×

Select Store

Dowload from Google Play Dowload from the App Store

Scan with Camera

Dowload via QR Code
Beyond Good and Evil | Progressively Translated Dutch A1-B2 Books

Beyond Good and Evil | Progressively Translated Dutch A1-B2 Books

Embrace the benefits of this cutting-edge translation method, offering a tailored learning experience by letting you select the difficulty level that fits you best. It improves your comprehension by urging you to deduce meanings from context, reducing the need for constant translation. While some translations are intentionally masked to encourage guessing, it's always acceptable to check unfamiliar words. This method strikes the perfect balance between challenge and accessibility, making language learning both effective and enjoyable. Immerse yourself in these translated classics and uncover the pleasure of learning through literary exploration.

PREFACE
SUPPOSINGthatTruthis
een
awoman—whatthen?
Istherenotgroundforsuspecting
dat
thatallphilosophers,insofarasthey
hebben
havebeendogmatists,havefailedto
begrijpen
understandwomen—thattheterribleseriousness
en
andclumsyimportunitywithwhichthey
hebben
haveusuallypaidtheiraddressesto
Waarheid
Truth,havebeenunskilledandunseemlymethodsfor
winnen
winningawoman?
Certainlyshe
heeft
hasneverallowedherselftobe
winnen
won;
andatpresentevery
soort
kindofdogmastandswithsad
en
anddiscouragedmien—IF,indeed,it
staat
standsatall!
Fortherearescofferswhomaintainthatithas
gevallen
fallen,thatalldogmaliesontheground—nay
meer
more,thatitisatits
laatste
lastgasp.
Buttospeak
serieus
seriously,therearegoodgroundsfor
hopen
hopingthatalldogmatizingin
filosofie
philosophy,whateversolemn,whateverconclusive
en
anddecidedairsithasassumed,mayhavebeenonly
een
anoblepuerilismandtyronism;
en
andprobablythetimeisathandwhenit
zal
willbeonceandagain
begrepen
understoodWHAThasactuallysufficedforthe
basis
basisofsuchimposingand
absolute
absolutephilosophicaledificesasthedogmatists
hebben
havehithertoreared:
perhapssome
populair
popularsuperstitionofimmemorialtime(suchas
de
thesoul-superstition,which,inthe
vorm
formofsubject-
andego-superstition,
heeft
hasnotyetceaseddoing
kwaad
mischief):
perhapssomeplayuponwords,a
bedrog
deceptiononthepartof
grammatica
grammar,oranaudaciousgeneralizationof
zeer
veryrestricted,verypersonal,veryhuman—all-too-humanfacts.
De
Thephilosophyofthedogmatists,itistobehoped,was
enige
onlyapromiseforthousandsofyears
daarna
afterwards,aswasastrologyinstill
vroegere
earliertimes,intheserviceofwhich
waarschijnlijk
probablymorelabour,gold,acuteness,
en
andpatiencehavebeenspent
dan
thanonanyactualsciencehitherto:
we
danken
owetoit,andtoits"super-terrestrial"pretensionsinAsia
en
andEgypt,thegrandstyleof
architectuur
architecture.
Itseemsthatinordertoinscribethemselvesuponthe
hart
heartofhumanitywitheverlastingclaims,
alle
allgreatthingshavefirstto
dwalen
wanderabouttheearthas
enorme
enormousandawe-inspiringcaricatures:
dogmatic
filosofie
philosophyhasbeenacaricatureof
dit
thiskind—forinstance,theVedantadoctrineinAsia,
en
andPlatonisminEurope.
Letusnotbe
ondankbaar
ungratefultoit,althoughit
moet
mustcertainlybeconfessedthatthe
ergste
worst,themosttiresome,andthe
meest
mostdangerousoferrorshithertohasbeen
een
adogmatisterror—namely,Plato'sinventionof
Zuivere
PureSpiritandtheGoodinItself.
Maar
Butnowwhenithasbeensurmounted,
wanneer
whenEurope,ridofthis
nachtmerrie
nightmare,canagaindrawbreathfreely
en
andatleastenjoyahealthier—sleep,
wij
we,WHOSEDUTYISWAKEFULNESSITSELF,aretheheirsof
alle
allthestrengthwhichthe
strijd
struggleagainstthiserrorhas
bevorderd
fostered.
