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

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

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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.
Buttospeak
serieus
seriously
,therearegoodgroundsfor
hopen
hoping
thatalldogmatizingin
filosofie
philosophy
,whateversolemn,whateverconclusive
en
and
decidedairsithasassumed,mayhavebeenonly
een
a
noblepuerilismandtyronism;
en
and
probablythetimeisathandwhenit
zal
will
beonceandagain
begrepen
understood
WHAThasactuallysufficedforthe
basis
basis
ofsuchimposingand
absolute
absolute
philosophicaledificesasthedogmatists
hebben
have
hithertoreared:
perhapssome
populair
popular
superstitionofimmemorialtime(suchas
de
the
soul-superstition,which,inthe
vorm
form
ofsubject-
andego-superstition,
heeft
has
notyetceaseddoing
kwaad
mischief)
:
perhapssomeplayuponwords,a
bedrog
deception
onthepartof
grammatica
grammar
,oranaudaciousgeneralizationof
zeer
very
restricted,verypersonal,veryhuman—all-too-humanfacts.
De
The
philosophyofthedogmatists,itistobehoped,was
enige
only
apromiseforthousandsofyears
daarna
afterwards
,aswasastrologyinstill
vroegere
earlier
times,intheserviceofwhich
waarschijnlijk
probably
morelabour,gold,acuteness,
en
and
patiencehavebeenspent
dan
than
onanyactualsciencehitherto:
we
danken
owe
toit,andtoits"super-terrestrial"pretensionsinAsia
en
and
Egypt,thegrandstyleof
architectuur
architecture
.
Itseemsthatinordertoinscribethemselvesuponthe
hart
heart
ofhumanitywitheverlastingclaims,
alle
all
greatthingshavefirstto
dwalen
wander
abouttheearthas
enorme
enormous
andawe-inspiringcaricatures:
dogmatic
filosofie
philosophy
hasbeenacaricatureof
dit
this
kind—forinstance,theVedantadoctrineinAsia,
en
and
PlatonisminEurope.
Letusnotbe
ondankbaar
ungrateful
toit,althoughit
moet
must
certainlybeconfessedthatthe
ergste
worst
,themosttiresome,andthe
meest
most
dangerousoferrorshithertohasbeen
een
a
dogmatisterror—namely,Plato'sinventionof
Zuivere
Pure
SpiritandtheGoodinItself.
Maar
But
nowwhenithasbeensurmounted,
wanneer
when
Europe,ridofthis
nachtmerrie
nightmare
,canagaindrawbreathfreely
en
and
atleastenjoyahealthier—sleep,
wij
we
,WHOSEDUTYISWAKEFULNESSITSELF,aretheheirsof
alle
all
thestrengthwhichthe
strijd
struggle
againstthiserrorhas
bevorderd
fostered
.
Itamountedtotheveryinversionof
waarheid
truth
,andthedenialofthePERSPECTIVE—the
fundamentele
fundamental
condition—oflife,tospeakof
Geest
Spirit
andtheGoodasPlatospokeof
hen
them
;
indeedonemightask,asaphysician:
"Howdidsuchamalady
aanvallen
attack
thatfinestproductofantiquity,Plato?
Had
Had
thewickedSocratesreallycorrupted
hem
him
?
WasSocratesafterall
een
a
corrupterofyouths,and
verdiende
deserved
hishemlock?"
Butthe
strijd
struggle
againstPlato,or—tospeakplainer,
en
and
forthe"people"—thestruggle
tegen
against
theecclesiasticaloppressionofmillenniumsof
Christendom
Christianity
(FORCHRISTIANITYISPLATONISMFORTHE"PEOPLE"),
produceerde
produced
inEuropeamagnificent
spanning
tension
ofsoul,suchas
had
had
notexistedanywherepreviously;
met
with
suchatenselystrained
boog
bow
onecannowaimat
de
the
furthestgoals.
Asamatteroffact,
de
the
Europeanfeelsthistensionas
een
a
stateofdistress,and
twee keer
twice
attemptshavebeenmadein
grote
grand
styletounbendthe
boog
bow
:
oncebymeansofJesuitism,
en
and
thesecondtimebymeansof
democratische
democratic
enlightenment—which,withtheaidof
vrijheid
liberty
ofthepressandnewspaper-reading,
kunnen
might
,infact,bringitaboutthatthe
geest
spirit
wouldnotsoeasilyfinditselfin"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,allthedistressof
geest
spirit
andallthetensionofits
boog
bow
!
