Liber Secundus, Caput II. Considerationis a contemplatione distinctio.
Defining Consideration
Bernard distinguishes consideration from contemplation, defining the former as investigative thought bent on tracking down truth, while noting the two terms were once used interchangeably.
And first of all, consider what I should mean by consideration itself. For what I want contemplation to mean is not the same in every respect as consideration: the former is directed toward certainty about things, the latter more toward inquiry. According to this sense, then, contemplation can be defined as the mind's true and certain insight into any matter, or the unhesitating grasp of what is true. Consideration, on the other hand, is an intense thought bent on investigation, or the mind's effort tracking down the truth. Although both terms used to be employed interchangeably, without distinction.
Read the original Latin
Et primo quidem ipsam considerationem quid dicam, considera. Non enim idem per omnia quod contemplationem intelligi volo; quod haec ad rerum certitudinem, illa ad inquisitionem magis se habeat. Juxta quem sensum potest contemplatio quidem definiri, verus certusque intuitus animi de quacunque re, sive apprehensio veri non dubia. Consideratio autem, intensa ad investigandum cogitatio, vel intentio animi vestigantis verum. Quanquam solebant ambae pro invicem indifferenter usurpari.
De consideratione (On Consideration) companion
Make consideration a daily appointment
Bernard told Eugene to set aside time every day. Chosen Portion holds that time for you, free.
Bernard's core prescription — a fixed daily time reserved for examining the soul — is exactly the habit Chosen Portion installs with its daily devotional portion.
- One 10-minute daily portion for self-examination and prayer
- Reflection prompts drawn from historic texts, not improvised journaling
- A visible streak that protects the daily interval Bernard insisted on