Beyond Good and Evil | Progressive Translation Books for French A1 Students

Beyond Good and Evil | Progressive Translation Books for French A1 Students

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PREFACE
SUPPOSINGthatTruthis
une
a
woman—whatthen?
Istherenotgroundforsuspectingthat
tous
all
philosophers,insofarasthey
ont
have
beendogmatists,havefailedto
comprendre
understand
women—thattheterribleseriousness
et
and
clumsyimportunitywithwhichthey
ont
have
usuallypaidtheiraddressesto
Vérité
Truth
,havebeenunskilledandunseemlymethodsfor
gagner
winning
awoman?
Certainlyshehas
jamais
never
allowedherselftobe
gagner
won
;
andatpresenteverykindofdogma
tiennent
stands
withsadanddiscouragedmien—IF,indeed,it
tiennent
stands
atall!
Fortherearescofferswhomaintainthatithas
tombé
fallen
,thatalldogmalieson
le
the
ground—naymore,thatitisatits
dernier
last
gasp.
Buttospeakseriously,therearegoodgroundsforhoping
que
that
alldogmatizinginphilosophy,whateversolemn,whateverconclusive
et
and
decidedairsithasassumed,
pu
may
havebeenonlyanoblepuerilism
et
and
tyronism;
andprobablythetimeisat
main
hand
whenitwillbeonce
et
and
againunderstoodWHAThasactuallysufficedforthebasisofsuchimposing
et
and
absolutephilosophicaledificesasthedogmatists
ont
have
hithertoreared:
perhapssomepopularsuperstitionofimmemorial
temps
time
(suchasthesoul-superstition,
qui
which
,intheformofsubject-
et
and
ego-superstition,hasnotyetceased
faire
doing
mischief):
perhapssomeplayuponwords,adeceptiononthepartofgrammar,
ou
or
anaudaciousgeneralizationof
très
very
restricted,verypersonal,veryhuman—all-too-humanfacts.
La
The
philosophyofthedogmatists,itistobehoped,wasonlya
promesse
promise
forthousandsofyearsafterwards,aswasastrologyinstillearliertimes,in
la
the
serviceofwhichprobably
plus
more
labour,gold,acuteness,andpatience
ont
have
beenspentthanon
toute
any
actualsciencehitherto:
weowetoit,
et
and
toits"super-terrestrial"pretensionsinAsia
et
and
Egypt,thegrandstyleofarchitecture.
Itseemsthatinordertoinscribethemselvesuponthe
cœur
heart
ofhumanitywitheverlastingclaims,
toutes
all
greatthingshavefirsttowander
sur
about
theearthasenormous
et
and
awe-inspiringcaricatures:
dogmaticphilosophyhasbeen
une
a
caricatureofthiskind—forinstance,theVedantadoctrineinAsia,
et
and
PlatonisminEurope.
Letusnotbeungratefultoit,althoughit
doive
must
certainlybeconfessedthat
la
the
worst,themosttiresome,
et
and
themostdangerousoferrorshitherto
doive
has
beenadogmatisterror—namely,Plato'sinventionofPureSpirit
et
and
theGoodinItself.
Mais
But
nowwhenithasbeensurmounted,whenEurope,ridofthisnightmare,
peut
can
againdrawbreathfreely
et
and
atleastenjoyahealthier—sleep,
nous
we
,WHOSEDUTYISWAKEFULNESSITSELF,aretheheirsofallthestrength
dont
which
thestruggleagainstthiserror
devoir
has
fostered.
Itamountedto
la
the
veryinversionoftruth,
et
and
thedenialofthePERSPECTIVE—thefundamentalcondition—of
vie
life
,tospeakofSpirit
et
and
theGoodasPlatospokeofthem;
indeedone
pourrait
might
ask,asaphysician:
"Howdidsuch
une
a
maladyattackthatfinestproductofantiquity,Plato?
HadthewickedSocrates
vraiment
really
corruptedhim?
WasSocrates
après
after
allacorrupterofyouths,
et
and
deservedhishemlock?"
Butthestruggle
contre
against
Plato,or—tospeakplainer,
et
and
forthe"people"—thestruggle
contre
against
theecclesiasticaloppressionofmillenniumsofChristianity
Pour
(FOR
CHRISTIANITYISPLATONISMFORTHE"PEOPLE"),producedinEurope
une
a
magnificenttensionofsoul,suchashadnotexistedanywherepreviously;
avec
with
suchatenselystrainedbowone
peut
can
nowaimatthefurthestgoals.
