PREFACE
SUPPOSINGthatTruthis
een
awoman—whatthen?Istherenotgroundforsuspecting
dat
thatallphilosophers,insofarastheyhebben
havebeendogmatists,havefailedtobegrijpen
understandwomen—thattheterribleseriousnessen
andclumsyimportunitywithwhichtheyhebben
haveusuallypaidtheiraddressestoWaarheid
Truth,havebeenunskilledandunseemlymethodsforwinnen
winningawoman?Certainlyshe
heeft
hasneverallowedherselftobewinnen
won;andatpresentevery
soort
kindofdogmastandswithsaden
anddiscouragedmien—IF,indeed,itstaat
standsatall!Fortherearescofferswhomaintainthatithas
gevallen
fallen,thatalldogmaliesontheground—naymeer
more,thatitisatitslaatste
lastgasp.Buttospeakseriously,
er
therearegoodgroundsforhopen
hopingthatalldogmatizinginphilosophy,whateversolemn,whateverconclusiveen
anddecidedairsithasassumed,mayhavebeenonlyeen
anoblepuerilismandtyronism;en
andprobablythetimeisathandwhenitzal
willbeonceandagainbegrepen
understoodWHAThasactuallysufficedforthebasisofzulke
suchimposingandabsolutephilosophicaledificesasthedogmatistshebben
havehithertoreared:perhapssomepopularsuperstitionofimmemorial
tijd
time(suchasthesoul-superstition,die
which,intheformofsubject-en
andego-superstition,hasnotyetceaseddoingmischief):misschien
perhapssomeplayuponwords,adeceptiononde
thepartofgrammar,oranaudaciousgeneralizationofzeer
veryrestricted,verypersonal,veryhuman—all-too-humanfacts.De
Thephilosophyofthedogmatists,itistobehoped,wasenige
onlyapromiseforthousandsofyearsafterwards,aswasastrologyinstillearliertimes,inde
theserviceofwhichprobablymeer
morelabour,gold,acuteness,andpatiencehavebeenspentdan
thanonanyactualsciencehitherto:weowetoit,
en
andtoits"super-terrestrial"pretensionsinAsiaen
andEgypt,thegrandstyleofarchitecture.Itseems
dat
thatinordertoinscribethemselvesuponthehart
heartofhumanitywitheverlastingclaims,alle
allgreatthingshavefirsttowanderover
abouttheearthasenormousen
andawe-inspiringcaricatures:dogmaticphilosophyhasbeen
een
acaricatureofthiskind—forinstance,theVedantadoctrineinAsia,en
andPlatonisminEurope.Letusnotbeungratefultoit,althoughit
moet
mustcertainlybeconfessedthattheworst,themeest
mosttiresome,andthemostdangerousoferrorshithertohasbeeneen
adogmatisterror—namely,Plato'sinventionofPureSpiriten
andtheGoodinItself.Maar
Butnowwhenithasbeensurmounted,wanneer
whenEurope,ridofthisnightmare,kan
canagaindrawbreathfreelyen
andatleastenjoyahealthier—sleep,wij
we,WHOSEDUTYISWAKEFULNESSITSELF,aretheheirsofalle
allthestrengthwhichthestruggletegen
againstthiserrorhasfostered.Itamountedtotheveryinversionof
waarheid
truth,andthedenialofthePERSPECTIVE—thefundamentalcondition—ofleven
life,tospeakofSpiriten
andtheGoodasPlatospokeofhen
them;indeedonemightask,asaphysician:
"Howdidsuchamaladyattack
dat
thatfinestproductofantiquity,Plato?Had
HadthewickedSocratesreallycorruptedhem
him?WasSocratesafterall
een
acorrupterofyouths,anddeservedhishemlock?"Maar
ButthestruggleagainstPlato,or—tospeakplainer,en
andforthe"people"—thestruggletegen
againsttheecclesiasticaloppressionofmillenniumsofChristianity(FORCHRISTIANITYISPLATONISMFORTHE"PEOPLE"),producedinEuropeeen
amagnificenttensionofsoul,suchashad
hadnotexistedanywherepreviously;met
withsuchatenselystrainedbowmen
onecannowaimatde
thefurthestgoals.Asamatteroffact,
de
theEuropeanfeelsthistensionaseen
astateofdistress,andtwiceattemptshavebeenmadeingrandstyletounbendde
thebow:oncebymeansofJesuitism,
en
andthesecondtimebymeansofdemocraticenlightenment—which,met
withtheaidoflibertyofthepressen
andnewspaper-reading,might,infact,bringitaboutthatthespiritzou
wouldnotsoeasilyfinditselfin"distress"!Het
(TheGermansinventedgunpowder—allcredittohen
them!buttheyagainmadethingssquare—theyinventedprinting.)
