| I wonder whether the problem is a dual one of translation and interpretation. Anyone who has translated a foreign-language text will know that you constantly have to make choices about which word or phrase in English best catches the sense and implication of the idea expressed by the other language, and nine times out of ten the result is a compromise, especially where abstract concepts are concerned. So, matching up one person's version of a text with someone else's can be tricky, particularly if the translator has a tendency to paraphrase in an attempt to convey the sense rather than the word-for-word meaning of the original. I feel that the ideas expressed in Book X, Chapter 7 of Nicomachean Ethics cover the ideas expressed in the sentence I quoted pretty closely, so am happy to go along with bobby's suggestion, unless a word-for-word version turns up. Thanks to all for your contributions and apologies for the diversion from everyday Chiswick life. |