Top-level index / Beta v2: §§1–10

Alexander Gottlieb Baumgarten

Aesthetica

Interlinear Beta v2 · Sourced quotation

§§11–20 · Latin / English

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§ 11

Latin: Obi. 9) Aesthetici nascuntur, non fiunt, uti poetae.

English: Objection, 9) aestheticians are born, not made, as poets are.

Latin: Resp. Hor. A. Poet. v. 408. Cic. de Or. l. II. c. 60. Bilfinger in dilucidd. § 268. Breitinger von Gleichnissen p. 6.

English: Response: Horace, Ars poetica, v. 408; Cicero, De oratore, book II, chapter 60; Bilfinger in the Dilucidationes, § 268; Breitinger, von Gleichnissen, p. 6.

Latin: Aestheticum natum iuvat theoria completior, rationis auctoritate commendabilior, exactior, minus confusa, certior, minus trepida, § 3.

English: A fuller theory helps the born aesthetician, making him more commendable by the authority of reason, more exact, less confused, more certain, less hesitant, § 3.

§ 12

Latin: Obi. 10) Facultates inferiores, caro, debellandae potius sunt, quam excitandae et confirmandae.

English: Objection, 10) the lower faculties, the flesh, are rather to be conquered than excited and confirmed.

Latin: Resp. a) Imperium in facultates inferiores poscitur, non tyrannis.

English: Response: a) rule over the lower faculties is demanded, not tyranny.

Latin: b) Ad hoc, quatenus naturaliter impetrari potest, manu quasi ducit aesthetica.

English: b) To this, insofar as it can be obtained naturally, aesthetics leads, as if by the hand.

Latin: c) Facultates inferiores non, quatenus corruptae sunt, excitandae confirmandaeque sunt aestheticis, sed iisdem dirigendae, ne sinistris exercitiis magis corrumpantur, aut pigro vitandi abusus praetextu tollatur usus concessi divinitus talenti.

English: c) The lower faculties are not to be excited and confirmed by aestheticians insofar as they are corrupt, but are to be directed by the same, lest by wrong exercises they be corrupted more, or, under the lazy pretext of avoiding abuse, the use of a divinely granted talent be taken away.

§ 13

Latin: Aesthetica nostra § 1. sicuti logica, soror eius natu maior, est I) theoretica, docens, generalis, P. I. praecipiens 1) de rebus et cogitandis heuristice, C. I. 2) de lucido ordine, methodologia C. II. 3) de signis pulcre cogitatorum et dispositorum, semiotica, C. III.

English: Our aesthetics, § 1, just as logic, its elder sister by birth, is I) theoretical, teaching, general, Part I, prescribing 1) concerning things and things to be thought, heuristically, Chapter I; 2) concerning lucid order, methodology, Chapter II; 3) concerning the signs of things beautifully thought and arranged, semiotic, Chapter III.

Latin: II) practica, utens, specialis. P. II. Utrimque:

English: II) It is practical, using, special, Part II. On both sides:

Horace · Ars Poetica 40–41 · John Conington [1]

Latin: cui lecta potenter erit res, Nec facundia deseret hunc, nec lucidus ordo.

English: "Let but our theme be equal to our powers, Choice language, clear arrangement, both are ours."

Latin: Hor. E.

English: Horace, Epistles.

Latin: Res sit prima tibi, sit lucidus ordo secunda, Signaque postremo tertia cura loco.

English: "Let the matter be first for you, let lucid order be second, and let signs be the third concern in the last place."

§ 14

Latin: Aesthetices finis est perfectio cognitionis sensitivae, qua talis, § 1.

English: The end of aesthetics is the perfection of sensitive cognition, as such, § 1.

Latin: Haec autem est pulcritudo, Metaphysic. §§ 521, 662. et cavenda eiusdem, qua talis, imperfectio, § 1.

English: This, however, is beauty, Metaphysics, §§ 521, 662; and the imperfection of the same, as such, is to be avoided, § 1.

Latin: Haec autem est deformitas, Metaphysic. §§ 521, 662.

English: This, however, is deformity, Metaphysics, §§ 521, 662.

§ 15

Latin: Perfectiones cognitionis sensitivae adeo reconditas, ut vel omnino nobis obscurae maneant, vel non nisi intelligendo possimus eas intueri, non curat aestheticus, qua talis. § 14.

English: Perfections of sensitive cognition so hidden that either they remain entirely obscure to us, or we can behold them only by understanding, do not concern the aesthetician, as such. § 14.

§ 16

Latin: Imperfectiones cognitionis sensitivae adeo reconditas, ut vel omnino nobis obscurae maneant, vel non nisi iudicio intellectuali possint detegi, non curat aestheticus, qua talis, § 14.

