Beyond Good and Evil | Progressively Translated Dutch A1 Books

Beyond Good and Evil | Progressively Translated Dutch A1 Books

Unlock the potential of this modern translation approach, designed to enhance your language learning experience. By allowing you to choose your difficulty level, it guarantees a personalized challenge that's suited to your progress. This method promotes comprehension by encouraging you to infer the meaning of new words from context, rather than relying heavily on direct translations. Though some translations are obscured to stimulate guessing, it's perfectly fine to consult a dictionary when needed. This technique combines challenge and support, making language learning fun and effective. Explore these translated classics to enjoy literature while advancing your language skills.

PREFACE
SUPPOSINGthatTruthis
een
a
woman—whatthen?
Istherenotgroundforsuspecting
dat
that
allphilosophers,insofarasthey
hebben
have
beendogmatists,havefailedto
begrijpen
understand
women—thattheterribleseriousness
en
and
clumsyimportunitywithwhichthey
hebben
have
usuallypaidtheiraddressesto
Waarheid
Truth
,havebeenunskilledandunseemlymethodsfor
winnen
winning
awoman?
Certainlyshe
heeft
has
neverallowedherselftobe
winnen
won
;
andatpresentevery
soort
kind
ofdogmastandswithsad
en
and
discouragedmien—IF,indeed,it
staat
stands
atall!
Fortherearescofferswhomaintainthatithas
gevallen
fallen
,thatalldogmaliesontheground—nay
meer
more
,thatitisatits
laatste
last
gasp.
Buttospeakseriously,
er
there
aregoodgroundsfor
hopen
hoping
thatalldogmatizinginphilosophy,whateversolemn,whateverconclusive
en
and
decidedairsithasassumed,mayhavebeenonly
een
a
noblepuerilismandtyronism;
en
and
probablythetimeisathandwhenit
zal
will
beonceandagain
begrepen
understood
WHAThasactuallysufficedforthebasisof
zulke
such
imposingandabsolutephilosophicaledificesasthedogmatists
hebben
have
hithertoreared:
perhapssomepopularsuperstitionofimmemorial
tijd
time
(suchasthesoul-superstition,
die
which
,intheformofsubject-
en
and
ego-superstition,hasnotyetceaseddoingmischief):
misschien
perhaps
someplayuponwords,adeceptionon
de
the
partofgrammar,oranaudaciousgeneralizationof
zeer
very
restricted,verypersonal,veryhuman—all-too-humanfacts.
De
The
philosophyofthedogmatists,itistobehoped,was
enige
only
apromiseforthousandsofyearsafterwards,aswasastrologyinstillearliertimes,in
de
the
serviceofwhichprobably
meer
more
labour,gold,acuteness,andpatiencehavebeenspent
dan
than
onanyactualsciencehitherto:
weowetoit,
en
and
toits"super-terrestrial"pretensionsinAsia
en
and
Egypt,thegrandstyleofarchitecture.
Itseems
dat
that
inordertoinscribethemselvesuponthe
hart
heart
ofhumanitywitheverlastingclaims,
alle
all
greatthingshavefirsttowander
over
about
theearthasenormous
en
and
awe-inspiringcaricatures:
dogmaticphilosophyhasbeen
een
a
caricatureofthiskind—forinstance,theVedantadoctrineinAsia,
en
and
PlatonisminEurope.
Letusnotbeungratefultoit,althoughit
moet
must
certainlybeconfessedthattheworst,the
meest
most
tiresome,andthemostdangerousoferrorshithertohasbeen
een
a
dogmatisterror—namely,Plato'sinventionofPureSpirit
en
and
theGoodinItself.
Maar
But
nowwhenithasbeensurmounted,
wanneer
when
Europe,ridofthisnightmare,
kan
can
againdrawbreathfreely
en
and
atleastenjoyahealthier—sleep,
wij
we
,WHOSEDUTYISWAKEFULNESSITSELF,aretheheirsof
alle
all
thestrengthwhichthestruggle
tegen
against
thiserrorhasfostered.