Andperhapsalsothe
pijl
arrow
,theduty,and,who
weet
knows
?
THEGOALTOAIMAT....
Hoofdstuk
CHAPTER
I.PREJUDICESOFPHILOSOPHERS
1.
De
The
WilltoTruth,whichisto
verleiden
tempt
ustomanya
gevaarlijke
hazardous
enterprise,thefamousTruthfulnessof
die
which
allphilosophershavehitherto
gesproken
spoken
withrespect,whatquestionshas
deze
this
WilltoTruthnotlaidbefore
ons
us
!
Whatstrange,perplexing,questionablequestions!
Itis
al
already
alongstory;
yetit
lijkt
seems
asifitwere
nauwelijks
hardly
commenced.
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
.
Weinquiredaboutthe
Waarde
VALUE
ofthisWill.
Granted
dat
that
wewantthetruth:
Waarom
WHY
NOTRATHERuntruth?
And
onzekerheid
uncertainty
?
Evenignorance?
Theproblemofthe
waarde
value
oftruthpresenteditselfbeforeus—orwasitwe
die
who
presentedourselvesbeforethe
probleem
problem
?
Whichofusis
de
the
Oedipushere?
WhichtheSphinx?
Itwould
lijkt
seem
tobearendezvousofquestions
en
and
notesofinterrogation.
And
kunnen
could
itbebelievedthatitatlast
lijkt
seems
tousasifthe
probleem
problem
hadneverbeenpropoundedbefore,asifwewerethefirsttodiscernit,getasightofit,
en
and
RISKRAISINGit?
For
er
there
isriskinraising
het
it
,perhapsthereisno
groter
greater
risk.
2.
"HOWCOULD
iets
anything
originateoutofits
tegenovergestelde
opposite
?
Forexample,truthoutoferror?
of
or
theWilltoTruth
uit
out
ofthewillto
bedrog
deception
?
orthegenerousdeed
uit
out
ofselfishness?
orthe
zuivere
pure
sun-brightvisionofthewise
man
man
outofcovetousness?
Suchgenesisis
onmogelijk
impossible
;
whoeverdreamsofitis
een
a
fool,nay,worsethan
een
a
fool;
thingsofthehighest
waarde
value
musthaveadifferent
oorsprong
origin
,anoriginofTHEIRown—in
deze
this
transitory,seductive,illusory,paltry
wereld
world
,inthisturmoilofdelusion
en
and
cupidity,theycannothavetheir
bron
source
.
Butratherinthe
schoot
lap
ofBeing,intheintransitory,intheconcealed
God
God
,inthe'Thing-in-itself—THEREmustbetheir
bron
source
,andnowhereelse!"—Thismodeofreasoningdisclosesthetypicalprejudicebywhichmetaphysiciansofalltimescanberecognized,thismodeofvaluationisatthebackofalltheirlogicalprocedure;
through
dit
this
"belief"oftheirs,theyexertthemselvesfortheir"knowledge,"for
iets
something
thatisintheend
plechtig
solemnly
christened"theTruth."
The
fundamentele
fundamental
beliefofmetaphysiciansis
Het
THE
BELIEFINANTITHESESOFVALUES.
Itneveroccurred
zelfs
even
tothewariestofthemtodoubt
hier
here
ontheverythreshold(wheredoubt,
echter
however
,wasmostnecessary);
thoughthey
hadden
had
madeasolemnvow,"DEOMNIBUSDUBITANDUM."
Forit
kan
may
bedoubted,firstly,whetherantitheses
bestaan
exist
atall;
andsecondly,
of
whether
thepopularvaluationsandantithesesof
waarde
value
uponwhichmetaphysicianshavesettheir
zegel
seal
,arenotperhapsmerely
oppervlakkige
superficial
estimates,merelyprovisionalperspectives,besidesbeing
waarschijnlijk
probably
madefromsomecorner,
misschien
perhaps
frombelow—"frogperspectives,"asitwere,to
lenen
borrow
anexpressioncurrentamongpainters.
In
ondanks
spite
ofallthevaluewhichmaybelongtothe
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
thatWHATconstitutesthe
waarde
value
ofthosegoodandrespectedthings,consistspreciselyintheirbeinginsidiously
verwant
related
,knotted,andcrochetedtotheseevil
en
and
apparentlyopposedthings—perhapseveninbeing
wezen
essentially
identicalwiththem.
