besoins du propos

09:31 Oct 4, 2014 

By the way, in other, very different contexts, F "pour les besoins du propos" can be equivalent to E "for the sake of argument". And the F term for E "expression" is "expression", not "propos", hence "the exigencies of expression" would more likely be "les nécessités de l'expression".

09:25 Oct 4, 2014 

From your notes :
Paroles dites au sujet de qqn. ou de qqch., mots échangés, prononcés au cours d'une conversation. Par ext. Phrase, texte écrit. ➙ Discours, parole, phrase (supra cit. 15). Échange de propos. ➙ Conversation, entretien. Les propos d'un personnage de roman, d'une pièce de théâtre (→ Nombre, cit. 28). Vivacité dans les propos. De propos en propos (→ De fil en aiguille*, cit. 11). Répéter un propos inutile (→ Opportunité, cit. 2). Propos en l'air. ➙ Bruit. ...

09:09 Oct 4, 2014 

See the extract I quote from Le Grand Robert in the note to my answer. I never suggested that, in this context, "propos" meant "dialogue", "mots échangés", "chit-chat" or "narrative". I use the term "expression" in the sense of expressing meaning. In the absence of telepathy or divine intervention that would wordlessly implant the meaning Spinoza's thought in the brains of others, that meaning had to be expressed in words and "propos", in contrast to "mots", refers as much to the meaning that is expressed as to the particular words used to express it.

00:28 Oct 4, 2014 

My comment to B.D. was justified. "Propos" is what you would call "a point" in English (or if you stretch its meaning it can be an argument, as kashew has offered). And in no way can it be identified as "dialogue" or "parole" or "mots échangés" or whatever chit-chat or narrative in the Spinoza context as B.D thinks it can. "Propos" relates to the content and/or meaning of a speech or narrative ("discours"), not quite the way it is cast. Having said that it should not be confused with the "core subject" as Yarri K believes it can. It's rather the way the subject is dealt with and structurally argumented, how the point is expounded. Somehow it is germane to the Greek concept of τόπος which lead me to call it "topic", perhaps not quite appropriately, I must admit, given these considerations.

05:39 Oct 2, 2014 

You've contradicted yourself. In your comment on Yarri K's answer, you say "propos" and "sujet" are two different things, and yet you've told B.D. that "propos" means "topic".