Itamountedtotheveryinversionof
waarheid
truth,andthedenialofthePERSPECTIVE—the
fundamentele
fundamentalcondition—oflife,tospeakof
Geest
SpiritandtheGoodasPlatospokeof
hen
them;
indeedonemightask,asaphysician:
"Howdidsuchamalady
aanvallen
attackthatfinestproductofantiquity,Plato?
Had
HadthewickedSocratesreallycorrupted
hem
him?
WasSocratesafterall
een
acorrupterofyouths,and
verdiende
deservedhishemlock?"
Butthe
strijd
struggleagainstPlato,or—tospeakplainer,
en
andforthe"people"—thestruggle
tegen
againsttheecclesiasticaloppressionofmillenniumsof
Christendom
Christianity(FORCHRISTIANITYISPLATONISMFORTHE"PEOPLE"),
produceerde
producedinEuropeamagnificent
spanning
tensionofsoul,suchas
had
hadnotexistedanywherepreviously;
met
withsuchatenselystrained
boog
bowonecannowaimat
de
thefurthestgoals.
Asamatteroffact,
de
theEuropeanfeelsthistensionas
een
astateofdistress,and
twee keer
twiceattemptshavebeenmadein
grote
grandstyletounbendthe
boog
bow:
oncebymeansofJesuitism,
en
andthesecondtimebymeansof
democratische
democraticenlightenment—which,withtheaidof
vrijheid
libertyofthepressandnewspaper-reading,
kunnen
might,infact,bringitaboutthatthe
geest
spiritwouldnotsoeasilyfinditselfin"distress"!
Het
(TheGermansinventedgunpowder—allcreditto
hen
them!
buttheyagainmadethingssquare—theyinventedprinting.)
Maar
Butwe,whoareneitherJesuits,nordemocrats,nor
zelfs
evensufficientlyGermans,weGOODEUROPEANS,
en
andfree,VERYfreespirits—we
hebben
haveitstill,allthedistressof
geest
spiritandallthetensionofits
boog
bow!
Andperhapsalsothe
pijl
arrow,theduty,and,who
weet
knows?
THEGOALTOAIMAT....
Hoofdstuk
CHAPTERI.PREJUDICESOFPHILOSOPHERS
1.
De
TheWilltoTruth,whichisto
verleiden
temptustomanya
gevaarlijke
hazardousenterprise,thefamousTruthfulnessof
die
whichallphilosophershavehitherto
gesproken
spokenwithrespect,whatquestionshas
deze
thisWilltoTruthnotlaidbefore
ons
us!
Whatstrange,perplexing,questionablequestions!
Itis
al
alreadyalongstory;
yetit
lijkt
seemsasifitwere
nauwelijks
hardlycommenced.
Isitanywonderifweatlastgrowdistrustful,
verliezen
losepatience,andturnimpatientlyaway?
Dat
ThatthisSphinxteachesusatlastto
vragen
askquestionsourselves?
WHOisit
werkelijk
reallythatputsquestionstous
hier
here?
WHATreallyisthis"WilltoTruth"in
ons
us?
Infactwemadea
lang
longhaltatthequestionasto
de
theoriginofthisWill—untilatlastwe
kwamen
cametoanabsolutestandstillbeforeayetmorefundamental
vraag
question.
Weinquiredaboutthe
Waarde
VALUEofthisWill.
Granted
dat
thatwewantthetruth:
Waarom
WHYNOTRATHERuntruth?
And
onzekerheid
uncertainty?
Evenignorance?
Theproblemofthe
waarde
valueoftruthpresenteditselfbeforeus—orwasitwe
die
whopresentedourselvesbeforethe
probleem
problem?
Whichofusis
de
theOedipushere?
WhichtheSphinx?
Itwould
lijkt
seemtobearendezvousofquestions
en
andnotesofinterrogation.
And
kunnen
coulditbebelievedthatitatlast
lijkt
seemstousasifthe
probleem
problemhadneverbeenpropoundedbefore,asifwewerethefirsttodiscernit,getasightofit,
en
andRISKRAISINGit?
For
er
thereisriskinraising
het
it,perhapsthereisno
groter
greaterrisk.
2.
"HOWCOULD
iets
anythingoriginateoutofits
tegenovergestelde
opposite?