As
un
a
matteroffact,theEuropean
ressent
feels
thistensionasastateofdistress,
et
and
twiceattemptshavebeenmadeingrandstyletounbendthebow:
oncebymeansofJesuitism,
et
and
thesecondtimebymeansofdemocraticenlightenment—which,
avec
with
theaidoflibertyof
la
the
pressandnewspaper-reading,might,in
fait
fact
,bringitaboutthat
la
the
spiritwouldnotsoeasily
retrouve
find
itselfin"distress"!
(TheGermansinventedgunpowder—allcreditto
leur
them
!
buttheyagainmadethingssquare—theyinventedprinting.)
Mais
But
we,whoareneitherJesuits,nordemocrats,nor
même
even
sufficientlyGermans,weGOODEUROPEANS,
et
and
free,VERYfreespirits—wehaveitstill,all
la
the
distressofspiritandall
la
the
tensionofitsbow!
Et
And
perhapsalsothearrow,theduty,
et
and
,whoknows?
THEGOALTOAIMAT....
CHAPTERI.PREJUDICESOFPHILOSOPHERS
1.
The
Volonté
Will
toTruth,whichistotemptusto
beaucoup
many
ahazardousenterprise,thefamousTruthfulnessofwhich
tous
all
philosophershavehithertospoken
avec
with
respect,whatquestionshas
cette
this
WilltoTruthnotlaid
devant
before
us!
Whatstrange,perplexing,questionablequestions!
Itis
déjà
already
alongstory;
yetitseemsasifitwerehardlycommenced.
Isitanywonderifweatlastgrowdistrustful,
perdre
lose
patience,andturnimpatientlyaway?
Que
That
thisSphinxteachesusatlastto
poser
ask
questionsourselves?
WHOisitreallythat
pose
puts
questionstoushere?
WHATreallyisthis"WilltoTruth"in
nous
us
?
Infactwemadealonghaltat
la
the
questionastotheoriginof
ce
this
Will—untilatlastwe
arrivions
came
toanabsolutestandstill
devant
before
ayetmorefundamental
question
question
.
WeinquiredabouttheVALUEof
ce
this
Will.
Grantedthatwe
voulions
want
thetruth:
WHYNOTRATHERuntruth?
Et
And
uncertainty?
Evenignorance?
The
problème
problem
ofthevalueof
vérité
truth
presenteditselfbeforeus—orwasitwe
qui
who
presentedourselvesbeforethe
problème
problem
?
WhichofusistheOedipus
ici
here
?
WhichtheSphinx?
Itwouldseemtobe
un
a
rendezvousofquestionsandnotesofinterrogation.
Et
And
coulditbebelievedthatitatlastseemstousas
si
if
theproblemhadneverbeenpropoundedbefore,as
si
if
wewerethefirsttodiscernit,getasightofit,
et
and
RISKRAISINGit?
Forthereisriskinraisingit,
peut-être
perhaps
thereisnogreaterrisk.
2.
"HOW
Pourrait
COULD
anythingoriginateoutofitsopposite?
Forexample,
vérité
truth
outoferror?
or
la
the
WilltoTruthoutof
la
the
willtodeception?
orthegenerousdeedoutofselfishness?
ou
or
thepuresun-brightvisionof
la
the
wisemanoutofcovetousness?
Suchgenesisisimpossible;
whoever
rêve
dreams
ofitisafool,nay,worsethan
un
a
fool;
thingsofthehighestvalue
doivent
must
haveadifferentorigin,anoriginofTHEIRown—inthistransitory,seductive,illusory,paltry
monde
world
,inthisturmoilofdelusion
et
and
cupidity,theycannothavetheirsource.
Mais
But
ratherinthelapofBeing,intheintransitory,intheconcealed
Dieu
God
,inthe'Thing-in-itself—THEREmustbetheirsource,
et
and
nowhereelse!"—Thismodeofreasoningdisclosesthetypicalprejudicebywhichmetaphysiciansof
tous
all
timescanberecognized,
ce
this
modeofvaluationisatthebackof
tous
all
theirlogicalprocedure;
through
cette
this
"belief"oftheirs,theyexertthemselvesfortheir"knowledge,"for
quelque chose
something
thatisintheendsolemnlychristened"theTruth."
