From the book
The Notebooks of Joseph Joubert, Volumes I–II
Joseph Joubert · Diotimos Editions · 2026
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At a Glance
- The wordThese temporal positions have different imaginative forms and different uses in action.
- In JoubertThe Fates’ spinning apparatus distinguishes wound thread, the thread being spun, and unformed tow.
- In this editionThe English translation preserves distaff, spindle, and tow as separate objects.
- A place to beginDifferent parts and states of spinning represent temporal divisions.
- English renderings
- past; present; future
Meaning
These temporal positions have different imaginative forms and different uses in action. Joubert does not treat them simply as three exchangeable stretches of duration.
Use in the book
The Fates’ spinning apparatus distinguishes wound thread, the thread being spun, and unformed tow. The future is represented through something still shapeless, rather than through another completed part of the thread. The practical imperative assigns deliberation to the past, enjoyment to the present, and action to the future. A later fragment brings all three into the possession of a good through memory, prospect, and reality. The orders of the two lists differ; their relation should be explained without rearranging the text.
Places to read
- I, p. 37, entry 1, ¶1Different parts and states of spinning represent temporal divisions.
- I, p. 47, entry 1, ¶12Past, present and future have distinct uses in deliberation, enjoyment and action.
- II, p. 723, entry 2, ¶1Memory, prospect and reality make good available in three temporal relations.
Translation in this edition
The English translation preserves distaff, spindle, and tow as separate objects. Consultes at I.47 is the intransitive deliberate, not an unnamed act of seeking advice. At II.723 [enjoys] and [good] remain contextual restorations of damaged words; the Lexicon does not certify their missing letters.
Source note
Beaunier 1938, I, pp. 37, 47; II, pp. 723.