'Actuality is indexical' in Latin?

December 31, 2012 12:58 AM

Please help me high-falute! How would you translate the modal realist tenet 'Actuality is indexical' into Latin? The introductory paragraph in the linked Wikipedia article as well as the summary of tenets should give context for those who'd be interested in providing an answer. Thanks!
posted by Anything to Writing & Language (2 answers total)

How would you translate it into other English words? Because there isn't a Latin word that corresponds to either "actuality" or "indexical" as they are used in those contexts, so you'll have to break it down into less specifically defined words.
posted by Sidhedevil at 4:31 PM on December 31, 2012

You might try: veritas demonstranda est. "Reality [or the real world, the world as it truly is (OLD meaning 2)] must be indicated [or pointed out, or shown]."

While good Latin, this rendition does not capture the sense of the motto very well. The more straightforward meaning of the Latin is "you must show the truth,' which sounds like a courtroom advocate.

A mere light Latinization of the English -- actualitas indicia est ("actuality is related to a index") -- perhaps captures the sense of the tenet better, though the Latin is terrible (actualitas is non-classical, while indicius is a good adjective formation of index but does not actually occur).
posted by dd42 at 6:22 PM on December 31, 2012