ThefundamentalbeliefofmetaphysiciansisTHEBELIEFINANTITHESESOFVALUES.
It
jamais
never
occurredeventothewariestofthemtodoubt
ici
here
ontheverythreshold(wheredoubt,however,was
plus
most
necessary);
thoughtheyhad
fait
made
asolemnvow,"DEOMNIBUSDUBITANDUM."
Forit
peut
may
bedoubted,firstly,whetherantithesesexistatall;
et
and
secondly,whetherthepopularvaluations
et
and
antithesesofvalueuponwhichmetaphysicians
ont
have
settheirseal,arenot
peut-être
perhaps
merelysuperficialestimates,merelyprovisionalperspectives,besidesbeing
probablement
probably
madefromsomecorner,
peut-être
perhaps
frombelow—"frogperspectives,"asitwere,toborrow
une
an
expressioncurrentamongpainters.
Inspiteofall
la
the
valuewhichmaybelongto
la
the
true,thepositive,and
la
the
unselfish,itmightbe
possible
possible
thatahigherand
plus
more
fundamentalvalueforlifegenerallyshouldbeassignedtopretence,to
la
the
willtodelusion,toselfishness,
et
and
cupidity.
Itmightevenbe
possible
possible
thatWHATconstitutesthevalueofthosegood
et
and
respectedthings,consistspreciselyintheirbeinginsidiouslyrelated,knotted,
et
and
crochetedtotheseevil
et
and
apparentlyopposedthings—perhapseveninbeingessentiallyidenticalwiththem.
Peut-être
Perhaps
!
Butwhowishestoconcernhimselfwithsuchdangerous"Perhapses"!
For
qui
that
investigationonemustawait
les
the
adventofanew
ordre
order
ofphilosophers,suchas
être
will
haveothertastesandinclinations,
les
the
reverseofthosehithertoprevalent—philosophersof
les
the
dangerous"Perhaps"ineverysenseof
les
the
term.
Andtospeakin
tout
all
seriousness,Iseesuchnewphilosophersbeginningtoappear.
3.
Havingkept
un
a
sharpeyeonphilosophers,
et
and
havingreadbetweentheirlines
longtemps
long
enough,Inowsaytomyself
que
that
thegreaterpartofconsciousthinking
doit
must
becountedamongtheinstinctivefunctions,
et
and
itissoeveninthe
cas
case
ofphilosophicalthinking;
onehas
ici
here
tolearnanew,asonelearnedanew
sur
about
heredityand"innateness."
As
peu
little
astheactofbirthcomesintoconsiderationin
la
the
wholeprocessandprocedureofheredity,justas
peu
little
is"being-conscious"OPPOSEDto
la
the
instinctiveinanydecisivesense;
la
the
greaterpartoftheconsciousthinkingofaphilosopherissecretlyinfluencedbyhisinstincts,
et
and
forcedintodefinitechannels.
Et
And
behindalllogicanditsseemingsovereigntyofmovement,therearevaluations,
ou
or
tospeakmoreplainly,physiologicaldemands,forthemaintenanceofadefinitemodeof
vie
life
Forexample,thatthecertainisworth
plus
more
thantheuncertain,thatillusionislessvaluablethan"truth"suchvaluations,inspiteoftheirregulativeimportancefor
Nous
US
,mightnotwithstandingbeonlysuperficialvaluations,specialkindsofniaiserie,suchas
peuvent
may
benecessaryforthemaintenanceofbeingssuchasourselves.
Supposing,ineffect,
que
that
manisnotjust
la
the
"measureofthings."
4.
La
The
falsenessofanopinionisnotforusanyobjectionto
elle
it
:
itishere,perhaps,
que
that
ournewlanguagesounds
plus
most
strangely.
Thequestionis,howfaranopinionislife-furthering,life-preserving,species-preserving,
peut-être
perhaps
species-rearing,andwearefundamentallyinclinedtomaintain
que
that
thefalsestopinions(towhichthesyntheticjudgmentsaprioribelong),arethe
plus
most
indispensabletous,that
sans
without
arecognitionoflogicalfictions,
sans
without
acomparisonofreality
avec
with
thepurelyIMAGINEDworldoftheabsolute
et
and
immutable,withoutaconstantcounterfeitingofthe
monde
world
bymeansofnumbers,mancouldnotlive—thattherenunciationoffalseopinions
être
would
bearenunciationof
vie
life
,anegationoflife.