Itamountedtotheveryinversionof
waarheid
truth
,andthedenialofthePERSPECTIVE—thefundamentalcondition—of
leven
life
,tospeakofSpirit
en
and
theGoodasPlatospokeof
hen
them
;
indeedonemightask,asaphysician:
"Howdidsuchamaladyattack
dat
that
finestproductofantiquity,Plato?
Had
Had
thewickedSocratesreallycorrupted
hem
him
?
WasSocratesafterall
een
a
corrupterofyouths,anddeservedhishemlock?"
Maar
But
thestruggleagainstPlato,or—tospeakplainer,
en
and
forthe"people"—thestruggle
tegen
against
theecclesiasticaloppressionofmillenniumsofChristianity(FORCHRISTIANITYISPLATONISMFORTHE"PEOPLE"),producedinEurope
een
a
magnificenttensionofsoul,suchas
had
had
notexistedanywherepreviously;
met
with
suchatenselystrainedbow
men
one
cannowaimat
de
the
furthestgoals.
Asamatteroffact,
de
the
Europeanfeelsthistensionas
een
a
stateofdistress,andtwiceattemptshavebeenmadeingrandstyletounbend
de
the
bow:
oncebymeansofJesuitism,
en
and
thesecondtimebymeansofdemocraticenlightenment—which,
met
with
theaidoflibertyofthepress
en
and
newspaper-reading,might,infact,bringitaboutthatthespirit
zou
would
notsoeasilyfinditselfin"distress"!
Het
(The
Germansinventedgunpowder—allcreditto
hen
them
!
buttheyagainmadethingssquare—theyinventedprinting.)
Maar
But
we,whoareneitherJesuits,nordemocrats,nor
zelfs
even
sufficientlyGermans,weGOODEUROPEANS,
en
and
free,VERYfreespirits—we
hebben
have
itstill,allthedistressofspirit
en
and
allthetensionofitsbow!
En
And
perhapsalsothearrow,
de
the
duty,and,whoknows?
Het
THE
GOALTOAIMAT....
CHAPTERI.PREJUDICESOFPHILOSOPHERS
1.
De
The
WilltoTruth,whichistotemptusto
vele
many
ahazardousenterprise,thefamousTruthfulnessof
die
which
allphilosophershavehitherto
gesproken
spoken
withrespect,whatquestionshas
deze
this
WilltoTruthnotlaidbefore
ons
us
!
Whatstrange,perplexing,questionablequestions!
Itis
al
already
alongstory;
yetitseemsasifitwerehardlycommenced.
Isitanywonderifweatlastgrowdistrustful,
verliezen
lose
patience,andturnimpatientlyaway?
Dat
That
thisSphinxteachesusatlastto
vragen
ask
questionsourselves?
WHOisit
werkelijk
really
thatputsquestionstous
hier
here
?
WHATreallyisthis"WilltoTruth"in
ons
us
?
Infactwemadea
lang
long
haltatthequestionasto
de
the
originofthisWill—untilatlastwe
kwamen
came
toanabsolutestandstillbeforeayetmorefundamental
vraag
question
.
WeinquiredabouttheVALUEof
dit
this
Will.
Grantedthatwe
willen
want
thetruth:
WHYNOTRATHERuntruth?
En
And
uncertainty?
Evenignorance?
The
probleem
problem
ofthevalueof
waarheid
truth
presenteditselfbeforeus—orwasitwe
die
who
presentedourselvesbeforethe
probleem
problem
?
Whichofusis
de
the
Oedipushere?
WhichtheSphinx?
Itwouldseemtobe
een
a
rendezvousofquestionsandnotesofinterrogation.
En
And
coulditbebelievedthatitatlastseemstousasifthe
probleem
problem
hadneverbeenpropoundedbefore,asifwewerethefirsttodiscernit,getasightofit,
en
and
RISKRAISINGit?
For
er
there
isriskinraising
het
it
,perhapsthereisnogreaterrisk.
2.
"HOW
Kan
COULD
anythingoriginateoutofitsopposite?
Forexample,
waarheid
truth
outoferror?
or
de
the
WilltoTruthoutof
de
the
willtodeception?
or
de
the
generousdeedoutofselfishness?
of
or
thepuresun-brightvisionofthewise
man
man
outofcovetousness?
