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[deleted] OP t1_j1z71cy wrote

[removed]

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Destiny-K t1_j1z9f93 wrote

so these are synonyms?

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-Humdog- t1_j1zekgb wrote

The answer is probably 'nearly'. Like, l'esprit may translate into 'the force which animates' - which could be mind or soul (I'm not a native french speaker - native speakers jump in!). This is sort of the difficultly in translation, l'esprit will have different connotations to a native speaker compared to mind/soul for an English speaker. The meaning is also going to be context sensitive for a given passage. When you're reading just keep in mind the translated words may have a broader connotation or a connotation that isn't native to you. English and French share a lot of roots though, so it's not so bad!

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Amidam67 t1_j2166e5 wrote

As a native speaker, I would say "esprit" can, depending on the context, mean either "spirit" (of a person, a place, ghost) or "mind". But it seems like it's always one or the other, and never a mix of both. Two distinct meanings.

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Sheyvan t1_j1zebq5 wrote

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Descartes

>was a French philosopher, scientist, and mathematician, widely considered a seminal figure in the emergence of modern philosophy and science.

...pretty sure he used neither word.

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-Humdog- t1_j200sfm wrote

The implication is that OP is reading a translation. Descartes likely used the word 'esprit', different translations may cause confusion around the word.

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Sheyvan t1_j203tfz wrote

Yes, that's my point. You'd have to look up what word descartes uses and how it was translated. Depending on context similar words might get different translations and vice versa.

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