PREFACE
SUPPOSINGthatTruthis
une
awoman—whatthen?Istherenotgroundforsuspectingthat
tous
allphilosophers,insofarastheyont
havebeendogmatists,havefailedtocomprendre
understandwomen—thattheterribleseriousnesset
andclumsyimportunitywithwhichtheyont
haveusuallypaidtheiraddressestoVérité
Truth,havebeenunskilledandunseemlymethodsforgagner
winningawoman?Certainlyshehas
jamais
neverallowedherselftobegagner
won;andatpresenteverykindofdogma
tiennent
standswithsadanddiscouragedmien—IF,indeed,ittiennent
standsatall!Fortherearescofferswhomaintainthatithas
tombé
fallen,thatalldogmaliesonle
theground—naymore,thatitisatitsdernier
lastgasp.Buttospeakseriously,therearegoodgroundsforhoping
que
thatalldogmatizinginphilosophy,whateversolemn,whateverconclusiveet
anddecidedairsithasassumed,pu
mayhavebeenonlyanoblepuerilismet
andtyronism;andprobablythetimeisat
main
handwhenitwillbeonceet
andagainunderstoodWHAThasactuallysufficedforthebasisofsuchimposinget
andabsolutephilosophicaledificesasthedogmatistsont
havehithertoreared:perhapssomepopularsuperstitionofimmemorial
temps
time(suchasthesoul-superstition,qui
which,intheformofsubject-et
andego-superstition,hasnotyetceasedfaire
doingmischief):perhapssomeplayuponwords,adeceptiononthepartofgrammar,
ou
oranaudaciousgeneralizationoftrès
veryrestricted,verypersonal,veryhuman—all-too-humanfacts.La
Thephilosophyofthedogmatists,itistobehoped,wasonlyapromesse
promiseforthousandsofyearsafterwards,aswasastrologyinstillearliertimes,inla
theserviceofwhichprobablyplus
morelabour,gold,acuteness,andpatienceont
havebeenspentthanontoute
anyactualsciencehitherto:weowetoit,
et
andtoits"super-terrestrial"pretensionsinAsiaet
andEgypt,thegrandstyleofarchitecture.Itseemsthatinordertoinscribethemselvesuponthe
cœur
heartofhumanitywitheverlastingclaims,toutes
allgreatthingshavefirsttowandersur
abouttheearthasenormouset
andawe-inspiringcaricatures:dogmaticphilosophyhasbeen
une
acaricatureofthiskind—forinstance,theVedantadoctrineinAsia,et
andPlatonisminEurope.Letusnotbeungratefultoit,althoughit
doive
mustcertainlybeconfessedthatla
theworst,themosttiresome,et
andthemostdangerousoferrorshithertodoive
hasbeenadogmatisterror—namely,Plato'sinventionofPureSpiritet
andtheGoodinItself.Mais
Butnowwhenithasbeensurmounted,whenEurope,ridofthisnightmare,peut
canagaindrawbreathfreelyet
andatleastenjoyahealthier—sleep,nous
we,WHOSEDUTYISWAKEFULNESSITSELF,aretheheirsofallthestrengthdont
whichthestruggleagainstthiserrordevoir
hasfostered.Itamountedto
la
theveryinversionoftruth,et
andthedenialofthePERSPECTIVE—thefundamentalcondition—ofvie
life,tospeakofSpiritet
andtheGoodasPlatospokeofthem;indeedone
pourrait
mightask,asaphysician:"Howdidsuch
une
amaladyattackthatfinestproductofantiquity,Plato?HadthewickedSocrates
vraiment
reallycorruptedhim?WasSocrates
après
afterallacorrupterofyouths,et
anddeservedhishemlock?"Butthestruggle
contre
againstPlato,or—tospeakplainer,et
andforthe"people"—thestrugglecontre
againsttheecclesiasticaloppressionofmillenniumsofChristianityPour
(FORCHRISTIANITYISPLATONISMFORTHE"PEOPLE"),producedinEuropeune
amagnificenttensionofsoul,suchashadnotexistedanywherepreviously;avec
withsuchatenselystrainedbowonepeut
cannowaimatthefurthestgoals.As
un
amatteroffact,theEuropeanressent
feelsthistensionasastateofdistress,et
andtwiceattemptshavebeenmadeingrandstyletounbendthebow:oncebymeansofJesuitism,
et
andthesecondtimebymeansofdemocraticenlightenment—which,avec
withtheaidoflibertyofla
thepressandnewspaper-reading,might,infait
fact,bringitaboutthatla
thespiritwouldnotsoeasilyretrouve
finditselfin"distress"!(TheGermansinventedgunpowder—allcreditto
leur
them!buttheyagainmadethingssquare—theyinventedprinting.)