Maar
Butwe,whoareneitherJesuits,nordemocrats,norzelfs
evensufficientlyGermans,weGOODEUROPEANS,en
andfree,VERYfreespirits—wehebben
haveitstill,allthedistressofspiriten
andallthetensionofitsbow!En
Andperhapsalsothearrow,de
theduty,and,whoknows?Het
THEGOALTOAIMAT....CHAPTERI.PREJUDICESOFPHILOSOPHERS
1.
De
TheWilltoTruth,whichistotemptustovele
manyahazardousenterprise,thefamousTruthfulnessofdie
whichallphilosophershavehithertogesproken
spokenwithrespect,whatquestionshasdeze
thisWilltoTruthnotlaidbeforeons
us!Whatstrange,perplexing,questionablequestions!
Itis
al
alreadyalongstory;yetitseemsasifitwerehardlycommenced.
Isitanywonderifweatlastgrowdistrustful,
verliezen
losepatience,andturnimpatientlyaway?Dat
ThatthisSphinxteachesusatlasttovragen
askquestionsourselves?WHOisit
werkelijk
reallythatputsquestionstoushier
here?WHATreallyisthis"WilltoTruth"in
ons
us?Infactwemadea
lang
longhaltatthequestionastode
theoriginofthisWill—untilatlastwekwamen
cametoanabsolutestandstillbeforeayetmorefundamentalvraag
question.WeinquiredabouttheVALUEof
dit
thisWill.Grantedthatwe
willen
wantthetruth:WHYNOTRATHERuntruth?
En
Anduncertainty?Evenignorance?
The
probleem
problemofthevalueofwaarheid
truthpresenteditselfbeforeus—orwasitwedie
whopresentedourselvesbeforetheprobleem
problem?Whichofusis
de
theOedipushere?WhichtheSphinx?
Itwouldseemtobe
een
arendezvousofquestionsandnotesofinterrogation.En
Andcoulditbebelievedthatitatlastseemstousasiftheprobleem
problemhadneverbeenpropoundedbefore,asifwewerethefirsttodiscernit,getasightofit,en
andRISKRAISINGit?For
er
thereisriskinraisinghet
it,perhapsthereisnogreaterrisk.2.
"HOW
Kan
COULDanythingoriginateoutofitsopposite?Forexample,
waarheid
truthoutoferror?or
de
theWilltoTruthoutofde
thewilltodeception?or
de
thegenerousdeedoutofselfishness?of
orthepuresun-brightvisionofthewiseman
manoutofcovetousness?Suchgenesisisimpossible;
whoever
droomt
dreamsofitisafool,nay,worsedan
thanafool;thingsof
de
thehighestvaluemusthaveaandere
differentorigin,anoriginofTHEIRown—indeze
thistransitory,seductive,illusory,paltrywereld
world,inthisturmoilofdelusionen
andcupidity,theycannothavetheirsource.Maar
ButratherinthelapofBeing,intheintransitory,intheconcealedGod
God,inthe'Thing-in-itself—THEREmustbetheirsource,en
andnowhereelse!"—Thismodeofreasoningdisclosesthetypicalprejudicebywhichmetaphysiciansofalltimescanberecognized,thismodeofvaluationisatthebackofalltheirlogicalprocedure;through
dit
this"belief"oftheirs,theyexertthemselvesfortheir"knowledge,"foriets
somethingthatisintheendsolemnlychristened"theTruth."Het
ThefundamentalbeliefofmetaphysiciansisHet
THEBELIEFINANTITHESESOFVALUES.Itneveroccurred
zelfs
eventothewariestofthemtodoubthier
hereontheverythreshold(wheredoubt,however,wasmeest
mostnecessary);thoughtheyhadmade
een
asolemnvow,"DEOMNIBUSDUBITANDUM."Forit
kan
maybedoubted,firstly,whetherantithesesexistatall;en
andsecondly,whetherthepopularvaluationsen
andantithesesofvalueupondie
whichmetaphysicianshavesettheirseal,arenotmisschien
perhapsmerelysuperficialestimates,merelyprovisionalperspectives,besidesbeingwaarschijnlijk
