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It is interesting in the footnotes that it indicates the name originally doens't have the negative connotations it seems to have in english ``` The word "cult"
by NikolaeVarius 8y ago
It is interesting in the footnotes that it indicates the name originally doens't have the negative connotations it seems to have in english
``` The word "cult" in French means "a form of worship", without any of its negative or exclusivist implications in English; its proponents intended it to be a universal congregation.
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- enqk 8y ago"Culte" is neutral and "Secte" is the negative word.
- yjftsjthsd-h 8y agoWhich is funny, because at least in my experience "cult" that's pretty strong negative connotations, but "sect" has either very weak negative connotations or is outright neutral.
- desdiv 8y agoWouldn't "the Sect of Reason" be a much better English translation then? "Culte" in French and "sect" in English are neutral. "Secte" in French and "cult" in English have negative connotations.
- enqk 8y agoI briefly considered it, however "Sect" does suggest (from its root) that it's an offshoot of some larger religion, which isn't the case here.
- TuGuQuKu 8y agoCult has only recently (etymologically speaking) become a pejorative in English
- Nasrudith 8y agoPerhaps it depends on the connotation they were going for or the one it developed. Like Ivan the Terrible. A more accurate translation to the current connotations would be "Ivan the Terrifying".