English: Imperfections of sensitive cognition so hidden that either they remain entirely obscure to us, or can be detected only by intellectual judgment, do not concern the aesthetician, as such, § 14.

§ 17

Latin: Cognitio sensitiva est a potiori desumta denominatione complexus repraesentationum infra distinctionem subsistentium.

English: Sensitive cognition is, by a denomination taken from the stronger part, a complex of representations subsisting beneath distinctness.

Latin: Huius exsistentis si vel solam pulcritudinem ac elegantiam, deformitatemve solam, §§ 15, 16. simul vellemus intelligendo nunc circumspicere, sicut intuetur aliquando saporis eruditi spectator, venerum macularumve genericarum per diversas suas classes, specificarum, numericarumve mole velut obruta fatisceret distinctio scientiae necessaria, § 1.

English: If, while it exists, we now wished to survey by understanding either beauty and elegance alone, or deformity alone, §§ 15, 16, at the same time - as sometimes a spectator of learned taste beholds beauties and blemishes, generic, specific, and numerical, through their diverse classes - the distinction necessary to science, as if overwhelmed by the mass, would collapse, § 1.

Latin: Hinc primum lustremus pulcritudinem, omni paene sensitivae cognitioni pulcrae quatenus communis est, universalem et catholicam cum eius opposito, § 14.

English: Hence let us first survey beauty, universal and catholic together with its opposite, insofar as it is common to almost every beautiful sensory cognition, § 14.

§ 18

Latin: Pulcritudo cognitionis sensitivae erit universalis, § 14. 1) consensus cogitationum, quatenus adhuc ab earum ordine et signis abstrahimus, inter se ad unum, qui phaenomenon sit, § 14. Metaphysic. § 662. Pulcritudo rerum et cogitationum, distinguenda a pulcritudine cognitionis, cuius prima et primaria pars est, § 13. et pulcritudine obiectorum et materiae, quaecum ob receptum rei significatum saepe, sed male confunditur.

English: The beauty of sensitive cognition will be universal, § 14: 1) the agreement of thoughts, insofar as we still abstract from their order and signs, among themselves into one thing that is a phenomenon, § 14, Metaphysics, § 662: the beauty of things and thoughts, to be distinguished from the beauty of cognition, of which it is the first and primary part, § 13, and from the beauty of objects and matter, with which, because of the accepted meaning of the word "thing," it is often, but wrongly, confused.

Latin: Possunt turpia pulcre cogitari, ut talia, et pulcriora turpiter.

English: Ugly things can be thought beautifully as such, and more beautiful things basely.

§ 19

Latin: Pulcritudo cognitionis sensitivae universalis, § 14. quia nulla perfectio, sine ordine, Metaphys. § 95. 2) consensus ordinis est, quo res pulcre cogitatas meditemur, et internus, et cum rebus, phaenomenon, § 14. Pulcritudo ordinis et dispositionis.

English: The universal beauty of sensitive cognition, § 14, because there is no perfection without order, Metaphysics, § 95, is 2) the agreement of order by which we meditate things beautifully thought, both internal and with things, a phenomenon, § 14: the beauty of order and disposition.

§ 20

Latin: Pulcritudo cognitionis sensitivae universalis est, § 14. quia signata non percipimus sine signis, Met. § 619. 3) consensus signorum internus, et cum ordine, et cum rebus, phaenomenon, pulcritudo significationis, qualis dictio et eloquutio, quando signum est oratio s. sermo, et simul actio, quando sermo viva voce habetur.

English: The universal beauty of sensitive cognition is, § 14, because we do not perceive things signified without signs, Metaphysics, § 619, 3) the internal agreement of signs, and with order, and with things, a phenomenon: the beauty of signification, such as diction and eloquence when the sign is speech or discourse, and also action when discourse is given by the living voice.

Latin: Habes tres cognitionis gratias catholicas, §§ 18, 19.

English: You have the three catholic graces of cognition, §§ 18, 19.

Source and textual note

[1] Horace, Ars Poetica 40–41. John Conington, The Satires, Epistles, and Art of Poetry of Horace, Project Gutenberg eBook 5419, The Art of Poetry 40-41. Read the source translation.

The concordance runs the two hexameter lines together and capitalizes Nec after the comma. The source comparison restores the line break and lower-case nec. Conington translates the complete sense of both lines in rhyming English verse rather than word for word.

Edition and reuse information

Text follows Aesthetica: Latin-English Edition, the combined edition with sourced quotations. The later verse beginning “Let the matter be first for you” retains that edition’s existing translation.

Project Gutenberg identifies eBook 5419 as public domain in the USA; John Conington died in 1869.