Mais
Butwe,whoareneitherJesuits,nordemocrats,normême
evensufficientlyGermans,weGOODEUROPEANS,et
andfree,VERYfreespirits—wehaveitstill,allla
thedistressofspiritandallla
thetensionofitsbow!Et
Andperhapsalsothearrow,theduty,et
and,whoknows?THEGOALTOAIMAT....
CHAPTERI.PREJUDICESOFPHILOSOPHERS
1.
The
Volonté
WilltoTruth,whichistotemptustobeaucoup
manyahazardousenterprise,thefamousTruthfulnessofwhichtous
allphilosophershavehithertospokenavec
withrespect,whatquestionshascette
thisWilltoTruthnotlaiddevant
beforeus!Whatstrange,perplexing,questionablequestions!
Itis
déjà
alreadyalongstory;yetitseemsasifitwerehardlycommenced.
Isitanywonderifweatlastgrowdistrustful,
perdre
losepatience,andturnimpatientlyaway?Que
ThatthisSphinxteachesusatlasttoposer
askquestionsourselves?WHOisitreallythat
pose
putsquestionstoushere?WHATreallyisthis"WilltoTruth"in
nous
us?Infactwemadealonghaltat
la
thequestionastotheoriginofce
thisWill—untilatlastwearrivions
cametoanabsolutestandstilldevant
beforeayetmorefundamentalquestion
question.WeinquiredabouttheVALUEof
ce
thisWill.Grantedthatwe
voulions
wantthetruth:WHYNOTRATHERuntruth?
Et
Anduncertainty?Evenignorance?
The
problème
problemofthevalueofvérité
truthpresenteditselfbeforeus—orwasitwequi
whopresentedourselvesbeforetheproblème
problem?WhichofusistheOedipus
ici
here?WhichtheSphinx?
Itwouldseemtobe
un
arendezvousofquestionsandnotesofinterrogation.Et
Andcoulditbebelievedthatitatlastseemstousassi
iftheproblemhadneverbeenpropoundedbefore,assi
ifwewerethefirsttodiscernit,getasightofit,et
andRISKRAISINGit?Forthereisriskinraisingit,
peut-être
perhapsthereisnogreaterrisk.2.
"HOW
Pourrait
COULDanythingoriginateoutofitsopposite?Forexample,
vérité
truthoutoferror?or
la
theWilltoTruthoutofla
thewilltodeception?orthegenerousdeedoutofselfishness?
ou
orthepuresun-brightvisionofla
thewisemanoutofcovetousness?Suchgenesisisimpossible;
whoever
rêve
dreamsofitisafool,nay,worsethanun
afool;thingsofthehighestvalue
doivent
musthaveadifferentorigin,anoriginofTHEIRown—inthistransitory,seductive,illusory,paltrymonde
world,inthisturmoilofdelusionet
andcupidity,theycannothavetheirsource.Mais
ButratherinthelapofBeing,intheintransitory,intheconcealedDieu
God,inthe'Thing-in-itself—THEREmustbetheirsource,et
andnowhereelse!"—Thismodeofreasoningdisclosesthetypicalprejudicebywhichmetaphysiciansoftous
alltimescanberecognized,ce
thismodeofvaluationisatthebackoftous
alltheirlogicalprocedure;through
cette
this"belief"oftheirs,theyexertthemselvesfortheir"knowledge,"forquelque chose
somethingthatisintheendsolemnlychristened"theTruth."ThefundamentalbeliefofmetaphysiciansisTHEBELIEFINANTITHESESOFVALUES.
