Grown-ups
never understand anything by themselves, and it is tiresome for children to be
always and forever explaining things to them.
Antoine
de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince
As some other people do, I appreciate books and all the possible companionship they can provide. And this feeling only grew stronger as I
started to consider what a trail of words printed on a piece of paper can
represent. In my person, the facets of being a philosopher and of being a translator have something in common: both find in the
organicity of words certain nutrients that stimulate the birth of new thoughts.
The philosopher, backed up by his Skepticism, in a kind of promptitude, puts
what can be questioned under suspicion. Skepticism offers important tools for
the proper maintenance of lucidity, particularly on the days in which a heavy
fog hangs over the atmosphere. The translator, backed up by his translation
skills, always promoting the strict coexistence of at least two languages,
makes communication possible. The translation offers important tools to amplify
communication skills, particularly on the days in which the art of conversation
has been too mistreated. In this sense, when it comes to the written words, the
observer grasps the reading that simultaneously goes through philosopher and
translator.
However, I would rather not to talk about the facets of being a philosopher and of being a translator. I only wish to explore a bit more about the side that
permeates both: the reading habit. Philosopher and translator are, too, and
before of anything else, readers. The philosopher finds different currents of
thought in the books that have been bequeathed throughout the history of
philosophy. And each one of them intends to share different teachings.
Nevertheless, the philosopher finds in the Skepticism the affinity of thought.
The translator finds in his professional activity the opportunities to build
different ordinary life ties. And all the opportunities represent the ways to
put into practice different social virtues. Nevertheless, the translator finds
in the technical translation the ways to put into practice some skills, and he
also recognizes the influence of Wittgenstein's language reflections during his
working routine. Thus, philosopher and translator find in the
conviviality with words a formidable habit. On one hand, there is the critical
reflection; on the other hand, the endless investigation searching for the
meaning to get the best translation solution and make communication possible.
The conviviality with books
might be understood as a way to improve and dignify humankind. I am the kind of
person who maintains a dubious relationship with words. Wait, I'll explain! I
read for pleasure and for obligation as well. When I am reading for pleasure, I
feel that kind of pleasant satisfaction due to the absence of all kinds of
obligations: choosing an exemplar in the still modest library—building a
library is a lifelong endeavor—is an enjoyable experience. Passing a few hours
in the company of an author is a moment of encounter. The words written on
paper offer the opportunity to initiate a certain kind of communication: author
and reader experience in the words the meeting point. However, reading for
obligation, during translation routines, does not necessarily imply the absence
of pleasure. Working with different translation projects, with tight
deadlines and all kinds of requirements, is something to be passionate about.
Challenges, different texts, and information involved: all of that are
different aspects that represent the opportunity to put into practice different
translation skills. And the translator always learns something new in the
activities, as his skills can be improved in different circumstances.
Written words leave trails
of thoughts on a blank piece of paper. Words, sentences, paragraphs, pages,
chapters, and... voilà: there you have a book! By means of uncountable working
hours, the pathway of an existential itinerary becomes intelligible by means of
words. Hours and hours of working time; but what about all the living time
itself? What about the maturing reflection time? With all the richness of the
raw material, what will be the instruments employed to shape it? A piece of
paper and a pen on the desk, a lamp to dissipate the dimness
and a body disposable to think about… what to write. Though the computer is
present in the daily basis, there are many people who still write like that. A
word that blossoms in the most recondite corners, as an electric impulse, just
as Nietzsche said, circulates throughout the entire body: from the head it goes
down by the arms, follows through the hands and through the fingertips until it
ends up in the wielded pen that dirties the paper with the colors of strangely
drawn symbols and curiously decipherable by the attentive testimony of the
eyes: I exist because the word that is in myself is in the world.
Things were somewhat like that in the not-so-distant past. Writers
accumulated large folio volumes of written papers in their offices. The
original manuscripts are, as they are known to be, full of trails of thoughts.
Thinking about it, in the more-distant past, this practice was even more
complicated due to the obvious reasons. Incipient technological advances, lack
of adequate material resources. For example, it was common to register the
information in blocks of stones, boards, or papyrus in Antiquity. The paper was
adopted, and a feather became the common resource to write the words. The working
desk was rudimentary, as there was no electricity, so the light of a candle was
responsible for dissipating the dimness and making the thought activity
possible.
