From the book
The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volumes I–II
Joseph Joubert · Diotimos Editions · 2026
Browse this book’s lexicon →Orientation
At a Glance
- The wordÉquité supplies a proportional and inwardly discriminating rule; droiture names the uprightness expected of judgment.
- In JoubertThe short definition as proportional equality prevents equity from being reduced to identical shares or measures.
- In this editionThe English translation keeps equity and uprightness separate in the compressed list, without supplying all the omitted verbs.
- A place to beginEquity is defined as proportional equality.
- English renderings
- equity; uprightness
Meaning
Équité supplies a proportional and inwardly discriminating rule; droiture names the uprightness expected of judgment.
Use in the book
The short definition as proportional equality prevents equity from being reduced to identical shares or measures. The sequence assigning qualities to movement, thought, tone and hand gives equity to intention and uprightness to judgments. A further contrast with law places equity within conscience as a better rule than merely determining oneself by legal prescription. The passages do not supply a complete legal doctrine or settle every conflict between law and conscience. They do make equity a distinct reading problem: judgment may need a norm that measures proportion and intention beyond outward conformity.
Places to read
- I, p. 199, entry 9, ¶2Equity is defined as proportional equality.
- I, p. 469, entry 12, ¶1Equity belongs to intention, uprightness to judgments.
- II, p. 498, entry 4, ¶2Equity is a better inward rule than exclusive reliance on law.
Translation in this edition
The English translation keeps equity and uprightness separate in the compressed list, without supplying all the omitted verbs. The law sentence retains only, so its criticism is aimed at exclusive reliance on law, not at every lawful act.
Source note
Beaunier 1938, I, pp. 199, 469; II, pp. 498.