probablymadefromsomecorner,misschien
perhapsfrombelow—"frogperspectives,"asitwere,toborroween
anexpressioncurrentamongpainters.Inspiteof
alle
allthevaluewhichmaybelongtotheware
true,thepositive,andtheunselfish,itkan
mightbepossiblethatahigheren
andmorefundamentalvalueforleven
lifegenerallyshouldbeassignedtopretence,tothewil
willtodelusion,toselfishness,en
andcupidity.Itmightevenbe
mogelijk
possiblethatWHATconstitutesthevalueofthosegoede
goodandrespectedthings,consistspreciselyintheirbeinginsidiouslyrelated,knotted,en
andcrochetedtotheseevilen
andapparentlyopposedthings—perhapseveninbeingessentiallyidenticalwiththem.Misschien
Perhaps!Butwhowishestoconcernhimself
met
withsuchdangerous"Perhapses"!Forthatinvestigationone
moet
mustawaittheadventofanieuwe
neworderofphilosophers,suchaszullen
willhaveothertastesandinclinations,thereverseofthosehithertoprevalent—philosophersofthedangerous"Perhaps"inelke
everysenseoftheterm.En
Andtospeakinallseriousness,Izie
seesuchnewphilosophersbeginningtoappear.3.
Hebben
Havingkeptasharpeyeonphilosophers,en
andhavingreadbetweentheirlineslang
longenough,Inowsaytomyselfdat
thatthegreaterpartofconsciousdenken
thinkingmustbecountedamongtheinstinctivefunctions,en
anditissoeveninthegeval
caseofphilosophicalthinking;onehas
hier
heretolearnanew,asmen
onelearnedanewaboutheredityen
and"innateness."Aslittleastheactofbirth
komt
comesintoconsiderationinthehele
wholeprocessandprocedureofheredity,net
justaslittleis"being-conscious"OPPOSEDtotheinstinctiveinanydecisivesense;het
thegreaterpartoftheconsciousdenken
thinkingofaphilosopherissecretlyinfluencedbyhisinstincts,en
andforcedintodefinitechannels.En
Andbehindalllogicanditsseemingsovereigntyofmovement,er
therearevaluations,ortospreken
speakmoreplainly,physiologicaldemands,forthemaintenanceofeen
adefinitemodeoflifeForexample,dat
thatthecertainisworthmeer
morethantheuncertain,thatillusionislessvaluabledan
than"truth"suchvaluations,inspiteoftheirregulativeimportanceforUS,mightnotwithstandingbeonlysuperficialvaluations,specialkindsofniaiserie,suchasmaybenecessaryforthemaintenanceofbeingssuchasourselves.Supposing,ineffect,
dat
thatmanisnotjustde
the"measureofthings."4.
De
Thefalsenessofanopinionisnotforusanyobjectiontoit:itis
hier
here,perhaps,thatournewlanguageklinkt
soundsmoststrangely.Thequestion
is
is,howfaranopinionislife-furthering,life-preserving,species-preserving,misschien
perhapsspecies-rearing,andwearefundamentallyinclinedtomaintaindat
thatthefalsestopinions(towhichthesyntheticjudgmentsaprioribelong),arethemeest
mostindispensabletous,thatzonder
withoutarecognitionoflogicalfictions,zonder
withoutacomparisonofrealitymet
withthepurelyIMAGINEDworldoftheabsoluteen
andimmutable,withoutaconstantcounterfeitingofthewereld
worldbymeansofnumbers,mens
mancouldnotlive—thattherenunciationoffalseopinionszou
wouldbearenunciationofleven
life,anegationoflife.TORECOGNISEUNTRUTHAS
Een
ACONDITIONOFLIFE;thatiscertainlytoimpugn
de
thetraditionalideasofvalueineen
adangerousmanner,andaphilosophywhichventurestodoen
doso,hastherebyalonegeplaatst
placeditselfbeyondgoodandevil.5.