The emergence of writing represents a turning point for the
civilization. The language became expressible and interpretable by means of a
determined tongue in imaging symbols. The said drawing symbols. The
communication theories show that, before the emergence of writing, the orality
was the primordial transmission means that had been made possible the
communication. Thus, the communication would be paved on the sounds, and, in
this sense, under the point of view of bodily expression, orality and audition
would have a primary role in the communication. It is curious to notice that
the possibility of writing alphabetical systematization represented a new way
of expressing and exploring the language. The communication extends itself to
other body regions, such as arms, hands, and eyes, to make the tongue express
itself by means of writing. If there is communication, it is because there are
many body regions involved in the language expression. Thus, this gave rise to
the possibility of basing written communication on a materially tangible
medium, such as stone blocks, boards, or papyrus. By the way, was there
communication before writing? Could the disordered sounds and body movements be
characterized as a way of communication? What is communication? Are the
non-human animals able to communicate? Suspicions aside, the fact is that
writing emerged at a given moment.
In the current state of affairs, maybe these views are not important
concerns for many people, since words always remain present in ordinary life in
different ways. Nevertheless, maybe this notion is a bit too comfortable, since
thinking about the origin of writing and its subsequent implications for
culture can be time-consuming, particularly when one wishes to articulate a
broader and deeper understanding of the subject. The language development is a civilizational
conquest. Everyone benefits from more individuals being literate, both in their
mother tongue and occasionally in other languages. For instance, a question
seems particularly appropriate right now. What effect did the emergence of
writing have on the culture of ancient times? Since the oral status quo
had already been established, the novelty caused different reactions. However,
it seems to make no sense exploring such a complex question in a blog post—indeed,
this is not my intention. Even so, I deliberately bring up the question so that
the reader can feel stimulated by the proposal of a possible reflection.
Two works of two Western culture authors are
considered fundamental. I am
talking about Homer and Hesiod. There are controversies surrounding both poets.
Certain theories claim they existed, while others claim several other poets
were unified in the characters of Homer and Hesiod; that is, the collective
work of countless poets was unified, and the result of these works was credited
solely to the names of these two poets. Homer is the author of the Iliad.
And Hesiod is the author of The Works and the Days. The Homeric poems
were transmitted orally, as were the Hesiodic poems. In Homer's work, the epic
poems relate heroic accomplishments and legendary figures during the Trojan
War, and in this sense, you have the ideal of aristocratic culture, where
courage was emphasized as a capital value. In Hesiod's work, heroic
accomplishments are also recounted, but Hesiod narrates them in the context of
peasant life, involving the hard work done in the fields by people who
painstakingly cultivated the land with the sweat of their faces to maintain
their livelihoods. Arms, hands, and bodies. This is the value and importance of
work.
That is, Archaic Greece has an eminently oral culture. The aoidos
traveled to different places and recited their poems. People listened to those
verses, and a whole imaginary thought was being little by little fecundated—it
is important to bear in mind that, as the civilization becomes culturally
diversified, many of those notions ended up being problematized. Originally,
the poem is a kind of expression that privileges orality, since its entire
metrical structure, poetic syllables, and entire rhythmic scheme of
versification and oral intonation are intended to facilitate the memorization
of verses and cause a pleasant sound effect to the ears. I mean, the work of
poets had everything to do with memory work. The skills surrounding memory were
extremely valuable, given that being able to remember different verses was not
an easy endeavor. And no less complex were the skills surrounding the proper
recitation of those poems, with all the oral expression work involved.
Thus, the oral culture had been transmitted to the others throughout
generations. The communities and the different kinds of sociability became
organized surrounding this notion. But with the emergence of polis, you
have the appropriate conditions for the flourishing of philosophical,
historical, and scientific thought, as well as literature, architecture, and Democracy itself. It was in this environment that writing began its spread. But
the adoption of writing was not an event without major repercussions. On the
contrary! Adopting writing at that time represented a deep change in the
communication way or even in organizing sociability. Given that people were
used to transmitting their cultural legacy orally, what were the likely implications
for culture with the adoption of writing? If poets played an important role in
the oral tradition, what could happen to them with the emergence of writing? If
poets used their memories to transmit their verses, then memory played a key
role in these practices, so what would be the likely impact on memory with the
adoption of writing?
It is interesting to notice, for example, Plato's position at the
time. According to the philosopher, the adoption of writing could generate
serious implications for the culture. Plato considered that a written text
could be a source of endless controversies. Differently from the oral
recitation in which a person must be present to recite the poem, written words
could circulate freely, without the need of a person's presence, since the
existence of the text would become an autonomous and independent event. As a
result, with the adoption of writing, author and text could both exist
autonomously and independently, without their presence being necessary for the
message to be understood. Besides all that, another issue raised by Plato
considered the interpretation. How could an author explain their own ideas from
the moment in which the reader would have direct access to the text without the need
for their presence? An interpretation could be wrong, or even a reader could
have doubts. If this was not enough, Plato considered the written text could
represent an impact for the thought. If the words were written, then there
would not be the need to resort to the memory, or even to the thought, to
transmit the communication. Everything would be registered in another place.