It
jamais
neveroccurredeventothewariestofthemtodoubtici
hereontheverythreshold(wheredoubt,however,wasplus
mostnecessary);thoughtheyhad
fait
madeasolemnvow,"DEOMNIBUSDUBITANDUM."Forit
peut
maybedoubted,firstly,whetherantithesesexistatall;et
andsecondly,whetherthepopularvaluationset
andantithesesofvalueuponwhichmetaphysiciansont
havesettheirseal,arenotpeut-être
perhapsmerelysuperficialestimates,merelyprovisionalperspectives,besidesbeingprobablement
probablymadefromsomecorner,peut-être
perhapsfrombelow—"frogperspectives,"asitwere,toborrowune
anexpressioncurrentamongpainters.Inspiteofall
la
thevaluewhichmaybelongtola
thetrue,thepositive,andla
theunselfish,itmightbepossible
possiblethatahigherandplus
morefundamentalvalueforlifegenerallyshouldbeassignedtopretence,tola
thewilltodelusion,toselfishness,et
andcupidity.Itmightevenbe
possible
possiblethatWHATconstitutesthevalueofthosegoodet
andrespectedthings,consistspreciselyintheirbeinginsidiouslyrelated,knotted,et
andcrochetedtotheseevilet
andapparentlyopposedthings—perhapseveninbeingessentiallyidenticalwiththem.Peut-être
Perhaps!Butwhowishestoconcernhimselfwithsuchdangerous"Perhapses"!
For
qui
thatinvestigationonemustawaitles
theadventofanewordre
orderofphilosophers,suchasêtre
willhaveothertastesandinclinations,les
thereverseofthosehithertoprevalent—philosophersofles
thedangerous"Perhaps"ineverysenseofles
theterm.Andtospeakin
tout
allseriousness,Iseesuchnewphilosophersbeginningtoappear.3.
Havingkept
un
asharpeyeonphilosophers,et
andhavingreadbetweentheirlineslongtemps
longenough,Inowsaytomyselfque
thatthegreaterpartofconsciousthinkingdoit
mustbecountedamongtheinstinctivefunctions,et
anditissoeveninthecas
caseofphilosophicalthinking;onehas
ici
heretolearnanew,asonelearnedanewsur
aboutheredityand"innateness."As
peu
littleastheactofbirthcomesintoconsiderationinla
thewholeprocessandprocedureofheredity,justaspeu
littleis"being-conscious"OPPOSEDtola
theinstinctiveinanydecisivesense;la
thegreaterpartoftheconsciousthinkingofaphilosopherissecretlyinfluencedbyhisinstincts,et
andforcedintodefinitechannels.Et
Andbehindalllogicanditsseemingsovereigntyofmovement,therearevaluations,ou
ortospeakmoreplainly,physiologicaldemands,forthemaintenanceofadefinitemodeofvie
lifeForexample,thatthecertainisworthplus
morethantheuncertain,thatillusionislessvaluablethan"truth"suchvaluations,inspiteoftheirregulativeimportanceforNous
US,mightnotwithstandingbeonlysuperficialvaluations,specialkindsofniaiserie,suchaspeuvent
maybenecessaryforthemaintenanceofbeingssuchasourselves.Supposing,ineffect,
que
thatmanisnotjustla
the"measureofthings."4.
La
Thefalsenessofanopinionisnotforusanyobjectiontoelle
it:itishere,perhaps,
que
thatournewlanguagesoundsplus
moststrangely.Thequestionis,howfaranopinionislife-furthering,life-preserving,species-preserving,
peut-être
perhapsspecies-rearing,andwearefundamentallyinclinedtomaintainque
thatthefalsestopinions(towhichthesyntheticjudgmentsaprioribelong),aretheplus
mostindispensabletous,thatsans
withoutarecognitionoflogicalfictions,sans
withoutacomparisonofrealityavec
withthepurelyIMAGINEDworldoftheabsoluteet
andimmutable,withoutaconstantcounterfeitingofthemonde
worldbymeansofnumbers,mancouldnotlive—thattherenunciationoffalseopinionsêtre
wouldbearenunciationofvie
life,anegationoflife.TORECOGNISEUNTRUTHAS
Une
ACONDITIONOFLIFE;thatiscertainlytoimpugnthetraditionalideasofvaluein
une
adangerousmanner,andaphilosophywhichventurestofaire
doso,hastherebyaloneplaceditselfbeyondbien
goodandevil.5.