Suchgenesisisimpossible;
whoever
droomt
dreams
ofitisafool,nay,worse
dan
than
afool;
thingsof
de
the
highestvaluemusthavea
andere
different
origin,anoriginofTHEIRown—in
deze
this
transitory,seductive,illusory,paltry
wereld
world
,inthisturmoilofdelusion
en
and
cupidity,theycannothavetheirsource.
Maar
But
ratherinthelapofBeing,intheintransitory,intheconcealed
God
God
,inthe'Thing-in-itself—THEREmustbetheirsource,
en
and
nowhereelse!"—Thismodeofreasoningdisclosesthetypicalprejudicebywhichmetaphysiciansofalltimescanberecognized,thismodeofvaluationisatthebackofalltheirlogicalprocedure;
through
dit
this
"belief"oftheirs,theyexertthemselvesfortheir"knowledge,"for
iets
something
thatisintheendsolemnlychristened"theTruth."
Het
The
fundamentalbeliefofmetaphysiciansis
Het
THE
BELIEFINANTITHESESOFVALUES.
Itneveroccurred
zelfs
even
tothewariestofthemtodoubt
hier
here
ontheverythreshold(wheredoubt,however,was
meest
most
necessary);
thoughtheyhadmade
een
a
solemnvow,"DEOMNIBUSDUBITANDUM."
Forit
kan
may
bedoubted,firstly,whetherantithesesexistatall;
en
and
secondly,whetherthepopularvaluations
en
and
antithesesofvalueupon
die
which
metaphysicianshavesettheirseal,arenot
misschien
perhaps
merelysuperficialestimates,merelyprovisionalperspectives,besidesbeing
waarschijnlijk
probably
madefromsomecorner,
misschien
perhaps
frombelow—"frogperspectives,"asitwere,toborrow
een
an
expressioncurrentamongpainters.
Inspiteof
alle
all
thevaluewhichmaybelongtothe
ware
true
,thepositive,andtheunselfish,it
kan
might
bepossiblethatahigher
en
and
morefundamentalvaluefor
leven
life
generallyshouldbeassignedtopretence,tothe
wil
will
todelusion,toselfishness,
en
and
cupidity.
Itmightevenbe
mogelijk
possible
thatWHATconstitutesthevalueofthose
goede
good
andrespectedthings,consistspreciselyintheirbeinginsidiouslyrelated,knotted,
en
and
crochetedtotheseevil
en
and
apparentlyopposedthings—perhapseveninbeingessentiallyidenticalwiththem.
Misschien
Perhaps
!
Butwhowishestoconcernhimself
met
with
suchdangerous"Perhapses"!
Forthatinvestigationone
moet
must
awaittheadventofa
nieuwe
new
orderofphilosophers,suchas
zullen
will
haveothertastesandinclinations,thereverseofthosehithertoprevalent—philosophersofthedangerous"Perhaps"in
elke
every
senseoftheterm.
En
And
tospeakinallseriousness,I
zie
see
suchnewphilosophersbeginningtoappear.
3.
Hebben
Having
keptasharpeyeonphilosophers,
en
and
havingreadbetweentheirlines
lang
long
enough,Inowsaytomyself
dat
that
thegreaterpartofconscious
denken
thinking
mustbecountedamongtheinstinctivefunctions,
en
and
itissoeveninthe
geval
case
ofphilosophicalthinking;
onehas
hier
here
tolearnanew,as
men
one
learnedanewaboutheredity
en
and
"innateness."
Aslittleastheactofbirth
komt
comes
intoconsiderationinthe
hele
whole
processandprocedureofheredity,
net
just
aslittleis"being-conscious"OPPOSEDtotheinstinctiveinanydecisivesense;
het
the
greaterpartoftheconscious
denken
thinking
ofaphilosopherissecretlyinfluencedbyhisinstincts,
en
and
forcedintodefinitechannels.
