Aphorism
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| + | "Between the demand to be [[clear]], and the temptation to be [[obscure]], impossible to decide which deserves more respect" --[[Emil Cioran]], [[Between the demand to be clear, and the temptation to be obscure, impossible to decide which deserves more respect|[...]]] | ||
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| + | [[Image:The Heart Has Its Reasons by Odilon Redon.jpg |thumb|right|200px|''[[The heart has its reasons, of which reason knows nothing]]'' (c. 1887) by [[Odilon Redon]], a [[dictum]] from the ''[[Pensées]]'' (1669) by [[Blaise Pascal]]]] | ||
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| - | An '''aphorism''' (literally ''[[distinction]]'' or ''[[definition]]'', from [[Greek language|Greek]] αφοριζειν "to define") expresses a [[general truth]] in a [[pithy]] sentence. | ||
| - | Care should be taken not to confound ''aphorisms'' with [[axiom|''axioms'']]. Aphorisms come into being as the result of experience. This is also often the case with axioms (see [[axiomatization]]; [[Euclidean geometry]]), but due to their apparent certainty, axioms are then regarded as assertions not requiring proof, and used as the starting point for further [[deductive reasoning]]. Aphorisms have been especially used in dealing with subjects such as art, agriculture, medicine, jurisprudence and politics, to which little methodical or scientific treatment was applied at the time. | + | An '''aphorism''' (literally "distinction" or "definition", from the ''ἀφορισμός'', ''aphorismós'', from ''ὁρίζειν'', ''apo + horizein'', "from/to bound") is an original thought, spoken or written in a [[laconic]] and memorable form. |
| + | The term was first used in the ''[[Aphorisms (Hippocrates)|Aphorisms]]'' of [[Hippocrates]]. The oft-cited first sentence of this work (see [[Ars longa, vita brevis]]) is: | ||
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| + | :"Life is short, [the] art long, opportunity fleeting, experience deceptive, judgment difficult." | ||
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| + | The term was later applied to maxims of physical science, then statements of all kinds of philosophical, moral, or literary principles. In modern usage an aphorism is generally understood to be a concise statement containing a subjective [[truth]] or observation cleverly and pithily written. | ||
| ==Literature== | ==Literature== | ||
| - | Aphoristic collections, sometimes known as [[wisdom literature]], have a prominent place in the canons of several ancient societies, such as the [[Sutra]] literature of [[India]], the [[Biblical]] [[Ecclesiastes]], [[Islam]]ic [[Hadith]], [[Hesiod]]'s ''Works and Days'', or [[Epictetus]]' Handbook. Aphoristic collections also make up an important part of the work of some modern authors, such as [[Josemaría Escrivá]], [[Georg Christoph Lichtenberg]], [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]], [[Arthur Schopenhauer]], [[Søren Kierkegaard]], [[Friedrich Nietzsche]], [[Franz Kafka]], [[Karl Kraus]], [[Michel de Montaigne|Montaigne]], [[François de La Rochefoucauld (writer)|La Rouchefoucauld]], [[Thomas Szasz]], [[Stanislaw Jerzy Lec]], [[Andrzej Majewski]], [[Mikhail Turovsky]], [[Antonio Porchia]], [[Celia Green]], [[Robert A. Heinlein]], [[Blaise Pascal]], [[E. M. Cioran]] and [[Oscar Wilde]]. A 1559 oil–on–oak-panel painting, [[Netherlandish Proverbs]] (also called The Blue Cloak or The Topsy Turvy World) by [[Pieter Brueghel the Elder]], artfully depicts a land populated with literal renditions of Flemish aphorisms ([[proverb]]s) of the day. | + | Aphoristic collections, sometimes known as [[wisdom literature]], have a prominent place in the canons of several ancient societies, such as the [[Sutra]] literature of [[India]], the [[Biblical]] [[Ecclesiastes]], [[Islam]]ic [[Hadith]], [[Hesiod]]'s ''[[Works and Days]]'', or [[Epictetus]]' ''Handbook''. Aphoristic collections also make up an important part of the work of some modern authors, such as [[Josemaría Escrivá]], [[Georg Christoph Lichtenberg]], [[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe]], [[Arthur Schopenhauer]], [[Søren Kierkegaard]], [[Friedrich Nietzsche]], [[Franz Kafka]], [[Karl Kraus]], [[Michel de Montaigne|Montaigne]], [[François de La Rochefoucauld (writer)|La Rouchefoucauld]], [[Thomas Szasz]], [[Stanislaw Jerzy Lec]], [[Andrzej Majewski]], [[Mikhail Turovsky]], [[Antonio Porchia]], [[Celia Green]], [[Robert A. Heinlein]], [[Blaise Pascal]], [[E. M. Cioran]] and [[Oscar Wilde]]. A 1559 oil–on–oak-panel painting, ''[[Netherlandish Proverbs]]'' by [[Pieter Brueghel the Elder]], artfully depicts a land populated with literal renditions of Flemish aphorisms ([[proverb]]s) of the day. |