Thatwhichcausesphilosopherstoberegardedhalf-distrustfully
et
andhalf-mockingly,isnottheoft-repeateddiscoveryhowinnocenttheyare—howoftenet
andeasilytheymakemistakeset
andlosetheirway,inshort,howchildishet
andchildliketheyare,—butthatthereisnotenoughhonesttraiter
dealingwiththem,whereastheytous
allraisealoudandvirtuousoutcryquand
whentheproblemoftruthfulnessismême
evenhintedatintheremotestmanner.Theyallposeas
si
thoughtheirrealopinionshadbeendiscoveredet
andattainedthroughtheself-evolvingofune
acold,pure,divinelyindifferentdialectic(incontrasttoallsortsofmystics,who,faireret
andfoolisher,talkof"inspiration"),whereas,infait
fact,aprejudicedproposition,idea,ou
or"suggestion,"whichisgenerallytheirheart'sdesireabstractedet
andrefined,isdefendedbythemavec
withargumentssoughtoutafterle
theevent.Theyarealladvocateswho
ne
donotwishtoberegardedassuch,generallyastutedefenders,aussi
also,oftheirprejudices,whichtheydub"truths,"—andTrès
VERYfarfromhavingtheconsciencewhichbravelyadmitscela
thistoitself,veryfarfromhavingthebon
goodtasteofthecouragewhichva
goessofarastolaisser
letthisbeunderstood,perhapstowarnfriendou
orfoe,orincheerfulconfidenceet
andself-ridicule.ThespectacleoftheTartufferyof
vieux
oldKant,equallystiffanddecent,avec
withwhichheenticesusintothedialecticby-waysthatlead(morecorrectlymislead)tohis"categoricalimperative"—makesusfastidiousonessmile,wewhotrouvons
findnosmallamusementinspyingoutthesubtletricksofvieux
oldmoralistsandethicalpreachers.Ou
Or,stillmoreso,thehocus-pocusinmathematicalform,bymeansofwhichSpinozahas,asitwere,cladhisphilosophyinmailet
andmask—infact,the"loveofHISwisdom,"totranslatethetermfairlyet
andsquarely—inordertherebytostriketerroratonceintothecœur
heartoftheassailantwhoshoulddaretocastun
aglanceonthatinvinciblemaiden,thatPallasAthene:—howmuchofpersonaltimidityet
andvulnerabilitydoesthismasqueradeofun
asicklyreclusebetray!6.
Ithasgradually
devenu
becomecleartomewhatchaque
everygreatphilosophyuptillnowhasconsistedof—namely,la
theconfessionofitsoriginator,et
andaspeciesofinvoluntaryet
andunconsciousauto-biography;andmoreover
que
thatthemoral(orimmoral)purposeinchaque
everyphilosophyhasconstitutedthevéritable
truevitalgermoutofwhichtheentireplanthastoujours
alwaysgrown.Indeed,tounderstand
comment
howtheabstrusestmetaphysicalassertionsofaphilosopherhavebeenarrivedat,itistoujours
alwayswell(andwise)tofirstdemander
askoneself:"Whatmoralitydothey(ordoeshe)aimat?"
Accordingly,I
ne
donotbelievethatan"impulsetoknowledge"isthepère
fatherofphilosophy;butthat
autre
anotherimpulse,hereaselsewhere,hasonlyfait
madeuseofknowledge(andmistakenknowledge!)as
un
aninstrument.Butwhoeverconsidersthefundamentalimpulsesofmanwithaviewtodetermininghowfarthey
pu
mayhavehereactedasINSPIRINGGENIIOu
(orasdemonsandcobolds),été
willfindthattheyhavetoutes
allpracticedphilosophyatonemoment
timeoranother,andthatchacune
eachoneofthemwouldont
havebeenonlytoogladtolookuponitselfastheultimatefin
endofexistenceandthelegitimateSeigneur
LORDoveralltheotherimpulses.For
chaque
everyimpulseisimperious,andasSUCH,attemptstophilosophize.Tobe
sûr
sure,inthecaseofscholars,inle
thecaseofreallyscientificmen,itpeut
maybeotherwise—"better,"ifyouwill;therethere
peut
mayreallybesuchachose
thingasan"impulsetoknowledge,"somesorte
kindofsmall,independentclock-work,which,quand
whenwellwoundup,worksloin
awayindustriouslytothatend,Sans
WITHOUTtherestofthescholarlyimpulsesprenant
takinganymaterialparttherein.Theactual"interests"ofthescholar,therefore,aregenerallyinquite
autre
anotherdirection—inthefamily,perhaps,ou
orinmoney-making,orinpolitics;it
est
is,infact,almostindifferentatwhatpoint
pointofresearchhislittlemachineisplaced,et
andwhetherthehopefulyoungworkerdevient
becomesagoodphilologist,amushroomspecialist,ou
orachemist;heisnotCHARACTERISEDby
devenir
becomingthisorthat.In
le
thephilosopher,onthecontrary,il
thereisabsolutelynothingimpersonal;et
andaboveall,hismoralityfurnishesun
adecidedanddecisivetestimonyastoWHOHEIS,—thatistodire
say,inwhatorderthedeepestimpulsesofhisnaturetiennent
standtoeachother.7.