TORECOGNISEUNTRUTHAS
Une
A
CONDITIONOFLIFE;
thatiscertainlytoimpugnthetraditionalideasofvaluein
une
a
dangerousmanner,andaphilosophywhichventuresto
faire
do
so,hastherebyaloneplaceditselfbeyond
bien
good
andevil.
5.
Thatwhichcausesphilosopherstoberegardedhalf-distrustfully
et
and
half-mockingly,isnottheoft-repeateddiscoveryhowinnocenttheyare—howoften
et
and
easilytheymakemistakes
et
and
losetheirway,inshort,howchildish
et
and
childliketheyare,—butthatthereisnotenoughhonest
traiter
dealing
withthem,whereasthey
tous
all
raisealoudandvirtuousoutcry
quand
when
theproblemoftruthfulnessis
même
even
hintedatintheremotestmanner.
Theyallposeas
si
though
theirrealopinionshadbeendiscovered
et
and
attainedthroughtheself-evolvingof
une
a
cold,pure,divinelyindifferentdialectic(incontrasttoallsortsofmystics,who,fairer
et
and
foolisher,talkof"inspiration"),whereas,in
fait
fact
,aprejudicedproposition,idea,
ou
or
"suggestion,"whichisgenerallytheirheart'sdesireabstracted
et
and
refined,isdefendedbythem
avec
with
argumentssoughtoutafter
le
the
event.
Theyarealladvocateswho
ne
do
notwishtoberegardedassuch,generallyastutedefenders,
aussi
also
,oftheirprejudices,whichtheydub"truths,"—and
Très
VERY
farfromhavingtheconsciencewhichbravelyadmits
cela
this
toitself,veryfarfromhavingthe
bon
good
tasteofthecouragewhich
va
goes
sofarasto
laisser
let
thisbeunderstood,perhapstowarnfriend
ou
or
foe,orincheerfulconfidence
et
and
self-ridicule.
ThespectacleoftheTartufferyof
vieux
old
Kant,equallystiffanddecent,
avec
with
whichheenticesusintothedialecticby-waysthatlead(morecorrectlymislead)tohis"categoricalimperative"—makesusfastidiousonessmile,wewho
trouvons
find
nosmallamusementinspyingoutthesubtletricksof
vieux
old
moralistsandethicalpreachers.
Ou
Or
,stillmoreso,thehocus-pocusinmathematicalform,bymeansofwhichSpinozahas,asitwere,cladhisphilosophyinmail
et
and
mask—infact,the"loveofHISwisdom,"totranslatethetermfairly
et
and
squarely—inordertherebytostriketerroratonceintothe
cœur
heart
oftheassailantwhoshoulddaretocast
un
a
glanceonthatinvinciblemaiden,thatPallasAthene:—howmuchofpersonaltimidity
et
and
vulnerabilitydoesthismasqueradeof
un
a
sicklyreclusebetray!
6.
Ithasgradually
devenu
become
cleartomewhat
chaque
every
greatphilosophyuptillnowhasconsistedof—namely,
la
the
confessionofitsoriginator,
et
and
aspeciesofinvoluntary
et
and
unconsciousauto-biography;
andmoreover
que
that
themoral(orimmoral)purposein
chaque
every
philosophyhasconstitutedthe
véritable
true
vitalgermoutofwhichtheentireplanthas
toujours
always
grown.
Indeed,tounderstand
comment
how
theabstrusestmetaphysicalassertionsofaphilosopherhavebeenarrivedat,itis
toujours
always
well(andwise)tofirst
demander
ask
oneself:
"Whatmoralitydothey(ordoeshe)aimat?"
Accordingly,I
ne
do
notbelievethatan"impulsetoknowledge"isthe
père
father
ofphilosophy;
butthat
autre
another
impulse,hereaselsewhere,hasonly
fait
made
useofknowledge(andmistakenknowledge!)
as
un
an
instrument.