Forexample,truthoutoferror?
of
ortheWilltoTruth
uit
outofthewillto
bedrog
deception?
orthegenerousdeed
uit
outofselfishness?
orthe
zuivere
puresun-brightvisionofthewise
man
manoutofcovetousness?
Suchgenesisis
onmogelijk
impossible;
whoeverdreamsofitis
een
afool,nay,worsethan
een
afool;
thingsofthehighest
waarde
valuemusthaveadifferent
oorsprong
origin,anoriginofTHEIRown—in
deze
thistransitory,seductive,illusory,paltry
wereld
world,inthisturmoilofdelusion
en
andcupidity,theycannothavetheir
bron
source.
Butratherinthe
schoot
lapofBeing,intheintransitory,intheconcealed
God
God,inthe'Thing-in-itself—THEREmustbetheir
bron
source,andnowhereelse!"—Thismodeofreasoningdisclosesthetypicalprejudicebywhichmetaphysiciansofalltimescanberecognized,thismodeofvaluationisatthebackofalltheirlogicalprocedure;
through
dit
this"belief"oftheirs,theyexertthemselvesfortheir"knowledge,"for
iets
somethingthatisintheend
plechtig
solemnlychristened"theTruth."
The
fundamentele
fundamentalbeliefofmetaphysiciansis
Het
THEBELIEFINANTITHESESOFVALUES.
Itneveroccurred
zelfs
eventothewariestofthemtodoubt
hier
hereontheverythreshold(wheredoubt,
echter
however,wasmostnecessary);
thoughthey
hadden
hadmadeasolemnvow,"DEOMNIBUSDUBITANDUM."
Forit
kan
maybedoubted,firstly,whetherantitheses
bestaan
existatall;
andsecondly,
of
whetherthepopularvaluationsandantithesesof
waarde
valueuponwhichmetaphysicianshavesettheir
zegel
seal,arenotperhapsmerely
oppervlakkige
superficialestimates,merelyprovisionalperspectives,besidesbeing
waarschijnlijk
probablymadefromsomecorner,
misschien
perhapsfrombelow—"frogperspectives,"asitwere,to
lenen
borrowanexpressioncurrentamongpainters.
In
ondanks
spiteofallthevaluewhichmaybelongtothe
ware
true,thepositive,andtheunselfish,it
kan
mightbepossiblethatahigher
en
andmorefundamentalvaluefor
leven
lifegenerallyshouldbeassignedtopretence,tothe
wil
willtodelusion,toselfishness,
en
andcupidity.
Itmightevenbe
mogelijk
possiblethatWHATconstitutesthe
waarde
valueofthosegoodandrespectedthings,consistspreciselyintheirbeinginsidiously
verwant
related,knotted,andcrochetedtotheseevil
en
andapparentlyopposedthings—perhapseveninbeing
wezen
essentiallyidenticalwiththem.
Perhaps!
Maar
Butwhowishestoconcernhimself
met
withsuchdangerous"Perhapses"!
Forthatinvestigationone
moet
mustawaittheadventofa
nieuwe
neworderofphilosophers,suchas
zullen
willhaveothertastesandinclinations,the
omgekeerde
reverseofthosehithertoprevalent—philosophersofthe
gevaarlijke
dangerous"Perhaps"ineverysenseoftheterm.
En
Andtospeakinallseriousness,I
zie
seesuchnewphilosophersbeginningto
verschijnen
appear.
3.
Havingkepta
scherp
sharpeyeonphilosophers,and
hebben
havingreadbetweentheirlines
lang
longenough,Inowsaytomyself
dat
thatthegreaterpartof
bewuste
consciousthinkingmustbecountedamongtheinstinctivefunctions,
en
anditissoeveninthe
geval
caseofphilosophicalthinking;
onehas
hier
heretolearnanew,as
men
onelearnedanewaboutheredity
en
and"innateness."
Aslittleasthe
daad
actofbirthcomesintoconsiderationinthe
hele
wholeprocessandprocedureofheredity,
net
justaslittleis"being-conscious"OPPOSEDtotheinstinctiveinany
beslissende
decisivesense;
thegreaterpartof
het
theconsciousthinkingofa
filosoof
philosopherissecretlyinfluencedbyhisinstincts,
en
andforcedintodefinitechannels.
