Anaphorism (fromGreek ἀφορισμός:aphorismos, denoting 'delimitation', 'distinction', and 'definition') is a concise, terse,laconic, or memorable expression of a generaltruth orprinciple.[1] Aphorisms are often handed down bytradition from generation to generation.
Often aphorisms are distinguished from other short sayings by the need for interpretation to make sense of them. InA Theory of the Aphorism, Andrew Hui defined an aphorism as "a short saying that requires interpretation".[2]
The word was first used in theAphorisms ofHippocrates, a long series ofpropositions concerning the symptoms and diagnosis of disease and the art of healing and medicine.[4] The often-cited first sentence of this work is: "Ὁ βίος βραχύς, ἡ δὲ τέχνη μακρή" – "life is short, art is long", usually reversed in order (Ars longa, vita brevis).
This aphorism was later applied or adapted tophysical science and then morphed into multifarious aphorisms ofphilosophy,morality, andliterature. Currently, an aphorism is generally understood to be a concise andeloquent statement oftruth.
Aphorisms are distinct fromaxioms: aphorisms generally originate from experience andcustom, whereas axioms are self-evident truths and therefore require no additional proof. Aphorisms have been especially used in subjects to which no methodical or scientific treatment was originally applied, such as agriculture, medicine, jurisprudence, and politics.[4]
Two influential collections of aphorisms published in the twentieth century wereUnkempt Thoughts byStanisław Jerzy Lec (in Polish) andItch of Wisdom byMikhail Turovsky (in Russian and English).[5]
Misquoted or misadvised aphorisms are frequently used as a source of humour; for instance, wordplays of aphorisms appear in the works ofP. G. Wodehouse,Terry Pratchett, andDouglas Adams. Aphorisms being misquoted by sports players, coaches, and commentators form the basis ofPrivate Eye'sColemanballs section.
Professor of Humanities Andrew Hui, author ofA Theory of the Aphorism offered the following definition of an aphorism: "a short saying that requires interpretation".[2] Hui showed that some of the earliest philosophical texts from traditions around the world used an aphoristic style. Some of the earliest texts in the western philosophical canon feature short statements requiring interpretation, as seen in thePre-Socratics likeHeraclitus andParmenides. In early Hindu literature, theVedas were composed of many aphorisms. Likewise, in early Chinese philosophy,Taoist texts like theTao Te Ching and theConfucianAnalects relied on an aphoristic style.Francis Bacon,Blaise Pascal,Desiderius Erasmus,Arthur Schopenhauer andFriedrich Nietzsche rank among some of the most notable philosophers who employed them in the modern time.
Andrew Hui argued that aphorisms played an important role in the history of philosophy, influencing the favored mediums of philosophical traditions. He argued for example, that the PlatonicDialogues served as a response to the difficult to interpret fragments and phrases which Pre-Socratic philosophers were famous for. Hui proposes that aphorisms often arrive before, after, or in response to more systematic argumentative philosophy.[2] For example, aphorisms may come before a systematic philosophy, because the systematic philosophy consists of the attempt to interpret and explain the aphorisms, as he argues is the case with Confucianism. Alternately, aphorisms may be written against systematic philosophy, as a form of challenge or irreverence, as seen in Nietzsche's work. Lastly, aphorisms may come after or following systematic philosophy, as was the case with Francis Bacon, who sought to bring an end to old ways of thinking.[2]
Gopnik, Adam, "Brevity, Soul, Wit: The art of the aphorism" (includes discussion of Andrew Hui,A Theory of the Aphorism: FromConfucius toTwitter, Princeton, 2019),The New Yorker, 22 July 2019, pp. 67–69. "The aphorism [...] is [...] always anepitome, and seeks an essence. The ability to elide the extraneous is what makes the aphorism bite, but the possibility of inferring backward to a missing text is what makes the aphorismpoetic." (p.69.)