Howmaliciousphilosophers
peuvent
canbe!Iknowof
rien
nothingmorestingingthanthejokeEpicuruspris
tookthelibertyofmakingonPlatoet
andthePlatonists;hecalledthemDionysiokolakes.
Initsoriginalsense,
et
andonthefaceofit,themot
wordsignifies"FlatterersofDionysius"—consequently,tyrants'accessorieset
andlick-spittles;besidesthis,however,itisasmuchasto
dire
say,"TheyareallACTORS,thereisrien
nothinggenuineaboutthem"(forDionysiokolaxwasapopularnom
nameforanactor).And
le
thelatterisreallythemalignantreproachthatEpicuruscastuponPlato:hewasannoyedbythegrandiosemanner,themiseenscenestyleof
dont
whichPlatoandhisscholarsweremasters—ofdont
whichEpicuruswasnotamaître
master!He,theoldschool-teacherofSamos,
qui
whosatconcealedinhispetit
littlegardenatAthens,andécrit
wrotethreehundredbooks,perhapsoutofrageet
andambitiousenvyofPlato,qui
whoknows!Greecetookahundredyearstofindout
qui
whothegarden-godEpicurusreallywas.Didsheeverfindout?
8.
Thereis
un
apointineveryphilosophyatwhichla
the"conviction"ofthephilosopherappearsonla
thescene;or,toputitinthewordsofanancientmystery:.
Adventavitasinus,Pulcheretfortissimus.
9.
Youdesireto
Vivre
LIVE"accordingtoNature"?Oh,younobleStoics,whatfraudofwords!
Imaginetoyourselves
un
abeinglikeNature,boundlesslyextravagant,boundlesslyindifferent,sans
withoutpurposeorconsideration,withoutpityorjustice,atfois
oncefruitfulandbarrenanduncertain:imaginetoyourselvesINDIFFERENCEasapower—howCOULDyou
vivre
liveinaccordancewithsuchindifference?Tolive—isnotthatjustendeavouringtobeotherwisethanthisNature?
Isnot
vit
livingvaluing,preferring,beingunjust,beinglimited,endeavouringtobedifférent
different?Andgrantedthatyourimperative,"livingaccordingtoNature,"
signifie
meansactuallythesameas"livingaccordingtolife"—howpourriez
couldyoudoDIFFERENTLY?Why
devriez
shouldyoumakeaprincipleoutofwhatyouyourselvesêtre
are,andmustbe?Inreality,however,itis
tout à fait
quiteotherwisewithyou:whileyoupretendto
lire
readwithrapturethecanonofyourloi
lawinNature,youwantquelque chose
somethingquitethecontrary,youextraordinarystage-playerset
andself-deluders!Inyourprideyou
voulez
wishtodictateyourmoralset
andidealstoNature,toNatureherself,et
andtoincorporatethemtherein;youinsistthatitshallbeNature"accordingto
la
theStoa,"andwouldliketout
everythingtobemadeafteryourownimage,asune
avast,eternalglorificationandgeneralismofStoicism!Avec
Withallyourloveforvérité
truth,youhaveforcedyourselvessolongtemps
long,sopersistently,andwithsuchhypnoticrigiditytovoir
seeNatureFALSELY,thatistodire
say,Stoically,thatyouarenolongercapable
abletoseeitotherwise—andtocrowntout
all,someunfathomablesuperciliousnessgivesyoutheBedlamitehopeque
thatBECAUSEyouareabletotyrannizesur
overyourselves—Stoicismisself-tyranny—Naturewillaussi
alsoallowherselftobetyrannizedsur
over:isnottheStoica
Partie
PARTofNature?...Butthisis
une
anoldandeverlastingstory:whathappenedinoldtimes
avec
withtheStoicsstillhappensaujourd'hui
today,assoonaseveraphilosophybeginstocroire
believeinitself.Italwayscreates
le
theworldinitsownimage;itcannot
faire
dootherwise;philosophyisthistyrannicalimpulseitself,the
plus
mostspiritualWilltoPower,thevolonté
willto"creationoftheworld,"thevolonté
willtothecausaprima.10.