That is, there would be a decline in the use of memory and thought, and this
could represent a major concern. Some of these impressions are shared in the
book Textos básicos de linguagem de Platão a Foucault.
Plato introduced the problematics concerning the literate society. Using literacy to express oneself, promoting the culture, and maintaining the institutions imply spreading and teaching the acquisition of these skills among people. The writing was adopted, and the objections raised
by that philosopher were important in the sense of problematizing and
stimulating the debate about what represented a turning point in Antiquity. Numerous
works were produced, and due to the adoption of this practice, now you have
access to books with invaluable content. A word-registered text can be passed
down from generation to generation as a legacy. Literature has the power to
move beyond the passing moments and become a part of a cultural legacy. Nowadays,
there is a variety of extraordinary books. The topics and titles are diverse.
And, besides all that, you can have lovely times with the classics written by
authors from other epochs. But do not think that there have been no traumatic
events involving writing throughout history. For instance, how can you evaluate
everything that was lost when the Library of Alexandria burned down and texts
of exceptional human value were annihilated? Fahrenheit 451? If that was
not enough, yet again in Antiquity, how can you measure the implications
resulting from the official closure of philosophy schools for the free course
of thought?
Thus, it is important to consider the role played by books and
writing for civilizational value promotion. Different writers, styles, and
literary genres. Some say that you find in each one of them a good opportunity
to look at the mirror. Others say that you find in each one of them a good
opportunity to know other personalities. Schopenhauer would say that style is
the expression of one's own personality. As such, the reading experience can be
thought-provoking, controversial, mocking, edifying, subversive, or even
peaceful. Some say that good authors are those who are able to set passions in
motion. For each reading layer, new affections, new impressions. There are
books that can leave readers with tears in their eyes and a knot in their
throat, as in the case of Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. On the other
hand, there are books that can take readers to a naively tender place while not
neglecting at the same time the power of the message, as in the case of Le
Petit Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. And you cannot but notice the
thought work of philosophical texts when a thinker intends to push the
reflection to the limit.
In this sense, books are extremely fruitful source of reflection for
promoting acts of benevolence. This social virtue walks hand in hand with
books. For example, benevolence plays an important role in David Hume's
philosophy. You can consider it as a kind of cement that concretes the link of
good actions. Hume studied in France, and besides all that, he had les
philosophes as his friends, among whom was Denis Diderot—jointly with
D'Alembert, Diderot was the responsible editor for one of the greatest 18th-century
editorial endeavors, l'Encyclopédie. The Scottish philosopher was always
warmly welcomed every time he visited France, and this strongly indicates that
Hume practiced and had great appreciation for sociability, in other words, a
concrete trait of benevolence. It is also important to highlight that Hume was
a philosopher simply passionate about literature. In addition to philosophy,
Hume devoured other genres, such as history, essays, and the most diverse
subjects. He was a true connoisseur of belles lettres, particularly the
Latin classics. At a given point in his life, Hume also became a librarian,
which gave him access to the endless number of books. His passion for books
nourished his reflections, and this is noticeable when you read his texts.
Thus, Hume's passion for belles lettres may be a source of encouragement
for the blog's readers to follow their own paths through many different pages
of a book.
Reserving some time of the day to cultivate the reading habit can be
understood as a turning-point attitude. Reading is edifying—or not, as it
depends on the point of view! Feeding the thought with new ideas is
challenging. By means of readings, it is possible to enhance another extremely
advantageous social virtue for the good of social conviviality, since the
contact with words can polish humankind. And it is here that sympathy emerges,
another philosophical component present in Hume. For there to be benevolence,
it is necessary to recognize the importance and value of humankind. Human
beings have feelings, and they can suffer. Then, sympathy can be considered a
vector that guides benevolence. If benevolent actions can be considered as a
kind of cement that concretes the link of good actions, it is because there is
a human being who will be touched by benevolence during its propagation.
Sympathy is born when you put yourself in someone's shoes, which means that you
are inclined to be touched by the pain, anguish, and suffering felt by others.
But sympathy is not simply restricted to human beings; it also extends to other
animals and ways of life. They also have sensibility; they suffer, they think,
although differently from us, and in this sense, they deserve respect. Thus, I
cannot but remember the sympathy that dogs, for example, feel towards their
tutors. That is the case for the cocker spaniel Flush, the central
character in Virginia Woolf's novel of the same name, who did somersaults of
happiness when he saw his tutor. By reading, you become familiar with different
characters. How can one not sympathize with Fantine and Cosette's
story? What about the Thénardiers? And what did they do to Cosette?