En
Andbehindalllogicanditsseeming
soevereiniteit
sovereigntyofmovement,therearevaluations,
of
ortospeakmoreplainly,physiologicaldemands,forthe
behoud
maintenanceofadefinitemodeoflifeForexample,
dat
thatthecertainisworth
meer
morethantheuncertain,that
illusie
illusionislessvaluablethan"truth"suchvaluations,inspiteoftheirregulativeimportanceforUS,mightnotwithstandingbeonlysuperficialvaluations,specialkindsofniaiserie,suchasmaybenecessaryforthe
behoud
maintenanceofbeingssuchasourselves.
Veronderstel
Supposing,ineffect,thatmanisnotjust
de
the"measureofthings."
4.
De
Thefalsenessofanopinionisnotforusanyobjectiontoit:
itis
hier
here,perhaps,thatournew
taal
languagesoundsmoststrangely.
The
vraag
questionis,howfaranopinionislife-furthering,life-preserving,species-preserving,
misschien
perhapsspecies-rearing,andweare
fundamenteel
fundamentallyinclinedtomaintainthatthefalsestopinions
Te
(towhichthesyntheticjudgmentsaprioribelong),arethe
meest
mostindispensabletous,that
zonder
withoutarecognitionoflogicalfictions,
zonder
withoutacomparisonofreality
met
withthepurelyIMAGINEDworldofthe
absolute
absoluteandimmutable,withouta
voortdurende
constantcounterfeitingoftheworldbymeansofnumbers,
mens
mancouldnotlive—thattherenunciationoffalseopinions
zou
wouldbearenunciationof
leven
life,anegationoflife.
TO
Erkennen
RECOGNISEUNTRUTHASACONDITIONOFLIFE;
thatis
zeker
certainlytoimpugnthetraditionalideasof
waarde
valueinadangerousmanner,
en
andaphilosophywhichventuresto
doen
doso,hastherebyalone
geplaatst
placeditselfbeyondgoodand
kwaad
evil.
5.
Thatwhichcausesphilosopherstobe
beschouwd
regardedhalf-distrustfullyandhalf-mockingly,isnottheoft-repeated
ontdekking
discoveryhowinnocenttheyare—how
vaak
oftenandeasilytheymakemistakes
en
andlosetheirway,inshort,
hoe
howchildishandchildliketheyare,—but
dat
thatthereisnotenough
eerlijk
honestdealingwiththem,whereastheyallraise
een
aloudandvirtuousoutcry
wanneer
whentheproblemoftruthfulnessis
zelfs
evenhintedatintheremotestmanner.
Theyallposeasthoughtheir
werkelijke
realopinionshadbeendiscovered
en
andattainedthroughtheself-evolvingof
een
acold,pure,divinelyindifferentdialectic
In
(incontrasttoallsortsofmystics,who,fairer
en
andfoolisher,talkof"inspiration"),whereas,infact,
een
aprejudicedproposition,idea,or"suggestion,"whichis
algemeen
generallytheirheart'sdesireabstracted
en
andrefined,isdefendedbythem
met
withargumentssoughtoutafterthe
gebeurtenis
event.
Theyarealladvocateswhodonot
willen
wishtoberegardedassuch,
algemeen
generallyastutedefenders,also,oftheirprejudices,whichtheydub"truths,"—and
Zeer
VERYfarfromhavingthe
geweten
consciencewhichbravelyadmitsthistoitself,
zeer
veryfarfromhavingthe
goede
goodtasteofthecouragewhich
gaat
goessofarastolet
dit
thisbeunderstood,perhapsto
waarschuwen
warnfriendorfoe,orincheerful
vertrouwen
confidenceandself-ridicule.
ThespectacleoftheTartufferyof
oude
oldKant,equallystiffand
fatsoenlijk
decent,withwhichheenticesusintothedialecticby-waysthat
leiden
lead(morecorrectlymislead)tohis"categoricalimperative"—makesusfastidiousones
glimlachen
smile,wewhofindno
klein
smallamusementinspyingoutthe
subtiele
subtletricksofoldmoralists
en
andethicalpreachers.
Or,still
meer
moreso,thehocus-pocusin
wiskundige
mathematicalform,bymeansofwhichSpinoza
heeft
has,asitwere,cladhis
filosofie
philosophyinmailandmask—infact,the"loveofHISwisdom,"to
vertalen
translatethetermfairlyandsquarely—inordertherebytostriketerroratonceintothe
hart
heartoftheassailantwhoshould
durven
daretocastaglanceonthatinvinciblemaiden,thatPallasAthene:—howmuchofpersonaltimidity
en
andvulnerabilitydoesthismasqueradeof
een
asicklyreclusebetray!