Dat
Thatwhichcausesphilosopherstoberegardedhalf-distrustfullyen
andhalf-mockingly,isnottheoft-repeateddiscoveryhoe
howinnocenttheyare—howoftenen
andeasilytheymakemistakesen
andlosetheirway,inshort,hoe
howchildishandchildliketheyare,—butdat
thatthereisnotenoughhonestomgegaan
dealingwiththem,whereastheyallraiseeen
aloudandvirtuousoutcrywanneer
whentheproblemoftruthfulnessiszelfs
evenhintedatintheremotestmanner.Theyallposeasthoughtheir
werkelijke
realopinionshadbeendiscovereden
andattainedthroughtheself-evolvingofeen
acold,pure,divinelyindifferentdialecticIn
(incontrasttoallsortsofmystics,who,faireren
andfoolisher,talkof"inspiration"),whereas,infact,een
aprejudicedproposition,idea,or"suggestion,"whichisgenerallytheirheart'sdesireabstracteden
andrefined,isdefendedbythemmet
withargumentssoughtoutaftertheevent.Theyarealladvocateswhodonot
willen
wishtoberegardedassuch,generallyastutedefenders,ook
also,oftheirprejudices,whichtheydub"truths,"—andZeer
VERYfarfromhavingtheconsciencewhichbravelyadmitsdit
thistoitself,veryfarfromhebben
havingthegoodtasteofthecouragewhichgaat
goessofarastoletdit
thisbeunderstood,perhapstowarnvriend
friendorfoe,orincheerfulconfidenceen
andself-ridicule.ThespectacleoftheTartufferyof
oude
oldKant,equallystiffanddecent,withwhichheenticesusintothedialecticby-waysthatlead(morecorrectlymislead)tohis"categoricalimperative"—makesusfastidiousonessmile,wewhovinden
findnosmallamusementinspyingoutthesubtletricksofoude
oldmoralistsandethicalpreachers.Of
Or,stillmoreso,thehocus-pocusinmathematicalform,bymeansofwhichSpinozaheeft
has,asitwere,cladhisphilosophyinmailen
andmask—infact,the"loveofHISwisdom,"totranslatethetermfairlyen
andsquarely—inordertherebytostriketerroratonceintothehart
heartoftheassailantwhoshoulddaretocasteen
aglanceonthatinvinciblemaiden,thatPallasAthene:—howmuchofpersonaltimidityen
andvulnerabilitydoesthismasqueradeofeen
asicklyreclusebetray!6.
Ithasgradually
geworden
becomecleartomewhatelke
everygreatphilosophyuptillnu
nowhasconsistedof—namely,theconfessionofitsoriginator,en
andaspeciesofinvoluntaryen
andunconsciousauto-biography;andmoreover
dat
thatthemoral(orimmoral)purposeinelke
everyphilosophyhasconstitutedtheware
truevitalgermoutofwhichtheentireplantheeft
hasalwaysgrown.Indeed,to
begrijpen
understandhowtheabstrusestmetaphysicalassertionsofeen
aphilosopherhavebeenarrivedat,itisaltijd
alwayswell(andwise)toeerst
firstaskoneself:"Whatmoralitydothey(ordoeshe)aimat?"
Accordingly,Idonot
geloof
believethatan"impulsetoknowledge"isde
thefatherofphilosophy;but
dat
thatanotherimpulse,hereaselsewhere,heeft
hasonlymadeuseofknowledge(andmistakenknowledge!)as
een
aninstrument.Butwhoeverconsidersthefundamentalimpulsesof
mens
manwithaviewtodetermininghowfartheymayhebben
havehereactedasINSPIRINGGENIIOf
(orasdemonsandcobolds),zal
willfindthattheyhaveallpracticedphilosophyatonetimeof
oranother,andthateachoneofthemwouldhebben
havebeenonlytoogladtolookuponitselfastheultimateendofexistenceen
andthelegitimateLORDoveralltheotherimpulses.For
elke
everyimpulseisimperious,andasSUCH,attemptstophilosophize.Tobe
zeker
sure,inthecaseofscholars,inthegeval
caseofreallyscientificmen,itkan
maybeotherwise—"better,"ifyouwill;er
theretheremayreallybesuchathingasan"impulsetoknowledge,"somesoort
kindofsmall,independentclock-work,which,whengoed
wellwoundup,worksawayindustriouslytodat
thatend,WITHOUTtherestofthescholarlyimpulsesneemt
takinganymaterialparttherein.Theactual"interests"ofthescholar,therefore,aregenerallyin
heel
quiteanotherdirection—inthefamily,misschien
perhaps,orinmoney-making,orinpolitics;itis,infact,
bijna
almostindifferentatwhatpointofresearchhiskleine
littlemachineisplaced,andwhetherthehopefuljonge
youngworkerbecomesagoodphilologist,een
amushroomspecialist,orachemist;heisnotCHARACTERISEDbybecoming
dit
thisorthat.Inthephilosopher,on
de
thecontrary,thereisabsolutelyniets
nothingimpersonal;andaboveall,hismoralityfurnishes
een
adecidedanddecisivetestimonyastoWie
WHOHEIS,—thatistozeggen
say,inwhatorderthedeepestimpulsesofhisnaturestaan
standtoeachother.7.
