Both Uses of
precept
in
The Magic Mountain
- But if you are determined to stick with mathematics, it, too, will lead you in a spiral from perfection to perfection; and you can take solace in the precepts of our eighteenth century, which taught that man was originally good, happy, and perfect, that it is only through social errors that he has been perverted and ruined, and that by working critically to rebuild society he shall become good, happy, and perfect again.†
Chpt 6.2precepts = rules for behavior
- The mystery and precept of our age is not liberation and development of the ego.†
Chpt 6.3 *precept = a rule for behavior
Definition:
a rule for behavior -- especially a shared moral doctrine