Perhaps!
Maar
But
whowishestoconcernhimself
met
with
suchdangerous"Perhapses"!
Forthatinvestigationone
moet
must
awaittheadventofa
nieuwe
new
orderofphilosophers,suchas
zullen
will
haveothertastesandinclinations,the
omgekeerde
reverse
ofthosehithertoprevalent—philosophersofthe
gevaarlijke
dangerous
"Perhaps"ineverysenseoftheterm.
En
And
tospeakinallseriousness,I
zie
see
suchnewphilosophersbeginningto
verschijnen
appear
.
3.
Havingkepta
scherp
sharp
eyeonphilosophers,and
hebben
having
readbetweentheirlines
lang
long
enough,Inowsaytomyself
dat
that
thegreaterpartof
bewuste
conscious
thinkingmustbecountedamongtheinstinctivefunctions,
en
and
itissoeveninthe
geval
case
ofphilosophicalthinking;
onehas
hier
here
tolearnanew,as
men
one
learnedanewaboutheredity
en
and
"innateness."
Aslittleasthe
daad
act
ofbirthcomesintoconsiderationinthe
hele
whole
processandprocedureofheredity,
net
just
aslittleis"being-conscious"OPPOSEDtotheinstinctiveinany
beslissende
decisive
sense;
thegreaterpartof
het
the
consciousthinkingofa
filosoof
philosopher
issecretlyinfluencedbyhisinstincts,
en
and
forcedintodefinitechannels.
En
And
behindalllogicanditsseeming
soevereiniteit
sovereignty
ofmovement,therearevaluations,
of
or
tospeakmoreplainly,physiologicaldemands,forthe
behoud
maintenance
ofadefinitemodeoflifeForexample,
dat
that
thecertainisworth
meer
more
thantheuncertain,that
illusie
illusion
islessvaluablethan"truth"suchvaluations,inspiteoftheirregulativeimportanceforUS,mightnotwithstandingbeonlysuperficialvaluations,specialkindsofniaiserie,suchasmaybenecessaryforthe
behoud
maintenance
ofbeingssuchasourselves.
Veronderstel
Supposing
,ineffect,thatmanisnotjust
de
the
"measureofthings."
4.
De
The
falsenessofanopinionisnotforusanyobjectiontoit:
itis
hier
here
,perhaps,thatournew
taal
language
soundsmoststrangely.
The
vraag
question
is,howfaranopinionislife-furthering,life-preserving,species-preserving,
misschien
perhaps
species-rearing,andweare
fundamenteel
fundamentally
inclinedtomaintainthatthefalsestopinions
Te
(to
whichthesyntheticjudgmentsaprioribelong),arethe
meest
most
indispensabletous,that
zonder
without
arecognitionoflogicalfictions,
zonder
without
acomparisonofreality
met
with
thepurelyIMAGINEDworldofthe
absolute
absolute
andimmutable,withouta
voortdurende
constant
counterfeitingoftheworldbymeansofnumbers,
mens
man
couldnotlive—thattherenunciationoffalseopinions
zou
would
bearenunciationof
leven
life
,anegationoflife.
TO
Erkennen
RECOGNISE
UNTRUTHASACONDITIONOFLIFE;
thatis
zeker
certainly
toimpugnthetraditionalideasof
waarde
value
inadangerousmanner,
en
and
aphilosophywhichventuresto
doen
do
so,hastherebyalone
geplaatst
placed
itselfbeyondgoodand
kwaad
evil
.
5.
Thatwhichcausesphilosopherstobe
beschouwd
regarded
half-distrustfullyandhalf-mockingly,isnottheoft-repeated
ontdekking
discovery
howinnocenttheyare—how
vaak
often
andeasilytheymakemistakes
en
and
losetheirway,inshort,
hoe
how
childishandchildliketheyare,—but
dat
that
thereisnotenough
eerlijk
honest
dealingwiththem,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,"whichis
algemeen
generally
theirheart'sdesireabstracted
en
and
refined,isdefendedbythem
met
with
argumentssoughtoutafterthe
gebeurtenis
event
.