| The aphoristic genre developed together with literacy, and after the invention of printing, aphorisms were collected and published in book form. The first noted published collection of aphorisms is ''[[Adagia]]'' by [[Erasmus of Rotterdam]]. Other important early aphorists were [[Baltasar Gracián]], [[François de La Rochefoucauld]] and [[Blaise Pascal]]. | The aphoristic genre developed together with literacy, and after the invention of printing, aphorisms were collected and published in book form. The first noted published collection of aphorisms is ''[[Adagia]]'' by [[Erasmus of Rotterdam]]. Other important early aphorists were [[Baltasar Gracián]], [[François de La Rochefoucauld]] and [[Blaise Pascal]]. | ||
| - | Two influential collections of aphorisms published in the 20th century were ''The Uncombed Thoughts'' by [[Stanislaw Jerzy Lec]] (in Polish), and ''Itch of Wisdom'' by [[Mikhail Turovsky]] (in Russian and English). | + | Two influential collections of aphorisms published in the 20th century were ''[[The Uncombed Thoughts]]'' by [[Stanislaw Jerzy Lec]] (in Polish), and ''[[Itch of Wisdom]]'' by [[Mikhail Turovsky]] (in Russian and English). |
| ==Society== | ==Society== | ||
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| In many cultures, including [[Samuel Johnson]]'s England, many [[East Asia|East]] and [[Southeast Asia]]n societies, and throughout the world, the ability to spontaneously produce aphoristic sayings at exactly the right moment is a key determinant of social status. Many societies have traditional sages or [[culture hero]]es to whom aphorisms are commonly attributed, such as the [[Seven Sages of Greece]], [[Confucius]] or [[King Solomon]]. | In many cultures, including [[Samuel Johnson]]'s England, many [[East Asia|East]] and [[Southeast Asia]]n societies, and throughout the world, the ability to spontaneously produce aphoristic sayings at exactly the right moment is a key determinant of social status. Many societies have traditional sages or [[culture hero]]es to whom aphorisms are commonly attributed, such as the [[Seven Sages of Greece]], [[Confucius]] or [[King Solomon]]. | ||
| - | Misquoted or misadvised aphorisms are frequently used as a source of humour; for instance, wordplays of aphorisms appear in the works of [[P. G. Wodehouse]], [[Terry Pratchett]] and [[Douglas Adams]]. Aphorisms being misquoted by sports players, coaches, and commentators form the basis of [[Private Eye|Private Eye's]] [[Colemanballs]] section. | + | Misquoted or misadvised aphorisms are frequently used as a source of humour; for instance, wordplays of aphorisms appear in the works of [[P. G. Wodehouse]], [[Terry Pratchett]] and [[Douglas Adams]]. |
| ==See also== | ==See also== | ||
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| *[[Dictum]] | *[[Dictum]] | ||
| *[[Ecclesiastes]] | *[[Ecclesiastes]] | ||
| + | *[[Moralist]] | ||
| *[[Wisdom of Sirach]] | *[[Wisdom of Sirach]] | ||
| *[[Epigram]] | *[[Epigram]] | ||
| + | *[[Gnome (rhetoric) ]] | ||
| *[[Gospel of Thomas]] | *[[Gospel of Thomas]] | ||
| *[[Greguería]] | *[[Greguería]] | ||
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| *[[Proverb]] | *[[Proverb]] | ||
| *[[Pseudo-Phocylides]] | *[[Pseudo-Phocylides]] | ||
| + | *[[Saying]] | ||
| *[[Sūtra]] | *[[Sūtra]] | ||
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| + | ==Collections== | ||
| + | *[[The Faber Book Of Aphorisms]] | ||
| + | *''[[Maximes]]'' of [[Blaise Pascal]] | ||
| + | *''[[Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims]]'' by French writer [[François de La Rochefoucauld]] | ||
| {{GFDL}} | {{GFDL}} | ||
Current revision
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"Between the demand to be clear, and the temptation to be obscure, impossible to decide which deserves more respect" --Emil Cioran, [...] |
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An aphorism (literally "distinction" or "definition", from the ἀφορισμός, aphorismós, from ὁρίζειν, apo + horizein, "from/to bound") is an original thought, spoken or written in a laconic and memorable form.