En
And
behindalllogicanditsseemingsovereigntyofmovement,
er
there
arevaluations,orto
spreken
speak
moreplainly,physiologicaldemands,forthemaintenanceof
een
a
definitemodeoflifeForexample,
dat
that
thecertainisworth
meer
more
thantheuncertain,thatillusionislessvaluable
dan
than
"truth"suchvaluations,inspiteoftheirregulativeimportanceforUS,mightnotwithstandingbeonlysuperficialvaluations,specialkindsofniaiserie,suchasmaybenecessaryforthemaintenanceofbeingssuchasourselves.
Supposing,ineffect,
dat
that
manisnotjust
de
the
"measureofthings."
4.
De
The
falsenessofanopinionisnotforusanyobjectiontoit:
itis
hier
here
,perhaps,thatournewlanguage
klinkt
sounds
moststrangely.
Thequestion
is
is
,howfaranopinionislife-furthering,life-preserving,species-preserving,
misschien
perhaps
species-rearing,andwearefundamentallyinclinedtomaintain
dat
that
thefalsestopinions(towhichthesyntheticjudgmentsaprioribelong),arethe
meest
most
indispensabletous,that
zonder
without
arecognitionoflogicalfictions,
zonder
without
acomparisonofreality
met
with
thepurelyIMAGINEDworldoftheabsolute
en
and
immutable,withoutaconstantcounterfeitingofthe
wereld
world
bymeansofnumbers,
mens
man
couldnotlive—thattherenunciationoffalseopinions
zou
would
bearenunciationof
leven
life
,anegationoflife.
TORECOGNISEUNTRUTHAS
Een
A
CONDITIONOFLIFE;
thatiscertainlytoimpugn
de
the
traditionalideasofvaluein
een
a
dangerousmanner,andaphilosophywhichventuresto
doen
do
so,hastherebyalone
geplaatst
placed
itselfbeyondgoodandevil.
5.
Dat
That
whichcausesphilosopherstoberegardedhalf-distrustfully
en
and
half-mockingly,isnottheoft-repeateddiscovery
hoe
how
innocenttheyare—howoften
en
and
easilytheymakemistakes
en
and
losetheirway,inshort,
hoe
how
childishandchildliketheyare,—but
dat
that
thereisnotenoughhonest
omgegaan
dealing
withthem,whereastheyallraise
een
a
loudandvirtuousoutcry
wanneer
when
theproblemoftruthfulnessis
zelfs
even
hintedatintheremotestmanner.
Theyallposeasthoughtheir
werkelijke
real
opinionshadbeendiscovered
en
and
attainedthroughtheself-evolvingof
een
a
cold,pure,divinelyindifferentdialectic
In
(in
contrasttoallsortsofmystics,who,fairer
en
and
foolisher,talkof"inspiration"),whereas,infact,
een
a
prejudicedproposition,idea,or"suggestion,"whichisgenerallytheirheart'sdesireabstracted
en
and
refined,isdefendedbythem
met
with
argumentssoughtoutaftertheevent.
Theyarealladvocateswhodonot
willen
wish
toberegardedassuch,generallyastutedefenders,
ook
also
,oftheirprejudices,whichtheydub"truths,"—and
Zeer
VERY
farfromhavingtheconsciencewhichbravelyadmits
dit
this
toitself,veryfarfrom
hebben
having
thegoodtasteofthecouragewhich
gaat
goes
sofarastolet
dit
this
beunderstood,perhapstowarn
vriend
friend
orfoe,orincheerfulconfidence
en
and
self-ridicule.
ThespectacleoftheTartufferyof
oude
old
Kant,equallystiffanddecent,withwhichheenticesusintothedialecticby-waysthatlead(morecorrectlymislead)tohis"categoricalimperative"—makesusfastidiousonessmile,wewho
vinden
find
nosmallamusementinspyingoutthesubtletricksof
oude
old
moralistsandethicalpreachers.
Of
Or
,stillmoreso,thehocus-pocusinmathematicalform,bymeansofwhichSpinoza
heeft
has
,asitwere,cladhisphilosophyinmail
en
and
mask—infact,the"loveofHISwisdom,"totranslatethetermfairly
en
and
squarely—inordertherebytostriketerroratonceintothe
hart
heart
oftheassailantwhoshoulddaretocast
een
a
glanceonthatinvinciblemaiden,thatPallasAthene:—howmuchofpersonaltimidity
en
and
vulnerabilitydoesthismasqueradeof
een
a
sicklyreclusebetray!