Theyarealladvocateswhodonot
willen
wish
toberegardedassuch,
algemeen
generally
astutedefenders,also,oftheirprejudices,whichtheydub"truths,"—and
Zeer
VERY
farfromhavingthe
geweten
conscience
whichbravelyadmitsthistoitself,
zeer
very
farfromhavingthe
goede
good
tasteofthecouragewhich
gaat
goes
sofarastolet
dit
this
beunderstood,perhapsto
waarschuwen
warn
friendorfoe,orincheerful
vertrouwen
confidence
andself-ridicule.
ThespectacleoftheTartufferyof
oude
old
Kant,equallystiffand
fatsoenlijk
decent
,withwhichheenticesusintothedialecticby-waysthat
leiden
lead
(morecorrectlymislead)tohis"categoricalimperative"—makesusfastidiousones
glimlachen
smile
,wewhofindno
klein
small
amusementinspyingoutthe
subtiele
subtle
tricksofoldmoralists
en
and
ethicalpreachers.
Or,still
meer
more
so,thehocus-pocusin
wiskundige
mathematical
form,bymeansofwhichSpinoza
heeft
has
,asitwere,cladhis
filosofie
philosophy
inmailandmask—infact,the"loveofHISwisdom,"to
vertalen
translate
thetermfairlyandsquarely—inordertherebytostriketerroratonceintothe
hart
heart
oftheassailantwhoshould
durven
dare
tocastaglanceonthatinvinciblemaiden,thatPallasAthene:—howmuchofpersonaltimidity
en
and
vulnerabilitydoesthismasqueradeof
een
a
sicklyreclusebetray!
6.
Ithas
geleidelijk
gradually
becomecleartomewhat
elke
every
greatphilosophyuptill
nu
now
hasconsistedof—namely,the
bekentenis
confession
ofitsoriginator,and
een
a
speciesofinvoluntaryand
onbewuste
unconscious
auto-biography;
andmoreoverthatthe
morele
moral
(orimmoral)purposein
elke
every
philosophyhasconstitutedthe
ware
true
vitalgermoutofwhichthe
hele
entire
planthasalwaysgrown.
Inderdaad
Indeed
,tounderstandhowtheabstrusestmetaphysicalassertionsof
een
a
philosopherhavebeenarrivedat,itis
altijd
always
well(andwise)to
eerst
first
askoneself:
"Whatmoralitydothey(ordoeshe)aimat?"
Bijgevolg
Accordingly
,Idonotbelieve
dat
that
an"impulsetoknowledge"is
de
the
fatherofphilosophy;
but
dat
that
anotherimpulse,hereas
elders
elsewhere
,hasonlymadeuseof
kennis
knowledge
(andmistakenknowledge!)
as
een
an
instrument.
Butwhoeverconsidersthe
fundamentele
fundamental
impulsesofmanwithaviewto
vaststellen
determining
howfartheymay
hebben
have
hereactedasINSPIRINGGENII
Of
(or
asdemonsandcobolds),
zal
will
findthattheyhaveallpracticed
filosofie
philosophy
atonetimeoranother,
en
and
thateachoneofthemwould
hebben
have
beenonlytoogladtolookuponitselfasthe
uiteindelijke
ultimate
endofexistenceandthe
wettige
legitimate
LORDoveralltheotherimpulses.
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.
The
werkelijke
actual
"interests"ofthescholar,
daarom
therefore
,aregenerallyinquite
andere
another
direction—inthefamily,perhaps,
of
or
inmoney-making,orinpolitics;
itis,infact,
bijna
almost
indifferentatwhatpointof
onderzoek
research
hislittlemachineis
geplaatst
placed
,andwhetherthehopeful
jonge
young
workerbecomesagoodphilologist,
een
a
mushroomspecialist,ora
chemicus
chemist
;
heisnotCHARACTERISEDbybecoming
dit
this
orthat.
Inthe
filosoof
philosopher
,onthecontrary,thereis
absoluut
absolutely
nothingimpersonal;
andaboveall,his
moraal
morality
furnishesadecidedanddecisive
getuigenis
testimony
astoWHOHEIS,—thatisto
zeggen
say
,inwhatorderthedeepestimpulsesofhis
natuur
nature
standtoeachother.
7.
Howmaliciousphilosophers
kunnen
can
be!
Iknowof
niets
nothing
morestingingthanthe
grap
joke
Epicurustookthelibertyof
maken
making
onPlatoandthePlatonists;
he
noemde
called
themDionysiokolakes.