Howmaliciousphilosophers
kunnen
canbe!Iknowof
niets
nothingmorestingingthanthejokeEpicurusnam
tookthelibertyofmakingonPlatoen
andthePlatonists;hecalledthemDionysiokolakes.
Initsoriginalsense,
en
andonthefaceofit,thewoord
wordsignifies"FlatterersofDionysius"—consequently,tyrants'accessoriesen
andlick-spittles;besidesthis,however,itisas
veel
muchastosay,"TheyareallACTORS,er
thereisnothinggenuineaboutthem"(forDionysiokolaxwasapopularnaam
nameforanactor).And
de
thelatterisreallythemalignantreproachdie
thatEpicuruscastuponPlato:hewasannoyedby
de
thegrandiosemanner,themiseenscenestyleofwhichPlatoen
andhisscholarsweremasters—ofwhichEpicuruswasnotameester
master!He,theoldschool-teacherofSamos,who
zat
satconcealedinhislittlegardenatAthens,en
andwrotethreehundredbooks,misschien
perhapsoutofrageandambitiousenvyofPlato,whoweet
knows!Greecetookahundredyearsto
vinden
findoutwhothegarden-godEpicuruswerkelijk
reallywas.Didsheeverfindout?
8.
Er
Thereisapointinelke
everyphilosophyatwhichthe"conviction"ofthephilosopherappearsonthescene;of
or,toputitinthewordsofeen
anancientmystery:.Adventavitasinus,Pulcheretfortissimus.
9.
Youdesireto
Leven
LIVE"accordingtoNature"?Oh,younobleStoics,whatfraudofwords!
Imaginetoyourselves
een
abeinglikeNature,boundlesslyextravagant,boundlesslyindifferent,zonder
withoutpurposeorconsideration,withoutpityof
orjustice,atoncefruitfulen
andbarrenanduncertain:imaginetoyourselvesINDIFFERENCEas
een
apower—howCOULDyouliveinaccordancemet
withsuchindifference?Tolive—isnot
dat
thatjustendeavouringtobeotherwisedan
thanthisNature?Isnot
leven
livingvaluing,preferring,beingunjust,beinglimited,endeavouringtobedifferent?En
Andgrantedthatyourimperative,"livingaccordingtoNature,"betekent
meansactuallythesameas"livingaccordingtolife"—howkunnen
couldyoudoDIFFERENTLY?Whyshouldyou
maken
makeaprincipleoutofwhatyouyourselvesare,en
andmustbe?Inreality,however,itis
heel
quiteotherwisewithyou:whileyoupretendto
leest
readwithrapturethecanonofyourwet
lawinNature,youwantiets
somethingquitethecontrary,youextraordinarystage-playersen
andself-deluders!Inyourprideyou
wilt
wishtodictateyourmoralsen
andidealstoNature,toNatureherself,en
andtoincorporatethemtherein;youinsist
dat
thatitshallbeNature"accordingtotheStoa,"en
andwouldlikeeverythingtobegemaakt
madeafteryourownimage,aseen
avast,eternalglorificationandgeneralismofStoicism!Met
Withallyourloveforwaarheid
truth,youhaveforcedyourselvessolang
long,sopersistently,andwithsuchhypnoticrigiditytozien
seeNatureFALSELY,thatistozeggen
say,Stoically,thatyouarenolongerin staat
abletoseeitotherwise—andtocrownal
all,someunfathomablesuperciliousnessgivesyoutheBedlamitehoop
hopethatBECAUSEyouarein staat
abletotyrannizeoveryourselves—Stoicismisself-tyranny—Naturezal
willalsoallowherselftobetyrannizedover
over:isnottheStoic
een
aPARTofNature?...But
dit
thisisanoldandeverlastingverhaal
story:whathappenedinoldtimes
met
withtheStoicsstillhappensvandaag
today,assoonasevereen
aphilosophybeginstobelieveinitself.It
altijd
alwayscreatestheworldinitseigen
ownimage;itcannotdootherwise;
philosophyis
deze
thistyrannicalimpulseitself,themeest
mostspiritualWilltoPower,de
thewillto"creationofde
theworld,"thewilltode
thecausaprima.10.
