Sapere aude
Sapere aude is the
In 1984,
The phrase is widely used as a motto, especially by educational institutions.
Usages
1st century
- Horace
The original use of the phrase Sapere aude appears in the First Book of Letters (20 BC), by the Roman poet Horace; in the second letter, addressed to Lolius, in line 40, the passage is: Dimidium facti, qui coepit, habet; sapere aude, incipe. ("He who has begun is half done; dare to know; begin!")
The phrase is the moral to a story in which a fool waits for a stream to cease flowing, before attempting to cross it. In saying, "He who begins is half done. Dare to know, begin!", Horace suggests the value of human endeavour, of persistence in reaching a goal, of the need for effort to overcome obstacles. Moreover, the laconic Latin of Sapere aude also can be loosely translated as the English phrase "Dare to be wise".
4th century
- Augustine
Augustine of Hippo quotes Horace's maxim in his early philosophical dialogue De quantitate animae, 23.41, telling his interlocutor Evodius not to be afraid of questioning his teaching on the capabilities of the soul:
Noli nimis ex auctoritate pendere, praesertim mea quae nulla est; et quod ait Horatius: Sapere aude: ne non te ratio subiuget priusquam metus.
"Don't rely so much on authority, especially on mine, which is null. There is also that saying from Horace: 'Dare to be wise!', so that fear may not subdue you more than reason does."
16th century
- Philip Melanchthon
In his inaugural address as Professor of Greek in Wittenberg on August 29, 1518, Philip Melanchthon quoted Horace's letter.[2]
18th century
- Immanuel Kant
In the essay, "
Kant classifies the uses of reason as
It is the courage of the individual man to abide the advice Sapere aude that will break the shackles of despotism, and reveal, through public discourse, for the benefit of the mass population and of the State, better methods of governance, and of legitimate complaint.[3]
19th century
The founder of homeopathy, Samuel Hahnemann, used the phrase on the cover of his Organon of Medicine (various editions in 1810, 1819, 1824, 1829, 1833 and 1922).
In 1869 the newly-founded University of Otago[4] in Dunedin chose the phrase as their motto.
20th century
- Michel Foucault
In response to Immanuel Kant's
Like his 18th-century predecessor, Foucault also based his philosophic interpretation of Sapere aude upon a definite practice of critical thinking that is an "attitude, an ethos, a philosophical life in which [is found] the critique of what we are". Such an enlightened, intellectual attitude applies reason to experience, and so effects a historical criticism of "the limits that are imposed on us". The criticism is "an experiment with the possibility of going beyond" imposed limits, in order to reach the limit-experience, which simultaneously is an individual, personal act, and an act that breaks the concept of the individual person.[5]
See also
- Liberal Arts and Science Academy, Austin, Texas, has this as its motto.
- Ghent University, founded in 1817, has Sapere Aude as its moto
- Wesley College Melbourne, founded in 1866, has Sapere Aude as its motto.[6]
- Durham Johnston Comprehensive School, founded in 1901, has Sapere Aude as its motto.
- Epistularum liber primus, Horace's work containing the original phrase.
- Lutterworth College, founded in 1880 (as Lutterworth Grammar School), has Sapere Aude as its motto.
- Manchester Grammar School, founded in 1515, has Sapere Aude as its motto.
- Miguel de Cervantes European University, founded in 2002, has Sapere Aude as its motto.
- Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology, has the motto highlight the school's tradition in groundbreaking fundamental research.
- Staffordshire University, adopted Sapere Aude as its motto in 2019.
- University of Otago, New Zealand: the phrase serves as its motto; the students' association replies in kind with its motto "Audeamus" (let us dare)
- Richmond Hill High School, Ontario, Canada, has this as its motto.
- West London Free School, London, UK, has this as its motto.
- The Tiffin Girls' School, London, UK, has this as its motto.
- Oldham Athletic Football Club, Oldham, UK, has this as its motto.
- The School of Advanced Warfighting, Marine Corps University, Quantico, VA, USA has this as its motto.
- St. Columba's School, Delhi uses Sapere Aude as its motto.
References
- ^ Jean-Claude Vuillemin, Epistémè baroque: le mot et la chose, Paris, Hermann, coll. "Savoir Lettres," 2013.
- .
- ^ "ereau.de steht zum Verkauf". sap.ereau.de.
- ^ "University of Otago founded".
- ^ "Foucault's Essay, What is Enlightenment?". Foucault.info. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
- ^ website, Wesley (2019-01-01). "Wesley symbols". Wesley website. Retrieved 2021-09-12.
External links
- The dictionary definition of sapere aude at Wiktionary