6.
Ithas
geleidelijk
graduallybecomecleartomewhat
elke
everygreatphilosophyuptill
nu
nowhasconsistedof—namely,the
bekentenis
confessionofitsoriginator,and
een
aspeciesofinvoluntaryand
onbewuste
unconsciousauto-biography;
andmoreoverthatthe
morele
moral(orimmoral)purposein
elke
everyphilosophyhasconstitutedthe
ware
truevitalgermoutofwhichthe
hele
entireplanthasalwaysgrown.
Inderdaad
Indeed,tounderstandhowtheabstrusestmetaphysicalassertionsof
een
aphilosopherhavebeenarrivedat,itis
altijd
alwayswell(andwise)to
eerst
firstaskoneself:
"Whatmoralitydothey(ordoeshe)aimat?"
Bijgevolg
Accordingly,Idonotbelieve
dat
thatan"impulsetoknowledge"is
de
thefatherofphilosophy;
but
dat
thatanotherimpulse,hereas
elders
elsewhere,hasonlymadeuseof
kennis
knowledge(andmistakenknowledge!)
as
een
aninstrument.
Butwhoeverconsidersthe
fundamentele
fundamentalimpulsesofmanwithaviewto
vaststellen
determininghowfartheymay
hebben
havehereactedasINSPIRINGGENII
Of
(orasdemonsandcobolds),
zal
willfindthattheyhaveallpracticed
filosofie
philosophyatonetimeoranother,
en
andthateachoneofthemwould
hebben
havebeenonlytoogladtolookuponitselfasthe
uiteindelijke
ultimateendofexistenceandthe
wettige
legitimateLORDoveralltheotherimpulses.
For
elke
everyimpulseisimperious,andasSUCH,attemptstophilosophize.
Tobe
zeker
sure,inthecaseofscholars,inthe
geval
caseofreallyscientificmen,it
kan
maybeotherwise—"better,"ifyouwill;
er
theretheremayreallybesuchathingasan"impulsetoknowledge,"some
soort
kindofsmall,independentclock-work,which,when
goed
wellwoundup,worksawayindustriouslyto
dat
thatend,WITHOUTtherestofthescholarlyimpulses
neemt
takinganymaterialparttherein.
The
werkelijke
actual"interests"ofthescholar,
daarom
therefore,aregenerallyinquite
andere
anotherdirection—inthefamily,perhaps,
of
orinmoney-making,orinpolitics;
itis,infact,
bijna
almostindifferentatwhatpointof
onderzoek
researchhislittlemachineis
geplaatst
placed,andwhetherthehopeful
jonge
youngworkerbecomesagoodphilologist,
een
amushroomspecialist,ora
chemicus
chemist;
heisnotCHARACTERISEDbybecoming
dit
thisorthat.
Inthe
filosoof
philosopher,onthecontrary,thereis
absoluut
absolutelynothingimpersonal;
andaboveall,his
moraal
moralityfurnishesadecidedanddecisive
getuigenis
testimonyastoWHOHEIS,—thatisto
zeggen
say,inwhatorderthedeepestimpulsesofhis
natuur
naturestandtoeachother.
7.
Howmaliciousphilosophers
kunnen
canbe!
Iknowof
niets
nothingmorestingingthanthe
grap
jokeEpicurustookthelibertyof
maken
makingonPlatoandthePlatonists;
he
noemde
calledthemDionysiokolakes.
Inits
oorspronkelijke
originalsense,andonthe
gezicht
faceofit,thewordsignifies"FlatterersofDionysius"—consequently,tyrants'accessories
en
andlick-spittles;
besidesthis,however,itisas
veel
muchastosay,"TheyareallACTORS,
er
thereisnothinggenuineaboutthem"(forDionysiokolaxwasa
populaire
popularnameforanactor).
En
Andthelatterisreally
de
themalignantreproachthatEpicuruscastuponPlato:
hewas
geïrriteerd
annoyedbythegrandiosemanner,
de
themiseenscenestyleofwhichPlato
en
andhisscholarsweremasters—ofwhichEpicuruswasnota
meester
master!