Theeagerness
en
andsubtlety,Ishouldevenzeggen
saycraftiness,withwhichtheprobleem
problemof"therealandtheapparentworld"isdealtwithatpresentthroughoutEurope,furnishesvoedsel
foodforthoughtandattention;en
andhewhohearsonlyeen
a"WilltoTruth"inde
thebackground,andnothingelse,cannotcertainlyboastofde
thesharpestears.Inrare
en
andisolatedcases,itmayecht
reallyhavehappenedthatsucheen
aWilltoTruth—acertainextravaganten
andadventurouspluck,ametaphysician'sambitionoftheforlornhope—hasparticipatedtherein:dat
thatwhichintheendaltijd
alwaysprefersahandfulof"certainty"toeen
awholecartloadofbeautifulpossibilities;er
theremayevenbepuritanicalfanaticsofconscience,die
whoprefertoputtheirlaatste
lasttrustinasureniets
nothing,ratherthaninanuncertainiets
something.ButthatisNihilism,
en
andthesignofadespairing,mortallyweariedsoul,notwithstandingthecourageousbearingsucheen
avirtuemaydisplay.Itseems,however,tobeotherwisewithstronger
en
andlivelierthinkerswhoarenog steeds
stilleagerforlife.In
dat
thattheysideAGAINSTappearance,en
andspeaksuperciliouslyof"perspective,"indat
thattheyrankthecredibilityoftheireigen
ownbodiesaboutaslowasthecredibilityoftheocularevidencedat
that"theearthstandsstill,"en
andthus,apparently,allowingwithcomplacencytheirsecurestpossessiontoescape(forwhatdoesoneatpresentbelieveinmorefirmlydan
thaninone'sbody?),—whoknowsiftheyarenotwerkelijk
reallytryingtowinbackiets
somethingwhichwasformerlyanevensecurerpossession,iets
somethingoftheolddomainofthefaithofformertimes,misschien
perhapsthe"immortalsoul,"perhaps"theoude
oldGod,"inshort,ideasbywhichtheykunnen
couldlivebetter,thatistosay,morevigorouslyen
andmorejoyously,thanby"modernideas"?Er
ThereisDISTRUSTofthesemodernideasindeze
thismodeoflookingatthings,een
adisbeliefinallthathasbeenconstructedyesterdayen
andtoday;thereisperhapssomeslightadmixtureofsatiety
en
andscorn,whichcannolongerenduretheBRIC-A-BRACofideasofthemeest
mostvariedorigin,suchasso-calledPositivismatpresentthrowsonthemarket;een
adisgustofthemorerefinedtasteatde
thevillage-fairmotleynessandpatchinessofal
allthesereality-philosophasters,inwhomer
thereisnothingeithernewof
ortrue,exceptthismotleyness.Thereinitseemstomethatwe
moeten
shouldagreewiththoseskepticalanti-realistsen
andknowledge-microscopistsofthepresentdag
day;theirinstinct,whichrepelsthemfromMODERNreality,isunrefuted...
what
doen
dotheirretrogradeby-pathsconcernons
us!ThemainthingaboutthemisNOT
dat
thattheywishtogo"back,"maar
butthattheywishtogetWeg
AWAYtherefrom.AlittleMOREstrength,swing,courage,
en
andartisticpower,andtheyzouden
wouldbeOFF—andnotback!11.
Itseemstomethat
er
thereiseverywhereanattemptatpresenttodivertattentionfromtheactualinfluencewhichKantexercisedonGermanphilosophy,en
andespeciallytoignoreprudentlythevaluewhichhegesteld
setuponhimself.KantwasfirstandforemostproudofhisTableofCategories;
met
withitinhishandhezei
said:"Thisisthemostdifficult
wat
thingthatcouldeverbeundertakenonbehalfofmetaphysics."Laten
Letusonlyunderstandthis"couldbe"!Hewasproudof
had
havingDISCOVEREDanewfacultyinmens
man,thefacultyofsyntheticjudgmenteen
apriori.Grantingthathedeceivedhimselfin
deze
thismatter;thedevelopmentandrapidflourishingofGermanphilosophydependedneverthelessonhispride,
en
andontheeagerrivalryofde
theyoungergenerationtodiscoverifmogelijk
possiblesomething—atallevents"newfaculties"—ofwhichtobestillprouder!—Butletusreflectforamoment—itishightimetodoso."HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaprioriPOSSIBLE?"