6.
Ithasgradually
geworden
become
cleartomewhat
elke
every
greatphilosophyuptill
nu
now
hasconsistedof—namely,theconfessionofitsoriginator,
en
and
aspeciesofinvoluntary
en
and
unconsciousauto-biography;
andmoreover
dat
that
themoral(orimmoral)purposein
elke
every
philosophyhasconstitutedthe
ware
true
vitalgermoutofwhichtheentireplant
heeft
has
alwaysgrown.
Indeed,to
begrijpen
understand
howtheabstrusestmetaphysicalassertionsof
een
a
philosopherhavebeenarrivedat,itis
altijd
always
well(andwise)to
eerst
first
askoneself:
"Whatmoralitydothey(ordoeshe)aimat?"
Accordingly,Idonot
geloof
believe
thatan"impulsetoknowledge"is
de
the
fatherofphilosophy;
but
dat
that
anotherimpulse,hereaselsewhere,
heeft
has
onlymadeuseofknowledge(andmistakenknowledge!)
as
een
an
instrument.
Butwhoeverconsidersthefundamentalimpulsesof
mens
man
withaviewtodetermininghowfartheymay
hebben
have
hereactedasINSPIRINGGENII
Of
(or
asdemonsandcobolds),
zal
will
findthattheyhaveallpracticedphilosophyatonetime
of
or
another,andthateachoneofthemwould
hebben
have
beenonlytoogladtolookuponitselfastheultimateendofexistence
en
and
thelegitimateLORDoveralltheotherimpulses.
For
elke
every
impulseisimperious,andasSUCH,attemptstophilosophize.
Tobe
zeker
sure
,inthecaseofscholars,inthe
geval
case
ofreallyscientificmen,it
kan
may
beotherwise—"better,"ifyouwill;
er
there
theremayreallybesuchathingasan"impulsetoknowledge,"some
soort
kind
ofsmall,independentclock-work,which,when
goed
well
woundup,worksawayindustriouslyto
dat
that
end,WITHOUTtherestofthescholarlyimpulses
neemt
taking
anymaterialparttherein.
Theactual"interests"ofthescholar,therefore,aregenerallyin
heel
quite
anotherdirection—inthefamily,
misschien
perhaps
,orinmoney-making,orinpolitics;
itis,infact,
bijna
almost
indifferentatwhatpointofresearchhis
kleine
little
machineisplaced,andwhetherthehopeful
jonge
young
workerbecomesagoodphilologist,
een
a
mushroomspecialist,orachemist;
heisnotCHARACTERISEDbybecoming
dit
this
orthat.
Inthephilosopher,on
de
the
contrary,thereisabsolutely
niets
nothing
impersonal;
andaboveall,hismoralityfurnishes
een
a
decidedanddecisivetestimonyasto
Wie
WHO
HEIS,—thatisto
zeggen
say
,inwhatorderthedeepestimpulsesofhisnature
staan
stand
toeachother.
7.
Howmaliciousphilosophers
kunnen
can
be!
Iknowof
niets
nothing
morestingingthanthejokeEpicurus
nam
took
thelibertyofmakingonPlato
en
and
thePlatonists;
hecalledthemDionysiokolakes.
Initsoriginalsense,
en
and
onthefaceofit,the
woord
word
signifies"FlatterersofDionysius"—consequently,tyrants'accessories
en
and
lick-spittles;
besidesthis,however,itisas
veel
much
astosay,"TheyareallACTORS,
er
there
isnothinggenuineaboutthem"(forDionysiokolaxwasapopular
naam
name
foranactor).
And
de
the
latterisreallythemalignantreproach
die
that
EpicuruscastuponPlato:
hewasannoyedby
de
the
grandiosemanner,themiseenscenestyleofwhichPlato
en
and
hisscholarsweremasters—ofwhichEpicuruswasnota
meester
master
!