Butwhoeverconsidersthefundamentalimpulsesofmanwithaviewtodetermininghowfarthey
pu
may
havehereactedasINSPIRINGGENII
Ou
(or
asdemonsandcobolds),
été
will
findthattheyhave
toutes
all
practicedphilosophyatone
moment
time
oranother,andthat
chacune
each
oneofthemwould
ont
have
beenonlytoogladtolookuponitselfastheultimate
fin
end
ofexistenceandthelegitimate
Seigneur
LORD
overalltheotherimpulses.
For
chaque
every
impulseisimperious,andasSUCH,attemptstophilosophize.
Tobe
sûr
sure
,inthecaseofscholars,in
le
the
caseofreallyscientificmen,it
peut
may
beotherwise—"better,"ifyouwill;
therethere
peut
may
reallybesucha
chose
thing
asan"impulsetoknowledge,"some
sorte
kind
ofsmall,independentclock-work,which,
quand
when
wellwoundup,works
loin
away
industriouslytothatend,
Sans
WITHOUT
therestofthescholarlyimpulses
prenant
taking
anymaterialparttherein.
Theactual"interests"ofthescholar,therefore,aregenerallyinquite
autre
another
direction—inthefamily,perhaps,
ou
or
inmoney-making,orinpolitics;
it
est
is
,infact,almostindifferentatwhat
point
point
ofresearchhislittlemachineisplaced,
et
and
whetherthehopefulyoungworker
devient
becomes
agoodphilologist,amushroomspecialist,
ou
or
achemist;
heisnotCHARACTERISEDby
devenir
becoming
thisorthat.
In
le
the
philosopher,onthecontrary,
il
there
isabsolutelynothingimpersonal;
et
and
aboveall,hismoralityfurnishes
un
a
decidedanddecisivetestimonyastoWHOHEIS,—thatisto
dire
say
,inwhatorderthedeepestimpulsesofhisnature
tiennent
stand
toeachother.
7.
Howmaliciousphilosophers
peuvent
can
be!
Iknowof
rien
nothing
morestingingthanthejokeEpicurus
pris
took
thelibertyofmakingonPlato
et
and
thePlatonists;
hecalledthemDionysiokolakes.
Initsoriginalsense,
et
and
onthefaceofit,the
mot
word
signifies"FlatterersofDionysius"—consequently,tyrants'accessories
et
and
lick-spittles;
besidesthis,however,itisasmuchasto
dire
say
,"TheyareallACTORS,thereis
rien
nothing
genuineaboutthem"(forDionysiokolaxwasapopular
nom
name
foranactor).
And
le
the
latterisreallythemalignantreproachthatEpicuruscastuponPlato:
hewasannoyedbythegrandiosemanner,themiseenscenestyleof
dont
which
Platoandhisscholarsweremasters—of
dont
which
Epicuruswasnota
maître
master
!
He,theoldschool-teacherofSamos,
qui
who
satconcealedinhis
petit
little
gardenatAthens,and
écrit
wrote
threehundredbooks,perhapsoutofrage
et
and
ambitiousenvyofPlato,
qui
who
knows!
Greecetookahundredyearstofindout
qui
who
thegarden-godEpicurusreallywas.
Didsheeverfindout?
8.
Thereis
un
a
pointineveryphilosophyatwhich
la
the
"conviction"ofthephilosopherappearson
la
the
scene;
or,toputitinthewordsofanancientmystery:.
Adventavitasinus,Pulcheretfortissimus.
9.
Youdesireto
Vivre
LIVE
"accordingtoNature"?
Oh,younobleStoics,whatfraudofwords!
Imaginetoyourselves
un
a
beinglikeNature,boundlesslyextravagant,boundlesslyindifferent,
sans
without
purposeorconsideration,withoutpityorjustice,at
fois
once
fruitfulandbarrenanduncertain:
imaginetoyourselvesINDIFFERENCEasapower—howCOULDyou
vivre
live
inaccordancewithsuchindifference?
Tolive—isnotthatjustendeavouringtobeotherwisethanthisNature?
Isnot
vit
living
valuing,preferring,beingunjust,beinglimited,endeavouringtobe
différent
different
?
Andgrantedthatyourimperative,"livingaccordingtoNature,"
signifie
means
actuallythesameas"livingaccordingtolife"—how
pourriez
could
youdoDIFFERENTLY?
Why
devriez
should
youmakeaprincipleoutofwhatyouyourselves
être
are
,andmustbe?