Kant
vraagt
askshimself—andwhatisreallyhisantwoord
answer?"BYMEANSOFAMEANS(faculty)"—butunfortunatelynotin
vijf
fivewords,butsocircumstantially,imposingly,en
andwithsuchdisplayofGermanprofundityen
andverbalflourishes,thatonealtogetherverliest
losessightofthecomicalniaiserieallemandeinvolvedinsuchanantwoord
answer.Peoplewerebesidethemselves
met
withdelightoverthisnewfaculty,en
andthejubilationreacheditsclimaxtoen
whenKantfurtherdiscoveredamoralfacultyinman—foratdie
thattimeGermanswerestillmoral,notyetdabblinginde
the"Politicsofhardfact."Then
kwam
camethehoneymoonofGermanphilosophy.Alle
AlltheyoungtheologiansoftheTubingeninstitutiongingen
wentimmediatelyintothegroves—allseekingfor"faculties."En
Andwhatdidtheynotfind—inthatinnocent,rich,en
andstillyouthfulperiodofde
theGermanspirit,towhichRomanticism,de
themaliciousfairy,pipedandzong
sang,whenonecouldnotyetdistinguishtussen
between"finding"and"inventing"!Aboveall
een
afacultyforthe"transcendental";Schellingchristenedit,intellectualintuition,
en
andtherebygratifiedthemostearnestlongingsofthenaturallypious-inclinedGermans.Men
Onecandonogreaterwrongtothegeheel
wholeofthisexuberantandeccentricmovement(whichwasecht
reallyyouthfulness,notwithstandingthatitdisguiseditselfsoboldly,inhoaryen
andsenileconceptions),thantonemen
takeitseriously,oreventreatitmet
withmoralindignation.Enough,however—the
wereld
worldgrewolder,andthedroom
dreamvanished.Atimecamewhen
mensen
peoplerubbedtheirforeheads,andtheynog steeds
stillrubthemtoday.People
hadden
hadbeendreaming,andfirsten
andforemost—oldKant."Bymeansof
een
ameans(faculty)"—hehadsaid,of
oratleastmeanttozeggen
say.But,isthat—ananswer?
Een
Anexplanation?Orisitnotrathermerely
een
arepetitionofthequestion?Hoe
Howdoesopiuminducesleep?"Bymeansof
een
ameans(faculty),"namelythevirtusdormitiva,repliesde
thedoctorinMoliere,.But
zulke
suchrepliesbelongtotherealmofcomedy,en
anditishightimetoreplacetheKantianvraag
question,"Howaresyntheticjudgmentseen
aPRIORIpossible?"byanother
vraag
question,"Whyisbeliefinzulke
suchjudgmentsnecessary?"—ineffect,itishoog
hightimethatweshouldbegrijpen
understandthatsuchjudgmentsmustbebelievedtobewaar
true,forthesakeofthepreservationofcreatureslikeourselves;thoughthey
nog steeds
stillmightnaturallybefalsejudgments!Of
Or,moreplainlyspoken,androughlyen
andreadily—syntheticjudgmentsapriorimoeten
shouldnot"bepossible"atall;we
hebben
havenorighttothem;inourmouthstheyare
niets
nothingbutfalsejudgments.Only,of
natuurlijk
course,thebeliefintheirwaarheid
truthisnecessary,asplausiblebeliefen
andocularevidencebelongingtotheperspectiveviewofleven
life.Andfinally,tocalltomind
de
theenormousinfluencewhich"Germanphilosophy"—Ihoop
hopeyouunderstanditsrighttoinvertedcommas(goosefeet)?—hasexercisedthroughoutde
thewholeofEurope,thereisgeen
nodoubtthatacertainVIRTUSDORMITIVAhadeen
ashareinit;thankstoGermanphilosophy,itwasadelighttothenobleidlers,thevirtuous,themystics,theartiste,thethree-fourthsChristians,
en
andthepoliticalobscurantistsofalle
allnations,tofindanantidotetothenog steeds
stilloverwhelmingsensualismwhichoverflowedfromthelastcenturyintodeze
this,inshort—"sensusassoupire."...