Theeagerness
et
andsubtlety,Ishouldevendirais
saycraftiness,withwhichtheproblème
problemof"therealandtheapparentworld"istraité
dealtwithatpresentthroughoutEurope,furnishesnourriture
foodforthoughtandattention;et
andhewhohearsonlya"WilltoTruth"inthebackground,et
andnothingelse,cannotcertainlyboastofthesharpestears.Inrare
et
andisolatedcases,itmayvraiment
reallyhavehappenedthatsuchun
aWilltoTruth—acertainextravagantet
andadventurouspluck,ametaphysician'sambitionofla
theforlornhope—hasparticipatedtherein:thatwhichin
la
theendalwaysprefersahandfulof"certainty"toatout
wholecartloadofbeautifulpossibilities;there
peut
mayevenbepuritanicalfanaticsofconscience,qui
whoprefertoputtheirdernière
lasttrustinasurerien
nothing,ratherthaninanuncertainquelque chose
something.ButthatisNihilism,
et
andthesignofadespairing,mortallyweariedsoul,notwithstandingle
thecourageousbearingsuchavirtuepeut
maydisplay.Itseems,however,tobeotherwise
avec
withstrongerandlivelierthinkersqui
whoarestilleagerforlife.InthattheysideAGAINSTappearance,
et
andspeaksuperciliouslyof"perspective,"inthattheyrankla
thecredibilityoftheirownbodiesaboutaslowasla
thecredibilityoftheocularevidencethat"theterre
earthstandsstill,"andthus,apparently,allowingavec
withcomplacencytheirsecurestpossessiontoescape(forwhatdoesoneatpresentcroyons
believeinmorefirmlythaninone'sbody?),—whosait
knowsiftheyarenotvraiment
reallytryingtowinbackquelque chose
somethingwhichwasformerlyanevensecurerpossession,quelque chose
somethingoftheolddomainofla
thefaithofformertimes,peut-être
perhapsthe"immortalsoul,"perhaps"thevieux
oldGod,"inshort,ideasbywhichtheycouldvivre
livebetter,thatistosay,plus
morevigorouslyandmorejoyously,thanby"modernideas"?ThereisDISTRUSTof
ces
thesemodernideasinthismodeofregarder
lookingatthings,adisbeliefintout
allthathasbeenconstructedyesterdayet
andtoday;thereisperhapssomeslightadmixtureofsatiety
et
andscorn,whichcannolongerenduretheBRIC-A-BRACofideasoftheplus
mostvariedorigin,suchasso-calledPositivismatpresentthrowsonthemarket;un
adisgustofthemorerefinedtasteatla
thevillage-fairmotleynessandpatchinessoftous
allthesereality-philosophasters,inwhomil
thereisnothingeithernewou
ortrue,exceptthismotleyness.Thereinitseemstome
que
thatweshouldagreewithces
thoseskepticalanti-realistsandknowledge-microscopistsofthepresentday;theirinstinct,
qui
whichrepelsthemfromMODERNreality,isunrefuted...whatdotheirretrogradeby-pathsconcern
nous
us!ThemainthingaboutthemisNOTthatthey
souhaitent
wishtogo"back,"butthattheysouhaitent
wishtogetAWAYtherefrom.Un
AlittleMOREstrength,swing,courage,et
andartisticpower,andtheywouldbeOFF—andnotretour
back!11.
Itseemstome
que
thatthereiseverywhereanattemptatpresenttodivertattentionfromla
theactualinfluencewhichKantexercisedonGermanphilosophy,et
andespeciallytoignoreprudentlyla
thevaluewhichhesetuponhimself.Kantwasfirst
et
andforemostproudofhisTableofCategories;avec
withitinhishandhedit
said:"Thisisthemostdifficult
chose
thingthatcouldeverbeundertakenonbehalfofmetaphysics."Letusonly
comprenons
understandthis"couldbe"!HewasproudofhavingDISCOVERED
une
anewfacultyinman,la
thefacultyofsyntheticjudgmentune
apriori.Grantingthathedeceivedhimselfin
cette
thismatter;thedevelopmentandrapidflourishingofGermanphilosophydependedneverthelessonhispride,
et
andontheeagerrivalryoftheyoungergenerationtodiscoversi
ifpossiblesomething—atallevents"newfaculties"—ofdont
whichtobestillprouder!—Butletusreflectforun
amoment—itishightimetofaire
doso."HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaprioriPOSSIBLE?"
