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 1816 · Entry 7651

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French Page · Branch 3870 of 4529

YEAR 1816 · Entry 7651

Translator notesBook Mode

French

p. 7739

2 août.

Verum a facto, veritas ab essentia pendet. Itaque veritas est de necessariis; verum (autem res vera) est de contingentibus. Le vrai dépend des faits, et la vérité des essences. La vérité est donc des nécessaires et le vrai est des contingens. L’un tient à la réalité, l’autre aux natures. Il est nécessaire, important de connoître la vérité, mais non pas toutes les réalités. La connoissance des réalités sert à vivre et à opérer; mais celle de la vérité sert à bien vivre, à bien agir, à bien penser, à bien vouloir.

The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volume II: YEAR 1816

p. 7740

August 2.

The true depends on fact, truth on essence. Thus truth concerns necessary things; the true (a true thing, however) concerns contingent things. The true depends on facts, and truth on essences. Truth therefore concerns necessary things, and the true concerns contingent things. The one is bound to reality, the other to natures. It is necessary, important, to know truth, but not all realities. Knowledge of realities serves to live and to operate; but knowledge of truth serves to live well, to act well, to think well, to will well.

T118.The complete opening Latin receives a fresh English rendering before the following French is translated; both remain in one paragraph. The true/truth distinction, singular fact/essence in Latin versus plural facts/essences in French, and repeated necessary/contingent categories remain. The Latin parenthesis autem res vera is provisionally rendered a true thing, however, retaining its explanatory and adversative words without inserting a different Latin text. Masculine L’un points to le vrai as the one bound to reality; the other is truth, bound to natures. English retains one/other without treating them as the first and second members of the immediately preceding, reversed clause. The necessary/important pair, not-all restriction, realities/truth distinction and all four well phrases remain. Operate distinguishes opérer from the later agir. The independent specialist reread supports this literal rendering without identifying an external Latin source.

T286.The complete 2 remains. The entire Latin opening is roman, as is its parenthetic autem res vera; the subsequent French continues in the same paragraph. The ne-/cessariis wrap is complete. No external Latin text or extra predicate is inserted. The repeated true/truth distinction, donc, singular reality versus plural natures, explicit non pas toutes and all four repeated bien phrases remain. Contingens and connoissance remain literal. Lower margin initials nécessaires/aux/non/et/bien are identifiable in color. The named 853 date/left-margin contours, opaque raised round M glyph and raised s, baseline l forms, vuë upper pair, Nota. italic extent and roman Latin are retained as the source specialist’s qualified collation findings.

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.