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.

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The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume IIYEAR 1814 · Entry 7136

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French Page · Branch 3355 of 4529

YEAR 1814 · Entry 7136

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 6709

24 novembre.

I. L’athéisme et toutes ses crédulités; s’il est conséquent, il peut et doit croire à un prodige à chaque minute.

II. Le déisme et les religions. Toutes mènent au but par des chemins plus ou moins bons, plus ou moins beaux, et au sommet par échelons plus ou moins solides.

III. « Je parle aux âmes tendres, aux âmes ardentes, aux âmes élevées, aux âmes nées avec un de ces caractères distinctifs de la religiosité; et je leur dis : — Il n’y a que la N qui puisse vous détacher de la religion et il n’y a que la religion qui puisse vous guérir des J.-J. Rousseau. »

IV. Voltaire. Comme le singe. Les mouvemens charmans, les traits hideux.

Dans les principes de l’athée, un mort peut fort bien ressusciter; et il pourroit en ressusciter mille par jour : il ne faut pour cela qu’un peu de fermentation.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1814

p. 6710

November 24.

I. Atheism and all its credulities; if it is consistent, it can and must believe in a prodigy at every minute.

II. Deism and religions. All lead to the goal by paths more or less good, more or less beautiful, and to the summit by rungs more or less solid.

III. “I speak to tender souls, to ardent souls, to lofty souls, to souls born with one of these distinguishing characters of religiosity; and I say to them: — Only N can detach you from religion, and only religion can cure you of the J.-J. Rousseaus.”

IV. Voltaire. Like the monkey. The charming movements, the hideous features.

In the atheist’s principles, a dead man may very well rise again; and a thousand could rise again each day: all that requires is a little fermentation.

T15.The first Roman-numbered paragraph remains nominal before its condition. Credulities retains the plural and consistent renders conséquent as logical consistency, not temporal succession. Both can and must remain, with no scientific or theological gloss. Every minute retains the specific temporal unit in à chaque minute.

T165.Five separately indented paragraphs remain in one dated unit: four carry roman I–IV, while the fifth is unnumbered. The first 2 of 24 retains an upper hook, diagonal transition and lower foot in color, with abrasion disclosed; the complete 24 is provisional at that contour level, stronger than the preceding incomplete first 2. No date sequence supplies its reading. The numbered fragments, singular athéisme, both peut/doit, all three plus ou moins constructions and the unnumbered conditional pourroit remain. Paragraph 3 has one quotation opening after III and closing only after J.-J. Rousseau.; the capital N is opaque and is not expanded or relabeled Greek. Both restrictive ne...que constructions and the plural des before the printed name remain literally. The quotation is not corrected from another witness. The line-edge d of doit, p of plus, l of the wrapped échelons, v of élevées, g of religiosité, d of de la religion, initial J of J.-J., h of hideux and i/p of the final paragraph retain qualified identifiable foreground structures; no extra words or letters are supplied before them. All prose including the name is roman. Independent bounded comparison agrees with this qualified date and the named edge contours, without supplying additional letters.

T16.All three more-or-less qualifications remain, with goal/summit and paths/rungs distinct. The French feminine Toutes most directly agrees with religions; the English All leaves its scope open without silently forcing a wider or narrower theological conclusion.

T17.The repeated souls, single direct quotation, dash and two only restrictions remain. The source certifies an opaque Latin capital N preceded by feminine la; N is not identified or expanded. Rousseaus interprets plural des before the uninflected printed J.-J. Rousseau as a class, without changing the French name. English omits la before N without treating its grammatical gender as an identification. No external quotation source or restored French wording is claimed.

T18.The four nominal elements retain their clipped sequence and the contrast between movements and features. No predicate, biological claim or biographical explanation is added.

T19.The possibility, very well, numerical contrast and little fermentation remain. The impersonal plural possibility is not supplied with a named agent; the physical explanation remains Joubert’s formulation. This unnumbered fifth paragraph belongs to the same unit as I–IV.

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.