Logophiles Specializing in Latin; Please Hope Me
May 22, 2017 5:33 PM Subscribe
Please help me modify "cogito ergo sum" to use as the title of a sci-fi short story.
Some of the characters in my story are not human but believe that they are and have intellectual and emotional "proof"!
For the title, I'm thinking about "I Think Therefore I am Human" or "I Feel Therefore I am Human." In Latin, of course.
I'm looking for translations of those and any play on words that have the same or similar meanings. Please have fun and include any ideas you might have!
The protagonist will definitely have a Roy Batty moment and he may or may not use this phrase during that spiel.
Yes, I could just google it, BUT, I can speak a little Spanish and Italian so I know I can't just throw some latin words around and expect them to be perfect and I need perfection!
Many thanks in advance!
Some of the characters in my story are not human but believe that they are and have intellectual and emotional "proof"!
For the title, I'm thinking about "I Think Therefore I am Human" or "I Feel Therefore I am Human." In Latin, of course.
I'm looking for translations of those and any play on words that have the same or similar meanings. Please have fun and include any ideas you might have!
The protagonist will definitely have a Roy Batty moment and he may or may not use this phrase during that spiel.
Yes, I could just google it, BUT, I can speak a little Spanish and Italian so I know I can't just throw some latin words around and expect them to be perfect and I need perfection!
Many thanks in advance!
Cogito ergo humanus sum or Sentio ergo humanus sum. If the speaker is female, it would be humana, of course.
posted by Bromius at 5:45 PM on May 22, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Bromius at 5:45 PM on May 22, 2017 [1 favorite]
And "sentio" would be "I feel."
posted by stopgap at 5:46 PM on May 22, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by stopgap at 5:46 PM on May 22, 2017 [1 favorite]
Greater Than the Sum of My Cogs
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:57 PM on May 22, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by MonkeyToes at 6:57 PM on May 22, 2017 [7 favorites]
How about simply shifting the emphasis...?
Cogito ergo...
(Implying "sum" might be false)
Ergo sum
(Implying that "cogito" might be false)
Ergo
(Implying an unfounded certainty in both side of the equation)
I'm partial to "Ergo".
At least I think that I am.
posted by blue_wardrobe at 5:29 AM on May 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
Cogito ergo...
(Implying "sum" might be false)
Ergo sum
(Implying that "cogito" might be false)
Ergo
(Implying an unfounded certainty in both side of the equation)
I'm partial to "Ergo".
At least I think that I am.
posted by blue_wardrobe at 5:29 AM on May 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
You could shorten stopgap's phrase above into "Ergo Homo" which means "therefore human" or "therefore a man".
I like this phrase for your work because it shades slightly into "ecce homo", a famous piece of scorn spoken of Jesus in the passion story, when Pilate presented him to the mob before he was crucified, and is also the "title of a book" of Nietzsche's, subtitled, "how one becomes what one is" which sort of an apologia, and sort of a statement of profound humanism in opposition to striving for the divine (if I am remembering it right.) I suspect these may connect thematically with your piece.
posted by gauche at 6:55 AM on May 23, 2017 [3 favorites]
I like this phrase for your work because it shades slightly into "ecce homo", a famous piece of scorn spoken of Jesus in the passion story, when Pilate presented him to the mob before he was crucified, and is also the "title of a book" of Nietzsche's, subtitled, "how one becomes what one is" which sort of an apologia, and sort of a statement of profound humanism in opposition to striving for the divine (if I am remembering it right.) I suspect these may connect thematically with your piece.
posted by gauche at 6:55 AM on May 23, 2017 [3 favorites]
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posted by stopgap at 5:45 PM on May 22, 2017 [7 favorites]