes de nécessité without supplying ou. The later residues are érité, ans, univer/elle, néces/aire in two separate words, and e before l’esprit. The first é of érité and both a contours in aire are degraded but identifiable and qualified; the missing v/s/s/s/d components are not supplied. The two connoissance spellings retain oi. Paragraph 5 keeps its roman Ort. sol. circumstance and italic Per differentiam proximam. plus genus proprium. The quote retains n after a loss; the wrapped word keeps meil and eure without recovering l. Before es anges the tall incomplete remnant does not certify a whole d or l; no grammatical repair is made. Only ot remains of the final damaged noun. The intact des bêtes and all three final adjectives remain. The separate independent comparison is complete: the full page, native left strips spanning all five paragraphs and the vuë crop agree with the conservative damaged openings and qualified upper marks recorded here. This bounded agreement does not restore any missing letter or word; all explicit glyph qualifications remain.

T123.The nominal opening and closing contrast remain, with both explanatory parentheses and the thought/thought repetition. Simple existence is not silently equated with contingency in the body. [God] and [and] contextually render Dieu and et from […]ieu and a whole lost connector before la vérité de nature; neither opening is recovered in French.

T124.The terse identity and technical intelligible remain, without an added metaphysical explanation.

T125.Both bounded quotations, can-be-or-not-be, both can formulations and the concluding only remain. The repeated truth, plural natures, order/light and necessary-or-even-useful distinctions are preserved. The claims remain Joubert’s; self-interested renders intéressés in its paired evaluative context. The English colons after both quotations clarify the explanatory relation where French has commas. [Or] provisionally interprets ou before de nécessité; the absent connector is not recovered and an additive et remains possible. [Truth], [without], [universal], both occurrences of [necessary] and [of] contextually interpret vérité, sans, universelle, nécessaire and de from their recorded damaged residues; complete English words are bracketed without restored French letters.

T126.The opening circumstance provisionally expands Ort. sol. as sunrise without supplying a clock time. The two italic Latin spans receive fresh English, By the proximate difference and proper genus, retaining their technical distinction rather than silently substituting species. Touches preserves the physical image of the adjacent things. The single word, three perceptual qualities and so to speak remain. [A], [better], [from] and [word] contextually render un, meilleure, des and mot from […]n, meil[…]eure, […]es and […]ot. Their whole English counterparts are bracketed; the source’s surviving letters remain unchanged. The quote’s comma moves inside the closing English quotation mark under American style.

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 II continues the notebooks and includes seventy undated pieces. 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.