This site uses cookies. Some of these cookies are essential to the operation of the site, while others help to improve your experience by providing insights into how the site is being used. For more information, please see the ProZ.com privacy policy.
Cookie settings
  1. KudoZ™ Top
  2. French to English
  3. Philosophy

...nuire à la bétise...

English translation: to harm stupidity

14:22 Jun 9, 2009
French to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Philosophy / Quotation
French term or phrase: ...nuire à la bétise...
This is lifted from a quote by Nietzsche about philosophy - the context is no help, I would just appreciate it if anyone knows the equivalent in English.
TIA
Connor
Local time: 05:36
English translation:to harm stupidity
Explanation:
garners some ghits in association with the great man himself...
Selected response from:

Jonathan MacKerron
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
2 +5to harm stupidity
Jonathan MacKerron
4 +1... to harm stupidity
B D Finch
4...to get into stupidity's way... or "to arrest stupidity"...Make things tough for stupidity...
Sylvia Valls
3to harm stupidity
Susan Nicholls
3to successfully combat imbecility (or to harm imbecility)
Ellen Kraus
Summary of reference entries provided
nuire à la bêtise
Ellen Kraus
Sanctus Januarius
Kevin Pendergast

Discussion entries: 5





  

Answers


13 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +5
to harm stupidity


Explanation:
garners some ghits in association with the great man himself...

Jonathan MacKerron
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 12

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jean-Louis S.
3 mins
  -> thx
agree  Kevin Pendergast
20 mins
  -> thx
agree  Helen Shiner: He'd no doubt say it was beyond good and evil!
30 mins
  -> thx, too bad Freddy isn't around nowadays to comment on our sad state of affairs
agree  bowse123 (X)
52 mins
agree  Susan Nicholls: I was slow off the mark here!
1 day 52 mins
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

13 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
... to harm stupidity


Explanation:
"Socrates also misjudged the rule, according to Nietzsche in §328: To harm stupidity .—[…] The ancient philosophers taught that the main source of misfortune ..."
www.iwm.at/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=564&It...

B D Finch
France
Local time: 05:36
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 10

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Helen Shiner
31 mins
  -> Thanks Helen
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

15 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
to harm stupidity


Explanation:
This is a quote from Gay Science; in Walter Kaufmann's translation, it becomes: to harm stupidity..... these philosophers harmed stupidity.

Susan Nicholls
Local time: 13:36
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
to successfully combat imbecility (or to harm imbecility)


Explanation:
I venture to suggest

Ellen Kraus
Austria
Local time: 05:36
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

9 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
...to get into stupidity's way... or "to arrest stupidity"...Make things tough for stupidity...


Explanation:
I have no erudite references to make but it seems to me that the intention of nuire is to make it impossible for stupidity to prosper as Ellen points out... "Harm" does not quite make it for me here... standing in its way, resisting it, arresting it, does a better job of conveying the intended idea... "Make things tough" for stupidity... I think!

Sylvia Valls
Local time: 21:36
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in SpanishSpanish
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)




Reference comments


8 mins
Reference: nuire à la bêtise

Reference information:
c´est l´intention principiale de la philosophe

Citant Nietzche, souvent, j'ai tenu à répéter que la philosophie n'avait qu'une intention : celle de “Nuire à la bêtise“. Intention plus ambitieuse, en un ...
fr.wordpress.com/tag/nuire-a-la-betise/

Ellen Kraus
Austria
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
neutral  Susan Nicholls: N says philosophers harmed stupidity, which may or may not be a good thing
1 hr
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

31 mins peer agreement (net): +2
Reference: Sanctus Januarius

Reference information:
This quote probably comes from Nietzsche's Sanctus Januarius: the excerpt happens to be available on Google Books (p.149). The translation from German is by Walter Kaufmann, who is basically THE authoritative translator of Nietzsche into English. You may want to take this English version and cite it.
http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=8cod5U9V_vIC&printsec=fro...

Kevin Pendergast
United Kingdom
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish

Peer comments on this reference comment (and responses from the reference poster)
agree  Sandra Petch: Excellent reference
42 mins
agree  Jonathan MacKerron
4 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)



Login or register (free and only takes a few minutes) to participate in this question.

You will also have access to many other tools and opportunities designed for those who have language-related jobs (or are passionate about them). Participation is free and the site has a strict confidentiality policy.

Return to KudoZ list

KudoZ™ translation help

The KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

See also:
ProZ.com term search
Search millions of term translations
Close search
Term search
  • All of ProZ.com
  • Term search
  • Jobs
  • Forums
  • Multiple search