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If you translate it literally, "per" is closer to "for". If you don't translate it literally, I'd vote for "in itself". "In itself" (viewed in its essential qu
by kspacewalk2 2y ago
If you translate it literally, "per" is closer to "for".
If you don't translate it literally, I'd vote for "in itself". "In itself" (viewed in its essential qualities; considered separately from other things[0]) has a different meaning than "by itself" (alone/unaided). And to me it's clear that "per se" pretty much universally means the former.
[0] https://www.google.com/search?q=in+itself https://www.google.com/search?q=in+itself
- grepLeigh 2y agoA less literal translation like "essentially" or "in essence" is deployed by master Latin translators like Robert Fagles. I've even seen "in a vacuum" which does a better job at communicating the original intent than a string of cryptic prepositions.
- OrangeMusic 2y agoSometimes I use it (maybe wrongly?) as a synonym to "technically". "Maybe John is not the boss per se, but we follow his orders" "Maybe John is not technically the boss, but we follow his orders"