Inits
oorspronkelijke
original
sense,andonthe
gezicht
face
ofit,thewordsignifies"FlatterersofDionysius"—consequently,tyrants'accessories
en
and
lick-spittles;
besidesthis,however,itisas
veel
much
astosay,"TheyareallACTORS,
er
there
isnothinggenuineaboutthem"(forDionysiokolaxwasa
populaire
popular
nameforanactor).
En
And
thelatterisreally
de
the
malignantreproachthatEpicuruscastuponPlato:
hewas
geïrriteerd
annoyed
bythegrandiosemanner,
de
the
miseenscenestyleofwhichPlato
en
and
hisscholarsweremasters—ofwhichEpicuruswasnota
meester
master
!
He,theoldschool-teacherofSamos,who
zat
sat
concealedinhislittle
tuin
garden
atAthens,andwrotethreehundred
boeken
books
,perhapsoutofrage
en
and
ambitiousenvyofPlato,who
weet
knows
!
Greecetookahundredyearsto
vinden
find
outwhothegarden-godEpicurus
werkelijk
really
was.
Didsheeverfindout?
8.
Er
There
isapointin
elke
every
philosophyatwhichthe"conviction"ofthe
filosoof
philosopher
appearsonthescene;
of
or
,toputitinthewordsof
een
an
ancientmystery:.
Adventavitasinus,Pulcheretfortissimus.
9.
Youdesireto
Leven
LIVE
"accordingtoNature"?
Oh,younobleStoics,what
bedrog
fraud
ofwords!
Imaginetoyourselves
een
a
beinglikeNature,boundlesslyextravagant,boundlessly
onverschillig
indifferent
,withoutpurposeorconsideration,
zonder
without
pityorjustice,atoncefruitful
en
and
barrenanduncertain:
imaginetoyourselves
Onverschilligheid
INDIFFERENCE
asapower—howCOULDyou
leven
live
inaccordancewithsuch
onverschilligheid
indifference
?
Tolive—isnotthat
gewoon
just
endeavouringtobeotherwise
dan
than
thisNature?
Isnot
leven
living
valuing,preferring,beingunjust,being
beperkt
limited
,endeavouringtobedifferent?
En
And
grantedthatyourimperative,"living
volgens
according
toNature,"meansactuallythe
hetzelfde
same
as"livingaccordingtolife"—how
kunnen
could
youdoDIFFERENTLY?
Whyshouldyou
maken
make
aprincipleoutofwhatyouyourselvesare,
en
and
mustbe?
Inreality,
echter
however
,itisquiteotherwise
met
with
you:
whileyoupretendto
leest
read
withrapturethecanonofyour
wet
law
inNature,youwant
iets
something
quitethecontrary,you
buitengewone
extraordinary
stage-playersandself-deluders!
Inyour
trots
pride
youwishtodictateyourmorals
en
and
idealstoNature,to
Natuur
Nature
herself,andtoincorporatethemtherein;
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
isanoldand
eeuwigdurend
everlasting
story:
whathappenedinoldtimes
met
with
theStoicsstillhappens
vandaag
today
,assoonasever
een
a
philosophybeginstobelieveinitself.
It
altijd
always
createstheworldinits
eigen
own
image;
itcannotdo
anders
otherwise
;
philosophyisthistyrannical
impuls
impulse
itself,themostspiritual
Wil
Will
toPower,thewillto"creationof
de
the
world,"thewillto
de
the
causaprima.
10.
Theeagerness
en
and
subtlety,Ishouldeven
zeggen
say
craftiness,withwhichthe
probleem
problem
of"therealandthe
schijnbare
apparent
world"isdealtwithatpresentthroughout
Europa
Europe
,furnishesfoodforthought
en
and
attention;
andhewho
hoort
hears
onlya"WilltoTruth"in
de
the
background,andnothingelse,cannot
zeker
certainly
boastofthesharpestears.
In
zeldzame
rare
andisolatedcases,it
kan
may
reallyhavehappenedthatsuch
een
a
WilltoTruth—acertain
extravagante
extravagant
andadventurouspluck,ametaphysician's
ambitie
ambition
oftheforlornhope—has
deelgenomen
participated
therein:
thatwhichin
de
the
endalwaysprefersa
handvol
handful
of"certainty"toa
hele
whole
cartloadofbeautifulpossibilities;
er
there
mayevenbepuritanicalfanaticsof
geweten
conscience
,whoprefertoputtheir
laatste
last
trustinasure
niets
nothing
,ratherthaninan
onzeker
uncertain
something.