The term was first used in the Aphorisms of Hippocrates. The oft-cited first sentence of this work (see Ars longa, vita brevis) is:
- "Life is short, [the] art long, opportunity fleeting, experience deceptive, judgment difficult."
The term was later applied to maxims of physical science, then statements of all kinds of philosophical, moral, or literary principles. In modern usage an aphorism is generally understood to be a concise statement containing a subjective truth or observation cleverly and pithily written.
Contents |
Literature
Aphoristic collections, sometimes known as wisdom literature, have a prominent place in the canons of several ancient societies, such as the Sutra literature of India, the Biblical Ecclesiastes, Islamic Hadith, Hesiod's Works and Days, or Epictetus' Handbook. Aphoristic collections also make up an important part of the work of some modern authors, such as Josemaría Escrivá, Georg Christoph Lichtenberg, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Arthur Schopenhauer, Søren Kierkegaard, Friedrich Nietzsche, Franz Kafka, Karl Kraus, Montaigne, La Rouchefoucauld, Thomas Szasz, Stanislaw Jerzy Lec, Andrzej Majewski, Mikhail Turovsky, Antonio Porchia, Celia Green, Robert A. Heinlein, Blaise Pascal, E. M. Cioran and Oscar Wilde. A 1559 oil–on–oak-panel painting, Netherlandish Proverbs by Pieter Brueghel the Elder, artfully depicts a land populated with literal renditions of Flemish aphorisms (proverbs) of the day.
The aphoristic genre developed together with literacy, and after the invention of printing, aphorisms were collected and published in book form. The first noted published collection of aphorisms is Adagia by Erasmus of Rotterdam. Other important early aphorists were Baltasar Gracián, François de La Rochefoucauld and Blaise Pascal.
Two influential collections of aphorisms published in the 20th century were The Uncombed Thoughts by Stanislaw Jerzy Lec (in Polish), and Itch of Wisdom by Mikhail Turovsky (in Russian and English).
Society
In many cultures, including Samuel Johnson's England, many East and Southeast Asian societies, and throughout the world, the ability to spontaneously produce aphoristic sayings at exactly the right moment is a key determinant of social status. Many societies have traditional sages or culture heroes to whom aphorisms are commonly attributed, such as the Seven Sages of Greece, Confucius or King Solomon.
Misquoted or misadvised aphorisms are frequently used as a source of humour; for instance, wordplays of aphorisms appear in the works of P. G. Wodehouse, Terry Pratchett and Douglas Adams.
See also
- Adage
- Book of Proverbs
- Chiasmus
- Cliché
- Dictum
- Ecclesiastes
- Moralist
- Wisdom of Sirach
- Epigram
- Gnome (rhetoric)
- Gospel of Thomas
- Greguería
- Maxim
- Proverb
- Pseudo-Phocylides
- Saying
- Sūtra
Collections
- The Faber Book Of Aphorisms
- Maximes of Blaise Pascal
- Reflections; or Sentences and Moral Maxims by French writer François de La Rochefoucauld