He,theoldschool-teacherofSamos,who
zat
satconcealedinhislittle
tuin
gardenatAthens,andwrotethreehundred
boeken
books,perhapsoutofrage
en
andambitiousenvyofPlato,who
weet
knows!
Greecetookahundredyearsto
vinden
findoutwhothegarden-godEpicurus
werkelijk
reallywas.
Didsheeverfindout?
8.
Er
Thereisapointin
elke
everyphilosophyatwhichthe"conviction"ofthe
filosoof
philosopherappearsonthescene;
of
or,toputitinthewordsof
een
anancientmystery:.
Adventavitasinus,Pulcheretfortissimus.
9.
Youdesireto
Leven
LIVE"accordingtoNature"?
Oh,younobleStoics,what
bedrog
fraudofwords!
Imaginetoyourselves
een
abeinglikeNature,boundlesslyextravagant,boundlessly
onverschillig
indifferent,withoutpurposeorconsideration,
zonder
withoutpityorjustice,atoncefruitful
en
andbarrenanduncertain:
imaginetoyourselves
Onverschilligheid
INDIFFERENCEasapower—howCOULDyou
leven
liveinaccordancewithsuch
onverschilligheid
indifference?
Tolive—isnotthat
gewoon
justendeavouringtobeotherwise
dan
thanthisNature?
Isnot
leven
livingvaluing,preferring,beingunjust,being
beperkt
limited,endeavouringtobedifferent?
En
Andgrantedthatyourimperative,"living
volgens
accordingtoNature,"meansactuallythe
hetzelfde
sameas"livingaccordingtolife"—how
kunnen
couldyoudoDIFFERENTLY?
Whyshouldyou
maken
makeaprincipleoutofwhatyouyourselvesare,
en
andmustbe?
Inreality,
echter
however,itisquiteotherwise
met
withyou:
whileyoupretendto
leest
readwithrapturethecanonofyour
wet
lawinNature,youwant
iets
somethingquitethecontrary,you
buitengewone
extraordinarystage-playersandself-deluders!
Inyour
trots
prideyouwishtodictateyourmorals
en
andidealstoNature,to
Natuur
Natureherself,andtoincorporatethemtherein;
youinsist
dat
thatitshallbeNature"accordingtotheStoa,"
en
andwouldlikeeverythingtobe
gemaakt
madeafteryourownimage,as
een
avast,eternalglorificationandgeneralismofStoicism!
Met
Withallyourlovefor
waarheid
truth,youhaveforcedyourselvesso
lang
long,sopersistently,andwithsuchhypnoticrigidityto
zien
seeNatureFALSELY,thatisto
zeggen
say,Stoically,thatyouarenolonger
in staat
abletoseeitotherwise—andtocrown
al
all,someunfathomablesuperciliousnessgivesyoutheBedlamite
hoop
hopethatBECAUSEyouare
in staat
abletotyrannizeoveryourselves—Stoicismisself-tyranny—Nature
zal
willalsoallowherselftobetyrannized
over
over:
isnottheStoic
een
aPARTofNature?...
But
dit
thisisanoldand
eeuwigdurend
everlastingstory:
whathappenedinoldtimes
met
withtheStoicsstillhappens
vandaag
today,assoonasever
een
aphilosophybeginstobelieveinitself.
It
altijd
alwayscreatestheworldinits
eigen
ownimage;
itcannotdo
anders
otherwise;
philosophyisthistyrannical
impuls
impulseitself,themostspiritual
Wil
WilltoPower,thewillto"creationof
de
theworld,"thewillto
de
thecausaprima.
10.
Theeagerness
en
andsubtlety,Ishouldeven
zeggen
saycraftiness,withwhichthe
probleem
problemof"therealandthe
schijnbare
apparentworld"isdealtwithatpresentthroughout
Europa
Europe,furnishesfoodforthought
en
andattention;
andhewho
hoort
hearsonlya"WilltoTruth"in
de
thebackground,andnothingelse,cannot
zeker
certainlyboastofthesharpestears.
In
zeldzame
rareandisolatedcases,it
kan
mayreallyhavehappenedthatsuch
een
aWilltoTruth—acertain
extravagante
extravagantandadventurouspluck,ametaphysician's
ambitie
ambitionoftheforlornhope—has
deelgenomen
participatedtherein:
thatwhichin
de
theendalwaysprefersa
handvol
handfulof"certainty"toa
hele
wholecartloadofbeautifulpossibilities;
er
theremayevenbepuritanicalfanaticsof
geweten
conscience,whoprefertoputtheir
laatste
lasttrustinasure
niets
nothing,ratherthaninan
onzeker
uncertainsomething.