ButthatisNihilism,
en
and
thesignofadespairing,mortallywearied
ziel
soul
,notwithstandingthecourageousbearingsuch
een
a
virtuemaydisplay.
It
schijnt
seems
,however,tobeotherwisewith
sterker
stronger
andlivelierthinkerswhoare
nog steeds
still
eagerforlife.
In
dat
that
theysideAGAINSTappearance,
en
and
speaksuperciliouslyof"perspective,"in
dat
that
theyrankthecredibilityoftheir
eigen
own
bodiesaboutaslowasthe
geloofwaardigheid
credibility
oftheocularevidence
dat
that
"theearthstandsstill,"
en
and
thus,apparently,allowingwithcomplacencytheirsecurest
bezit
possession
toescape(forwhatdoesoneatpresentbelieveinmorefirmly
dan
than
inone'sbody?),—whoknowsiftheyarenot
werkelijk
really
tryingtowinback
iets
something
whichwasformerlyanevensecurer
bezit
possession
,somethingoftheold
domein
domain
ofthefaithofformertimes,
misschien
perhaps
the"immortalsoul,"perhaps"the
oude
old
God,"inshort,ideasbywhichthey
kunnen
could
livebetter,thatistosay,morevigorously
en
and
morejoyously,thanby"modernideas"?
Er
There
isDISTRUSTofthese
moderne
modern
ideasinthismodeof
kijken
looking
atthings,adisbeliefinallthathasbeen
gebouwd
constructed
yesterdayandtoday;
thereis
misschien
perhaps
someslightadmixtureofsatiety
en
and
scorn,whichcannolonger
verdragen
endure
theBRIC-A-BRACofideasofthe
meest
most
variedorigin,suchasso-calledPositivismatpresent
gooit
throws
onthemarket;
a
walging
disgust
ofthemorerefined
smaak
taste
atthevillage-fairmotleyness
en
and
patchinessofallthesereality-philosophasters,inwhom
er
there
isnothingeithernew
of
or
true,exceptthismotleyness.
Thereinit
lijkt
seems
tomethatwe
moeten
should
agreewiththoseskepticalanti-realists
en
and
knowledge-microscopistsofthepresent
dag
day
;
theirinstinct,whichrepelsthemfrom
Moderne
MODERN
reality,isunrefuted...
what
doen
do
theirretrogradeby-pathsconcern
ons
us
!
ThemainthingaboutthemisNOT
dat
that
theywishtogo"back,"
maar
but
thattheywishtoget
Weg
AWAY
therefrom.
AlittleMOREstrength,
swing
swing
,courage,andartisticpower,
en
and
theywouldbeOFF—andnot
terug
back
!
11.
Itseemstomethat
er
there
iseverywhereanattemptatpresentto
leiden
divert
attentionfromtheactualinfluencewhichKant
uitgeoefend
exercised
onGermanphilosophy,and
vooral
especially
toignoreprudentlythe
waarde
value
whichhesetuponhimself.
Kantwasfirstandforemost
trots
proud
ofhisTableofCategories;
met
with
itinhishandhe
zei
said
:
"Thisisthemostdifficult
wat
thing
thatcouldeverbe
ondernomen
undertaken
onbehalfofmetaphysics."
Laten
Let
usonlyunderstandthis"couldbe"!
Hewas
trots
proud
ofhavingDISCOVEREDa
nieuw
new
facultyinman,thefacultyofsynthetic
oordeel
judgment
apriori.
Grantingthathe
bedrogen
deceived
himselfinthismatter;
de
the
developmentandrapidflourishingofGerman
filosofie
philosophy
dependedneverthelessonhis
trots
pride
,andontheeagerrivalryof
de
the
youngergenerationtodiscoverif
mogelijk
possible
something—atallevents"newfaculties"—ofwhichtobestillprouder!—Butletusreflectforamoment—itishightimetodoso.
"HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaprioriPOSSIBLE?"
Kant
vraagt
asks
himself—andwhatisreallyhis
antwoord
answer
?