Inreality,however,itis
tout à fait
quite
otherwisewithyou:
whileyoupretendto
lire
read
withrapturethecanonofyour
loi
law
inNature,youwant
quelque chose
something
quitethecontrary,youextraordinarystage-players
et
and
self-deluders!
Inyourprideyou
voulez
wish
todictateyourmorals
et
and
idealstoNature,toNatureherself,
et
and
toincorporatethemtherein;
youinsistthatitshallbeNature"accordingto
la
the
Stoa,"andwouldlike
tout
everything
tobemadeafteryourownimage,as
une
a
vast,eternalglorificationandgeneralismofStoicism!
Avec
With
allyourlovefor
vérité
truth
,youhaveforcedyourselvesso
longtemps
long
,sopersistently,andwithsuchhypnoticrigidityto
voir
see
NatureFALSELY,thatisto
dire
say
,Stoically,thatyouarenolonger
capable
able
toseeitotherwise—andtocrown
tout
all
,someunfathomablesuperciliousnessgivesyoutheBedlamitehope
que
that
BECAUSEyouareabletotyrannize
sur
over
yourselves—Stoicismisself-tyranny—Naturewill
aussi
also
allowherselftobetyrannized
sur
over
:
isnottheStoica
Partie
PART
ofNature?...
Butthisis
une
an
oldandeverlastingstory:
whathappenedinoldtimes
avec
with
theStoicsstillhappens
aujourd'hui
today
,assoonaseveraphilosophybeginsto
croire
believe
initself.
Italwayscreates
le
the
worldinitsownimage;
itcannot
faire
do
otherwise;
philosophyisthistyrannicalimpulseitself,the
plus
most
spiritualWilltoPower,the
volonté
will
to"creationoftheworld,"the
volonté
will
tothecausaprima.
10.
Theeagerness
et
and
subtlety,Ishouldeven
dirais
say
craftiness,withwhichthe
problème
problem
of"therealandtheapparentworld"is
traité
dealt
withatpresentthroughoutEurope,furnishes
nourriture
food
forthoughtandattention;
et
and
hewhohearsonlya"WilltoTruth"inthebackground,
et
and
nothingelse,cannotcertainlyboastofthesharpestears.
Inrare
et
and
isolatedcases,itmay
vraiment
really
havehappenedthatsuch
un
a
WilltoTruth—acertainextravagant
et
and
adventurouspluck,ametaphysician'sambitionof
la
the
forlornhope—hasparticipatedtherein:
thatwhichin
la
the
endalwaysprefersahandfulof"certainty"toa
tout
whole
cartloadofbeautifulpossibilities;
there
peut
may
evenbepuritanicalfanaticsofconscience,
qui
who
prefertoputtheir
dernière
last
trustinasure
rien
nothing
,ratherthaninanuncertain
quelque chose
something
.
ButthatisNihilism,
et
and
thesignofadespairing,mortallyweariedsoul,notwithstanding
le
the
courageousbearingsuchavirtue
peut
may
display.
Itseems,however,tobeotherwise
avec
with
strongerandlivelierthinkers
qui
who
arestilleagerforlife.
InthattheysideAGAINSTappearance,
et
and
speaksuperciliouslyof"perspective,"inthattheyrank
la
the
credibilityoftheirownbodiesaboutaslowas
la
the
credibilityoftheocularevidencethat"the
terre
earth
standsstill,"andthus,apparently,allowing
avec
with
complacencytheirsecurestpossessiontoescape(forwhatdoesoneatpresent
croyons
believe
inmorefirmlythaninone'sbody?),—who
sait
knows
iftheyarenot
vraiment
really
tryingtowinback
quelque chose
something
whichwasformerlyanevensecurerpossession,
quelque chose
something
oftheolddomainof
la
the
faithofformertimes,
peut-être
perhaps
the"immortalsoul,"perhaps"the
vieux
old
God,"inshort,ideasbywhichtheycould
vivre
live
better,thatistosay,
plus
more
vigorouslyandmorejoyously,thanby"modernideas"?
ThereisDISTRUSTof
ces
these
modernideasinthismodeof
regarder
looking
atthings,adisbeliefin
tout
all
thathasbeenconstructedyesterday
et
and
today;
thereisperhapssomeslightadmixtureofsatiety
et
and
scorn,whichcannolongerenduretheBRIC-A-BRACofideasofthe
plus
most
variedorigin,suchasso-calledPositivismatpresentthrowsonthemarket;
un
a
disgustofthemorerefinedtasteat
la
the
village-fairmotleynessandpatchinessof
tous
all
thesereality-philosophasters,inwhom
il
there
isnothingeithernew
ou
or
true,exceptthismotleyness.