He,theoldschool-teacherofSamos,who
zat
sat
concealedinhislittlegardenatAthens,
en
and
wrotethreehundredbooks,
misschien
perhaps
outofrageandambitiousenvyofPlato,who
weet
knows
!
Greecetookahundredyearsto
vinden
find
outwhothegarden-godEpicurus
werkelijk
really
was.
Didsheeverfindout?
8.
Er
There
isapointin
elke
every
philosophyatwhichthe"conviction"ofthephilosopherappearsonthescene;
of
or
,toputitinthewordsof
een
an
ancientmystery:.
Adventavitasinus,Pulcheretfortissimus.
9.
Youdesireto
Leven
LIVE
"accordingtoNature"?
Oh,younobleStoics,whatfraudofwords!
Imaginetoyourselves
een
a
beinglikeNature,boundlesslyextravagant,boundlesslyindifferent,
zonder
without
purposeorconsideration,withoutpity
of
or
justice,atoncefruitful
en
and
barrenanduncertain:
imaginetoyourselvesINDIFFERENCEas
een
a
power—howCOULDyouliveinaccordance
met
with
suchindifference?
Tolive—isnot
dat
that
justendeavouringtobeotherwise
dan
than
thisNature?
Isnot
leven
living
valuing,preferring,beingunjust,beinglimited,endeavouringtobedifferent?
En
And
grantedthatyourimperative,"livingaccordingtoNature,"
betekent
means
actuallythesameas"livingaccordingtolife"—how
kunnen
could
youdoDIFFERENTLY?
Whyshouldyou
maken
make
aprincipleoutofwhatyouyourselvesare,
en
and
mustbe?
Inreality,however,itis
heel
quite
otherwisewithyou:
whileyoupretendto
leest
read
withrapturethecanonofyour
wet
law
inNature,youwant
iets
something
quitethecontrary,youextraordinarystage-players
en
and
self-deluders!
Inyourprideyou
wilt
wish
todictateyourmorals
en
and
idealstoNature,toNatureherself,
en
and
toincorporatethemtherein;
youinsist
dat
that
itshallbeNature"accordingtotheStoa,"
en
and
wouldlikeeverythingtobe
gemaakt
made
afteryourownimage,as
een
a
vast,eternalglorificationandgeneralismofStoicism!
Met
With
allyourlovefor
waarheid
truth
,youhaveforcedyourselvesso
lang
long
,sopersistently,andwithsuchhypnoticrigidityto
zien
see
NatureFALSELY,thatisto
zeggen
say
,Stoically,thatyouarenolonger
in staat
able
toseeitotherwise—andtocrown
al
all
,someunfathomablesuperciliousnessgivesyoutheBedlamite
hoop
hope
thatBECAUSEyouare
in staat
able
totyrannizeoveryourselves—Stoicismisself-tyranny—Nature
zal
will
alsoallowherselftobetyrannized
over
over
:
isnottheStoic
een
a
PARTofNature?...
But
dit
this
isanoldandeverlasting
verhaal
story
:
whathappenedinoldtimes
met
with
theStoicsstillhappens
vandaag
today
,assoonasever
een
a
philosophybeginstobelieveinitself.
It
altijd
always
createstheworldinits
eigen
own
image;
itcannotdootherwise;
philosophyis
deze
this
tyrannicalimpulseitself,the
meest
most
spiritualWilltoPower,
de
the
willto"creationof
de
the
world,"thewillto
de
the
causaprima.
10.
Theeagerness
en
and
subtlety,Ishouldeven
zeggen
say
craftiness,withwhichthe
probleem
problem
of"therealandtheapparentworld"isdealtwithatpresentthroughoutEurope,furnishes
voedsel
food
forthoughtandattention;
en
and
hewhohearsonly
een
a
"WilltoTruth"in
de
the
background,andnothingelse,cannotcertainlyboastof
de
the
sharpestears.
