The essence of the Liberal outlook lies not in what opinions are held, but in how they are held: instead of being held dogmatically, they are held tentatively, and with a consciousness that new evidence may at any moment lead to their abandonment. This is the way in which opinions are held in science, as opposed to the way in which they are held in theology. Source: Unpopular Essays, 1950, chapter 1:: Philosophy and Politics.
Brief Comment
Concerned that rendering liberal simply as 「リベラル」 in katakana might lead to misinterpretation, I had a dialogue with ChatGPT.
Me:
What still concerns me is the sense in which President Trump criticizes "liberals." He does not seem to be attacking "free opinions" as such, but rather "liberalists" as a group. If we translate the word merely as 「リベラル」, might some readers misunderstand it?
ChatGPT:
Yes, if liberal is translated into Japanese simply as 「リベラル」, there is indeed a strong possibility of misreading. And that misreading is structurally identical to the way President Trump uses the term liberal in his criticism.
Let me organize the issue as follows.
1. What does Trump mean by "liberal"?
When Trump criticizes liberal, he is not criticizing
“free opinions,”
“tolerance,” or
“flexible thinking.”
What he is clearly attacking is a liberal / liberals -- that is, "liberalists" in contemporary American politics (the left or progressive camp).
Here, liberal is no longer a value-neutral adjective but the name of an adversarially labeled group.
2. The dual meaning of 「リベラル」 in Japanese
In Japanese, the word 「リベラル」 conflates two different meanings:
① Intellectual-historical / philosophical meaning
Liberalism: tolerance, skepticism, reason, and affinity with science.
★ This is what Russell means by the Liberal outlook.
② Contemporary political / partisan meaning
Left-leaning, progressive, anti-conservative.
★ This is what Trump means by liberal.
The problem is that in Japanese both of these are expressed by the same word, 「リベラル」.
3. The risk of translating Russell as 「リベラル」
Your concern is entirely justified.
If one writes "a liberal way of thinking," some contemporary readers may unconsciously read it as "a left-wing way of thinking" or "the attitude of so-called liberals."
But Russell is speaking on a completely different level -- one unrelated to left-right opposition, party politics, or ideological struggle.
4. Practical solutions to avoid misreading
◎ Best solution: foreground "liberalism" as freedom-based thought
Given your translation, the safest rendering would be:
"the liberal outlook of freedom," or, at first occurrence,
"the outlook of liberalism (hereafter, the liberal outlook)."
This
- makes clear that the term is used in an intellectual-historical sense, and
- separates it from contemporary political "liberalism."
◯ Blocking misreading with a brief note (academic approach)
If a footnote is added, a single sentence suffices:
Note: "Liberal" here refers to liberalism in the intellectual-historical sense, not to the partisan meaning used in contemporary American politics.
5. What the Trump example shows about the responsibility of translation
The Trump example is essential.
The source word liberal is singular, but its meaning fractures depending on cultural context.
In such cases, the translator bears a dual responsibility:
to remain faithful to the original term and to prevent misinterpretation by the reader.
6. Conclusion
Your concern is entirely correct.
In Russell's context, translating liberal simply as 「リベラル」 is risky.
The translation least likely to be misunderstood is:
"the outlook of liberalism."
This is not merely a matter of word choice; it is an act of distinguishing intellectual history from contemporary political discourse.
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Brief Comment
Concerned that rendering liberal simply as 「リベラル」 in katakana might lead to misinterpretation, I had a dialogue with ChatGPT.
Me:
What still concerns me is the sense in which President Trump criticizes "liberals." He does not seem to be attacking "free opinions" as such, but rather "liberalists" as a group. If we translate the word merely as 「リベラル」, might some readers misunderstand it?
ChatGPT:
Yes, if liberal is translated into Japanese simply as 「リベラル」, there is indeed a strong possibility of misreading. And that misreading is structurally identical to the way President Trump uses the term liberal in his criticism.
Let me organize the issue as follows.
1. What does Trump mean by "liberal"?
When Trump criticizes liberal, he is not criticizing
“free opinions,”
“tolerance,” or
“flexible thinking.”
What he is clearly attacking is a liberal / liberals -- that is, "liberalists" in contemporary American politics (the left or progressive camp).
Here, liberal is no longer a value-neutral adjective but the name of an adversarially labeled group.
2. The dual meaning of 「リベラル」 in Japanese
In Japanese, the word 「リベラル」 conflates two different meanings:
① Intellectual-historical / philosophical meaning
Liberalism: tolerance, skepticism, reason, and affinity with science.
★ This is what Russell means by the Liberal outlook.
② Contemporary political / partisan meaning
Left-leaning, progressive, anti-conservative.
★ This is what Trump means by liberal.
The problem is that in Japanese both of these are expressed by the same word, 「リベラル」.
3. The risk of translating Russell as 「リベラル」
Your concern is entirely justified.
If one writes "a liberal way of thinking," some contemporary readers may unconsciously read it as "a left-wing way of thinking" or "the attitude of so-called liberals."
But Russell is speaking on a completely different level -- one unrelated to left-right opposition, party politics, or ideological struggle.
4. Practical solutions to avoid misreading
◎ Best solution: foreground "liberalism" as freedom-based thought
Given your translation, the safest rendering would be:
"the liberal outlook of freedom," or, at first occurrence,
"the outlook of liberalism (hereafter, the liberal outlook)."
This
- makes clear that the term is used in an intellectual-historical sense, and
- separates it from contemporary political "liberalism."
◯ Blocking misreading with a brief note (academic approach)
If a footnote is added, a single sentence suffices:
Note: "Liberal" here refers to liberalism in the intellectual-historical sense, not to the partisan meaning used in contemporary American politics.
5. What the Trump example shows about the responsibility of translation
The Trump example is essential.
The source word liberal is singular, but its meaning fractures depending on cultural context.
In such cases, the translator bears a dual responsibility:
to remain faithful to the original term and to prevent misinterpretation by the reader.
6. Conclusion
Your concern is entirely correct.
In Russell's context, translating liberal simply as 「リベラル」 is risky.
The translation least likely to be misunderstood is:
"the outlook of liberalism."
This is not merely a matter of word choice; it is an act of distinguishing intellectual history from contemporary political discourse.
 ラッセル関係電子書籍一覧 |
ラッセル関係電子書籍一覧
#Bertrand_Russell