ButthatisNihilism,
en
andthesignofadespairing,mortallywearied
ziel
soul,notwithstandingthecourageousbearingsuch
een
avirtuemaydisplay.
It
schijnt
seems,however,tobeotherwisewith
sterker
strongerandlivelierthinkerswhoare
nog steeds
stilleagerforlife.
In
dat
thattheysideAGAINSTappearance,
en
andspeaksuperciliouslyof"perspective,"in
dat
thattheyrankthecredibilityoftheir
eigen
ownbodiesaboutaslowasthe
geloofwaardigheid
credibilityoftheocularevidence
dat
that"theearthstandsstill,"
en
andthus,apparently,allowingwithcomplacencytheirsecurest
bezit
possessiontoescape(forwhatdoesoneatpresentbelieveinmorefirmly
dan
thaninone'sbody?),—whoknowsiftheyarenot
werkelijk
reallytryingtowinback
iets
somethingwhichwasformerlyanevensecurer
bezit
possession,somethingoftheold
domein
domainofthefaithofformertimes,
misschien
perhapsthe"immortalsoul,"perhaps"the
oude
oldGod,"inshort,ideasbywhichthey
kunnen
couldlivebetter,thatistosay,morevigorously
en
andmorejoyously,thanby"modernideas"?
Er
ThereisDISTRUSTofthese
moderne
modernideasinthismodeof
kijken
lookingatthings,adisbeliefinallthathasbeen
gebouwd
constructedyesterdayandtoday;
thereis
misschien
perhapssomeslightadmixtureofsatiety
en
andscorn,whichcannolonger
verdragen
enduretheBRIC-A-BRACofideasofthe
meest
mostvariedorigin,suchasso-calledPositivismatpresent
gooit
throwsonthemarket;
a
walging
disgustofthemorerefined
smaak
tasteatthevillage-fairmotleyness
en
andpatchinessofallthesereality-philosophasters,inwhom
er
thereisnothingeithernew
of
ortrue,exceptthismotleyness.
Thereinit
lijkt
seemstomethatwe
moeten
shouldagreewiththoseskepticalanti-realists
en
andknowledge-microscopistsofthepresent
dag
day;
theirinstinct,whichrepelsthemfrom
Moderne
MODERNreality,isunrefuted...
what
doen
dotheirretrogradeby-pathsconcern
ons
us!
ThemainthingaboutthemisNOT
dat
thattheywishtogo"back,"
maar
butthattheywishtoget
Weg
AWAYtherefrom.
AlittleMOREstrength,
swing
swing,courage,andartisticpower,
en
andtheywouldbeOFF—andnot
terug
back!
11.
Itseemstomethat
er
thereiseverywhereanattemptatpresentto
leiden
divertattentionfromtheactualinfluencewhichKant
uitgeoefend
exercisedonGermanphilosophy,and
vooral
especiallytoignoreprudentlythe
waarde
valuewhichhesetuponhimself.
Kantwasfirstandforemost
trots
proudofhisTableofCategories;
met
withitinhishandhe
zei
said:
"Thisisthemostdifficult
wat
thingthatcouldeverbe
ondernomen
undertakenonbehalfofmetaphysics."
Laten
Letusonlyunderstandthis"couldbe"!
Hewas
trots
proudofhavingDISCOVEREDa
nieuw
newfacultyinman,thefacultyofsynthetic
oordeel
judgmentapriori.
Grantingthathe
bedrogen
deceivedhimselfinthismatter;
de
thedevelopmentandrapidflourishingofGerman
filosofie
philosophydependedneverthelessonhis
trots
pride,andontheeagerrivalryof
de
theyoungergenerationtodiscoverif
mogelijk
possiblesomething—atallevents"newfaculties"—ofwhichtobestillprouder!—Butletusreflectforamoment—itishightimetodoso.
"HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaprioriPOSSIBLE?"
Kant
vraagt
askshimself—andwhatisreallyhis
antwoord
answer?