Inrare
en
and
isolatedcases,itmay
echt
really
havehappenedthatsuch
een
a
WilltoTruth—acertainextravagant
en
and
adventurouspluck,ametaphysician'sambitionoftheforlornhope—hasparticipatedtherein:
dat
that
whichintheend
altijd
always
prefersahandfulof"certainty"to
een
a
wholecartloadofbeautifulpossibilities;
er
there
mayevenbepuritanicalfanaticsofconscience,
die
who
prefertoputtheir
laatste
last
trustinasure
niets
nothing
,ratherthaninanuncertain
iets
something
.
ButthatisNihilism,
en
and
thesignofadespairing,mortallyweariedsoul,notwithstandingthecourageousbearingsuch
een
a
virtuemaydisplay.
Itseems,however,tobeotherwisewithstronger
en
and
livelierthinkerswhoare
nog steeds
still
eagerforlife.
In
dat
that
theysideAGAINSTappearance,
en
and
speaksuperciliouslyof"perspective,"in
dat
that
theyrankthecredibilityoftheir
eigen
own
bodiesaboutaslowasthecredibilityoftheocularevidence
dat
that
"theearthstandsstill,"
en
and
thus,apparently,allowingwithcomplacencytheirsecurestpossessiontoescape(forwhatdoesoneatpresentbelieveinmorefirmly
dan
than
inone'sbody?),—whoknowsiftheyarenot
werkelijk
really
tryingtowinback
iets
something
whichwasformerlyanevensecurerpossession,
iets
something
oftheolddomainofthefaithofformertimes,
misschien
perhaps
the"immortalsoul,"perhaps"the
oude
old
God,"inshort,ideasbywhichthey
kunnen
could
livebetter,thatistosay,morevigorously
en
and
morejoyously,thanby"modernideas"?
Er
There
isDISTRUSTofthesemodernideasin
deze
this
modeoflookingatthings,
een
a
disbeliefinallthathasbeenconstructedyesterday
en
and
today;
thereisperhapssomeslightadmixtureofsatiety
en
and
scorn,whichcannolongerenduretheBRIC-A-BRACofideasofthe
meest
most
variedorigin,suchasso-calledPositivismatpresentthrowsonthemarket;
een
a
disgustofthemorerefinedtasteat
de
the
village-fairmotleynessandpatchinessof
al
all
thesereality-philosophasters,inwhom
er
there
isnothingeithernew
of
or
true,exceptthismotleyness.
Thereinitseemstomethatwe
moeten
should
agreewiththoseskepticalanti-realists
en
and
knowledge-microscopistsofthepresent
dag
day
;
theirinstinct,whichrepelsthemfromMODERNreality,isunrefuted...
what
doen
do
theirretrogradeby-pathsconcern
ons
us
!
ThemainthingaboutthemisNOT
dat
that
theywishtogo"back,"
maar
but
thattheywishtoget
Weg
AWAY
therefrom.
AlittleMOREstrength,swing,courage,
en
and
artisticpower,andthey
zouden
would
beOFF—andnotback!
11.
Itseemstomethat
er
there
iseverywhereanattemptatpresenttodivertattentionfromtheactualinfluencewhichKantexercisedonGermanphilosophy,
en
and
especiallytoignoreprudentlythevaluewhichhe
gesteld
set
uponhimself.
KantwasfirstandforemostproudofhisTableofCategories;
met
with
itinhishandhe
zei
said
:
"Thisisthemostdifficult
wat
thing
thatcouldeverbeundertakenonbehalfofmetaphysics."
Laten
Let
usonlyunderstandthis"couldbe"!
Hewasproudof
had
having
DISCOVEREDanewfacultyin
mens
man
,thefacultyofsyntheticjudgment
een
a
priori.
Grantingthathedeceivedhimselfin
deze
this
matter;
thedevelopmentandrapidflourishingofGermanphilosophydependedneverthelessonhispride,
en
and
ontheeagerrivalryof
de
the
youngergenerationtodiscoverif
mogelijk
possible
something—atallevents"newfaculties"—ofwhichtobestillprouder!—Butletusreflectforamoment—itishightimetodoso.
"HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaprioriPOSSIBLE?"
Kant
vraagt
asks
himself—andwhatisreallyhis
antwoord
answer
?
