I have read and reread following lines many times but can’t seem to make sense out of it. Any help is appreciated.
“And just as every porter wants to have an admirer, so even the proudest of men, the philosopher, supposes that he sees on all sides the eyes of the universe telescopically focused upon his action and thought.”
I am having problem understanding after the word “suppose”. I am confused who sees on all sides (sentence suggests that the proud men to me)? But then sentence doesn’t appear to be well defined. Does it say that proud men thinks all the eyes of the world are fixated on him?
Answer
In this context, the word "suppose" means "believe"; see Merriam-Webster:
b (1) : to hold as an opinion : believe [they supposed they were early]
(2) : to think probable or in keeping with the facts [seems reasonable to suppose that he would profit]
So the key phrase:
"…the proudest of men, the philosopher, supposes that he sees on all sides the eyes of the universe telescopically focused upon his action and thought."
…may be treated as:
"…the philosopher supposes (believes) that he sees (on all sides) the eyes of the universe."
Note that the philosopher is the "proudest of men" in this sentence; they are the same person.
So, yes, the "proudest of men" believes that the whole universe is fixated on him.
Attribution
Source : Link , Question Author : Mustafa Motani , Answer Author : Nonnal