"BYMEANSOFAMEANS(faculty)"—but
helaas
unfortunatelynotinfivewords,
maar
butsocircumstantially,imposingly,and
met
withsuchdisplayofGermanprofundity
en
andverbalflourishes,thatonealtogether
verliest
losessightofthecomicalniaiserieallemande
betrokken
involvedinsuchananswer.
Mensen
Peoplewerebesidethemselveswith
vreugde
delightoverthisnewfaculty,
en
andthejubilationreachedits
hoogtepunt
climaxwhenKantfurtherdiscovered
een
amoralfacultyinman—forat
die
thattimeGermanswerestillmoral,notyetdabblingin
de
the"Politicsofhardfact."
Then
kwam
camethehoneymoonofGerman
filosofie
philosophy.
AlltheyoungtheologiansoftheTubingeninstitution
gingen
wentimmediatelyintothegroves—all
zoek
seekingfor"faculties."
Andwhatdidtheynotfind—inthat
onschuldige
innocent,rich,andstillyouthful
periode
periodoftheGermanspirit,towhichRomanticism,
de
themaliciousfairy,pipedand
zong
sang,whenonecouldnotyet
onderscheiden
distinguishbetween"finding"and"inventing"!
Aboveall
een
afacultyforthe"transcendental";
Schellingchristenedit,
intellectuele
intellectualintuition,andtherebygratifiedthe
meest
mostearnestlongingsofthe
nature
naturallypious-inclinedGermans.
Onecan
doen
donogreaterwrongtothe
geheel
wholeofthisexuberantand
excentrieke
eccentricmovement(whichwasreallyyouthfulness,notwithstanding
dat
thatitdisguiseditselfsoboldly,inhoary
en
andsenileconceptions),thanto
nemen
takeitseriously,oreven
behandelen
treatitwithmoralindignation.
Genoeg
Enough,however—theworldgrewolder,
en
andthedreamvanished.
A
tijd
timecamewhenpeoplerubbedtheirforeheads,
en
andtheystillrubthemtoday.
Mensen
Peoplehadbeendreaming,and
eerste
firstandforemost—oldKant.
"By
bedoeld
meansofameans(faculty)"—he
had
hadsaid,oratleast
bedoeld
meanttosay.
But,isthat—an
antwoord
answer?
Anexplanation?
Orisitnot
eerder
rathermerelyarepetitionofthe
vraag
question?
Howdoesopiuminduce
slaap
sleep?
"Bymeansofameans(faculty),"
namelijk
namelythevirtusdormitiva,replies
de
thedoctorinMoliere,.
But
zulke
suchrepliesbelongtothe
rijk
realmofcomedy,anditis
hoog
hightimetoreplacetheKantian
vraag
question,"Howaresyntheticjudgments
een
aPRIORIpossible?"
byanother
vraag
question,"Whyisbeliefin
zulke
suchjudgmentsnecessary?"—ineffect,itis
hoog
hightimethatweshould
begrijpen
understandthatsuchjudgmentsmustbebelievedtobe
waar
true,forthesakeofthe
behoud
preservationofcreatureslikeourselves;
thoughthey
nog steeds
stillmightnaturallybefalsejudgments!
Of
Or,moreplainlyspoken,and
ruwweg
roughlyandreadily—syntheticjudgmentsapriori
moeten
shouldnot"bepossible"atall;
we
hebben
havenorighttothem;
inourmouthstheyare
niets
nothingbutfalsejudgments.
Only,of
natuurlijk
course,thebeliefintheir
waarheid
truthisnecessary,asplausible
geloof
beliefandocularevidencebelongingtotheperspective
kijk
viewoflife.
Andfinally,tocalltomind
de
theenormousinfluencewhich"Germanphilosophy"—I
hoop
hopeyouunderstanditsrighttoinvertedcommas(goosefeet)?—has
uitgeoefend
exercisedthroughoutthewholeof
Europa
Europe,thereisnodoubtthat
een
acertainVIRTUSDORMITIVAhad
een
ashareinit;
thankstoGerman
filosofie
philosophy,itwasadelighttothenobleidlers,thevirtuous,themystics,theartiste,thethree-fourthsChristians,
en
andthepoliticalobscurantistsof
alle
allnations,tofindan
tegengif
antidotetothestilloverwhelmingsensualismwhichoverflowedfromthelast
eeuw
centuryintothis,inshort—"sensusassoupire."...