"BYMEANSOFAMEANS(faculty)"—butunfortunatelynotin
vijf
five
words,butsocircumstantially,imposingly,
en
and
withsuchdisplayofGermanprofundity
en
and
verbalflourishes,thatonealtogether
verliest
loses
sightofthecomicalniaiserieallemandeinvolvedinsuchan
antwoord
answer
.
Peoplewerebesidethemselves
met
with
delightoverthisnewfaculty,
en
and
thejubilationreacheditsclimax
toen
when
Kantfurtherdiscoveredamoralfacultyinman—forat
die
that
timeGermanswerestillmoral,notyetdabblingin
de
the
"Politicsofhardfact."
Then
kwam
came
thehoneymoonofGermanphilosophy.
Alle
All
theyoungtheologiansoftheTubingeninstitution
gingen
went
immediatelyintothegroves—allseekingfor"faculties."
En
And
whatdidtheynotfind—inthatinnocent,rich,
en
and
stillyouthfulperiodof
de
the
Germanspirit,towhichRomanticism,
de
the
maliciousfairy,pipedand
zong
sang
,whenonecouldnotyetdistinguish
tussen
between
"finding"and"inventing"!
Aboveall
een
a
facultyforthe"transcendental";
Schellingchristenedit,intellectualintuition,
en
and
therebygratifiedthemostearnestlongingsofthenaturallypious-inclinedGermans.
Men
One
candonogreaterwrongtothe
geheel
whole
ofthisexuberantandeccentricmovement(whichwas
echt
really
youthfulness,notwithstandingthatitdisguiseditselfsoboldly,inhoary
en
and
senileconceptions),thanto
nemen
take
itseriously,oreventreatit
met
with
moralindignation.
Enough,however—the
wereld
world
grewolder,andthe
droom
dream
vanished.
Atimecamewhen
mensen
people
rubbedtheirforeheads,andthey
nog steeds
still
rubthemtoday.
People
hadden
had
beendreaming,andfirst
en
and
foremost—oldKant.
"Bymeansof
een
a
means(faculty)"—hehadsaid,
of
or
atleastmeantto
zeggen
say
.
But,isthat—ananswer?
Een
An
explanation?
Orisitnotrathermerely
een
a
repetitionofthequestion?
Hoe
How
doesopiuminducesleep?
"Bymeansof
een
a
means(faculty),"namelythevirtusdormitiva,replies
de
the
doctorinMoliere,.
But
zulke
such
repliesbelongtotherealmofcomedy,
en
and
itishightimetoreplacetheKantian
vraag
question
,"Howaresyntheticjudgments
een
a
PRIORIpossible?"
byanother
vraag
question
,"Whyisbeliefin
zulke
such
judgmentsnecessary?"—ineffect,itis
hoog
high
timethatweshould
begrijpen
understand
thatsuchjudgmentsmustbebelievedtobe
waar
true
,forthesakeofthepreservationofcreatureslikeourselves;
thoughthey
nog steeds
still
mightnaturallybefalsejudgments!
Of
Or
,moreplainlyspoken,androughly
en
and
readily—syntheticjudgmentsapriori
moeten
should
not"bepossible"atall;
we
hebben
have
norighttothem;
inourmouthstheyare
niets
nothing
butfalsejudgments.
Only,of
natuurlijk
course
,thebeliefintheir
waarheid
truth
isnecessary,asplausiblebelief
en
and
ocularevidencebelongingtotheperspectiveviewof
leven
life
.
Andfinally,tocalltomind
de
the
enormousinfluencewhich"Germanphilosophy"—I
hoop
hope
youunderstanditsrighttoinvertedcommas(goosefeet)?—hasexercisedthroughout
de
the
wholeofEurope,thereis
geen
no
doubtthatacertainVIRTUSDORMITIVAhad
een
a
shareinit;
thankstoGermanphilosophy,itwasadelighttothenobleidlers,thevirtuous,themystics,theartiste,thethree-fourthsChristians,
en
and
thepoliticalobscurantistsof
alle
all
nations,tofindanantidotetothe
nog steeds
still
overwhelmingsensualismwhichoverflowedfromthelastcenturyinto
deze
this
,inshort—"sensusassoupire."...