Kant
demande
askshimself—andwhatisreallyhisréponse
answer?"BYMEANSOFAMEANS(faculty)"—butunfortunatelynotin
cinq
fivewords,butsocircumstantially,imposingly,et
andwithsuchdisplayofGermanprofundityet
andverbalflourishes,thatonealtogetherperd
losessightofthecomicalniaiserieallemandeinvolvedintel
suchananswer.Peoplewerebesidethemselveswithdelight
sur
overthisnewfaculty,andthejubilationreacheditsclimaxwhenKantfurtherdiscoveredune
amoralfacultyinman—foratthattimeGermanswerestillmoral,notyetdabblinginthe"Politicsofhardfact."Then
vint
camethehoneymoonofGermanphilosophy.Tous
AlltheyoungtheologiansoftheTubingeninstitutionwentimmediatelyintothegroves—allseekingfor"faculties."Et
Andwhatdidtheynotfind—inque
thatinnocent,rich,andstillyouthfulperiodoftheGermanspirit,tolaquelle
whichRomanticism,themaliciousfairy,pipedet
andsang,whenonecouldnotyetdistinguishentre
between"finding"and"inventing"!Above
tout
allafacultyforthe"transcendental";Schellingchristenedit,intellectualintuition,
et
andtherebygratifiedthemostearnestlongingsofles
thenaturallypious-inclinedGermans.One
peut
candonogreaterwrongtothewholeofce
thisexuberantandeccentricmovement(whichwasreallyyouthfulness,notwithstandingthatitdisguiseditselfsoboldly,inhoaryet
andsenileconceptions),thantoprendre
takeitseriously,oreventreatitavec
withmoralindignation.Enough,however—the
monde
worldgrewolder,andtherêve
dreamvanished.Atimecamewhen
gens
peoplerubbedtheirforeheads,andtheystillrubthemaujourd'hui
today.Peoplehadbeendreaming,
et
andfirstandforemost—oldKant."Bymeansofameans(faculty)"—hehadsaid,
ou
oratleastmeanttodire
say.But,isthat—ananswer?
Une
Anexplanation?Orisitnotrathermerely
une
arepetitionofthequestion?Comment
Howdoesopiuminducesleep?"Bymeansof
un
ameans(faculty),"namelythevirtusdormitiva,repliesle
thedoctorinMoliere,.Butsuchrepliesbelongtotherealmofcomedy,
et
anditishightimetoreplacetheKantianquestion
question,"HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaPRIORIpossible?"by
autre
anotherquestion,"Whyisbeliefinsuchjudgmentsnecessary?"—ineffect,itishightemps
timethatweshouldunderstandque
thatsuchjudgmentsmustbebelievedtobetrue,forthesakeofthepreservationofcreaturescomme
likeourselves;thoughtheystill
puissent
mightnaturallybefalsejudgments!Ou
Or,moreplainlyspoken,androughlyet
andreadily—syntheticjudgmentsaprioridevraient
shouldnot"bepossible"attout
all;wehavenorightto
eux
them;inourmouthstheyarenothingbutfalsejudgments.
Seule
Only,ofcourse,thebeliefintheirvérité
truthisnecessary,asplausiblebeliefet
andocularevidencebelongingtola
theperspectiveviewoflife.Et
Andfinally,tocalltomindla
theenormousinfluencewhich"Germanphilosophy"—Ihopeyoucomprenez
understanditsrighttoinvertedcommas(goosefeet)?—hasexercisedthroughoutla
thewholeofEurope,thereisaucun
nodoubtthatacertainVIRTUSDORMITIVAhadashareinit;thankstoGermanphilosophy,itwasadelighttothenobleidlers,thevirtuous,themystics,theartiste,thethree-fourthsChristians,
et
andthepoliticalobscurantistsoftoutes
allnations,tofindanantidotetothestilloverwhelmingsensualismqui
whichoverflowedfromthelastcenturyintoce
this,inshort—"sensusassoupire."...