After the "brain got dry," thanks to such a dedication not only for reading but
also to the access to a large library, how could one not be touched when Don
Quixote decided to become a knight and go out on adventures around the world
with his comrade Sancho Panza? How can one not be perplexed by The
Sufferings of Young Werther? That is why you also learn to be grateful to
the writers for having been able to imagine such valuable stories and,
generously, for having shared each one of them with us.
Then, as people sympathize with one another, the atmosphere becomes
conducive to cultivating another social virtue. I am talking about generosity.
Hume considers that, unlike other philosophers such as Thomas Hobbes, human
beings are not solely selfish. In addition to selfishness, that is, self-love
and consideration of our own interests, we are also altruistic; that is, we
consider the well-being and interests of others. We act with other people's
welfare in mind in many of our daily interactions, including those with other
animals. For instance, you will certainly not be selfish if someone with a few
items approaches you in the grocery store line with a shopping cart and asks if
you would mind giving them your spot so they may move forward. Or when a stray
cat jumps over the wall of your house and settles in your backyard. Obviously,
you will welcome that little animal, feed them, and give them water and
affection. In these two examples, you have shown how altruism can promote
selfless actions. In the first instance, it succeeded in generating an act of
kindness. In the second instance, it succeeded in generating a welcoming
attitude. But in addition to the human-animal relationship, it is
equally critical to consider the human-nature relationship. And
this relationship is above all philosophical. Our interests must also take
nature into account. When human actions interfere with nature, natural
phenomena tend to intensify, and so what was already strong tends to become
even stronger. In this way, there will be an imbalance in the ratio of
generosity to selfishness if we neglect nature's interests in favor of human
interests alone. Therefore, to maintain equilibrium, nature must also be
considered to prevent it from turning against humans, animals, and other living
things.
However, there are times when it gets difficult or painful, and at
times like these, being around books and all kinds of artistic expression, or
even friends, becomes priceless. They are valuable resources for developing new
viewpoints. You can visit authors and artists in the arts and belles lettres
to keep your mind active. Belles lettres and the arts in
general have all been said to play a major role in softening human traits.
Thus, thinking together with other people, particularly with people who have
important lessons to share, makes life lighter, and the feeling is that you are
having a great time, to the detriment of the unpredictable blows of fortune.
More than 2,500 years have passed since the beginning of the Western
philosophical tradition, and many of the issues and topics philosophers have
been considering continue to be stimulating. In particular, the skeptical "school," whose practice of suspension of judgment aims to achieve tranquility,
always keeps dogmatic claims under suspicion. Above all, the words provide us
with the vitality we need to support our thoughts. And so, the reading habit
can become a life-changing experience. The art of conversation, on the other
hand, promotes the most diverse intersubjective exchanges. This is what happens
when we finish reading a book and start sharing our impressions of it with
others.
Dear reader, I would like to finish with a warning. Please note that
the arguments exposed throughout this essay have no pretension to reveal the
nature of things. In comparison to the philosophical endeavor, the skeptical
argumentation is less pretentious, as previously mentioned. For example, when
you go to the doctor, you are likely to be requested to do certain tests to
check for health conditions. Then,
you receive the test results upon your return. So, depending on the kinds of tests, they can indicate certain
needs, such as a lack of vitamins, the moment in which you will likely receive
a prescription indicating the need for supplementation to fulfill it.
Comparably, the absence of a reading habit reveals the long-term proof of the
manifestation of certain needs, which are made clear by specific outward
"symptoms." The reading recommendation would therefore have the
straightforward goal of 1) meeting some of the needs resulting from the lack of
a reading habit—obviously for those who do not cultivate the habit—and 2) reaffirming
the encouragement for those who already do so, given that it is possible to
determine the appropriate and balanced supplementation for the good
preservation of intellectual needs by cultivating the words, diversifying the
reading, and visiting different authors.
Thank you very much for your
attention, and I hope you enjoyed the reading. See you in the next post!
References:
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451. Trad. Cid
Knipel. Rio de Janeiro: Biblioteca Azul, 2020.
CORDERO, N. L. A invenção da filosofia.
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GOETHE, J. W. Os sofrimentos do jovem
Werther. Trad. Marion Fleischer. São Paulo: Martins Fontes, 2007.
HESÍODO. Os trabalhos e os dias.
Trad. Luiz Otávio Mantovaneli. São Paulo: Odysseus Editora, 2011.
HOMERO. Ilíada. Trad. Frederico
Lourenço. São Paulo: Penguin Classics Companhia das Letras, 2013.
HUGO, V. Os miseráveis. Trad.
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HUME, D. Investigações sobre o
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About the painting:
Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890)
The Potato Eaters
Oil on canvas on panel
KM 109.982
Kröller Müller Museum