"BYMEANSOFAMEANS(faculty)"—but
helaas
unfortunately
notinfivewords,
maar
but
socircumstantially,imposingly,and
met
with
suchdisplayofGermanprofundity
en
and
verbalflourishes,thatonealtogether
verliest
loses
sightofthecomicalniaiserieallemande
betrokken
involved
insuchananswer.
Mensen
People
werebesidethemselveswith
vreugde
delight
overthisnewfaculty,
en
and
thejubilationreachedits
hoogtepunt
climax
whenKantfurtherdiscovered
een
a
moralfacultyinman—forat
die
that
timeGermanswerestillmoral,notyetdabblingin
de
the
"Politicsofhardfact."
Then
kwam
came
thehoneymoonofGerman
filosofie
philosophy
.
AlltheyoungtheologiansoftheTubingeninstitution
gingen
went
immediatelyintothegroves—all
zoek
seeking
for"faculties."
Andwhatdidtheynotfind—inthat
onschuldige
innocent
,rich,andstillyouthful
periode
period
oftheGermanspirit,towhichRomanticism,
de
the
maliciousfairy,pipedand
zong
sang
,whenonecouldnotyet
onderscheiden
distinguish
between"finding"and"inventing"!
Aboveall
een
a
facultyforthe"transcendental";
Schellingchristenedit,
intellectuele
intellectual
intuition,andtherebygratifiedthe
meest
most
earnestlongingsofthe
nature
naturally
pious-inclinedGermans.
Onecan
doen
do
nogreaterwrongtothe
geheel
whole
ofthisexuberantand
excentrieke
eccentric
movement(whichwasreallyyouthfulness,notwithstanding
dat
that
itdisguiseditselfsoboldly,inhoary
en
and
senileconceptions),thanto
nemen
take
itseriously,oreven
behandelen
treat
itwithmoralindignation.
Genoeg
Enough
,however—theworldgrewolder,
en
and
thedreamvanished.
A
tijd
time
camewhenpeoplerubbedtheirforeheads,
en
and
theystillrubthemtoday.
Mensen
People
hadbeendreaming,and
eerste
first
andforemost—oldKant.
"By
bedoeld
means
ofameans(faculty)"—he
had
had
said,oratleast
bedoeld
meant
tosay.
But,isthat—an
antwoord
answer
?
Anexplanation?
Orisitnot
eerder
rather
merelyarepetitionofthe
vraag
question
?
Howdoesopiuminduce
slaap
sleep
?
"Bymeansofameans(faculty),"
namelijk
namely
thevirtusdormitiva,replies
de
the
doctorinMoliere,.
But
zulke
such
repliesbelongtothe
rijk
realm
ofcomedy,anditis
hoog
high
timetoreplacetheKantian
vraag
question
,"Howaresyntheticjudgments
een
a
PRIORIpossible?"
byanother
vraag
question
,"Whyisbeliefin
zulke
such
judgmentsnecessary?"—ineffect,itis
hoog
high
timethatweshould
begrijpen
understand
thatsuchjudgmentsmustbebelievedtobe
waar
true
,forthesakeofthe
behoud
preservation
ofcreatureslikeourselves;
thoughthey
nog steeds
still
mightnaturallybefalsejudgments!
Of
Or
,moreplainlyspoken,and
ruwweg
roughly
andreadily—syntheticjudgmentsapriori
moeten
should
not"bepossible"atall;
we
hebben
have
norighttothem;
inourmouthstheyare
niets
nothing
butfalsejudgments.
Only,of
natuurlijk
course
,thebeliefintheir
waarheid
truth
isnecessary,asplausible
geloof
belief
andocularevidencebelongingtotheperspective
kijk
view
oflife.
Andfinally,tocalltomind
de
the
enormousinfluencewhich"Germanphilosophy"—I
hoop
hope
youunderstanditsrighttoinvertedcommas(goosefeet)?—has
uitgeoefend
exercised
throughoutthewholeof
Europa
Europe
,thereisnodoubtthat
een
a
certainVIRTUSDORMITIVAhad
een
a
shareinit;
thankstoGerman
filosofie
philosophy
,itwasadelighttothenobleidlers,thevirtuous,themystics,theartiste,thethree-fourthsChristians,
en
and
thepoliticalobscurantistsof
alle
all
nations,tofindan
tegengif
antidote
tothestilloverwhelmingsensualismwhichoverflowedfromthelast
eeuw
century
intothis,inshort—"sensusassoupire."...