Thereinitseemstome
que
that
weshouldagreewith
ces
those
skepticalanti-realistsandknowledge-microscopistsofthepresentday;
theirinstinct,
qui
which
repelsthemfromMODERNreality,isunrefuted...
whatdotheirretrogradeby-pathsconcern
nous
us
!
ThemainthingaboutthemisNOTthatthey
souhaitent
wish
togo"back,"butthatthey
souhaitent
wish
togetAWAYtherefrom.
Un
A
littleMOREstrength,swing,courage,
et
and
artisticpower,andtheywouldbeOFF—andnot
retour
back
!
11.
Itseemstome
que
that
thereiseverywhereanattemptatpresenttodivertattentionfrom
la
the
actualinfluencewhichKantexercisedonGermanphilosophy,
et
and
especiallytoignoreprudently
la
the
valuewhichhesetuponhimself.
Kantwasfirst
et
and
foremostproudofhisTableofCategories;
avec
with
itinhishandhe
dit
said
:
"Thisisthemostdifficult
chose
thing
thatcouldeverbeundertakenonbehalfofmetaphysics."
Letusonly
comprenons
understand
this"couldbe"!
HewasproudofhavingDISCOVERED
une
a
newfacultyinman,
la
the
facultyofsyntheticjudgment
une
a
priori.
Grantingthathedeceivedhimselfin
cette
this
matter;
thedevelopmentandrapidflourishingofGermanphilosophydependedneverthelessonhispride,
et
and
ontheeagerrivalryoftheyoungergenerationtodiscover
si
if
possiblesomething—atallevents"newfaculties"—of
dont
which
tobestillprouder!—Butletusreflectfor
un
a
moment—itishightimeto
faire
do
so.
"HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaprioriPOSSIBLE?"
Kant
demande
asks
himself—andwhatisreallyhis
réponse
answer
?
"BYMEANSOFAMEANS(faculty)"—butunfortunatelynotin
cinq
five
words,butsocircumstantially,imposingly,
et
and
withsuchdisplayofGermanprofundity
et
and
verbalflourishes,thatonealtogether
perd
loses
sightofthecomicalniaiserieallemandeinvolvedin
tel
such
ananswer.
Peoplewerebesidethemselveswithdelight
sur
over
thisnewfaculty,andthejubilationreacheditsclimaxwhenKantfurtherdiscovered
une
a
moralfacultyinman—foratthattimeGermanswerestillmoral,notyetdabblinginthe"Politicsofhardfact."
Then
vint
came
thehoneymoonofGermanphilosophy.
Tous
All
theyoungtheologiansoftheTubingeninstitutionwentimmediatelyintothegroves—allseekingfor"faculties."
Et
And
whatdidtheynotfind—in
que
that
innocent,rich,andstillyouthfulperiodoftheGermanspirit,to
laquelle
which
Romanticism,themaliciousfairy,piped
et
and
sang,whenonecouldnotyetdistinguish
entre
between
"finding"and"inventing"!
Above
tout
all
afacultyforthe"transcendental";
Schellingchristenedit,intellectualintuition,
et
and
therebygratifiedthemostearnestlongingsof
les
the
naturallypious-inclinedGermans.
One
peut
can
donogreaterwrongtothewholeof
ce
this
exuberantandeccentricmovement(whichwasreallyyouthfulness,notwithstandingthatitdisguiseditselfsoboldly,inhoary
et
and
senileconceptions),thanto
prendre
take
itseriously,oreventreatit
avec
with
moralindignation.
Enough,however—the
monde
world
grewolder,andthe
rêve
dream
vanished.
Atimecamewhen
gens
people
rubbedtheirforeheads,andtheystillrubthem
aujourd'hui
today
.
Peoplehadbeendreaming,
et
and
firstandforemost—oldKant.
"Bymeansofameans(faculty)"—hehadsaid,
ou
or
atleastmeantto
dire
say
.
But,isthat—ananswer?
Une
An
explanation?
Orisitnotrathermerely
une
a
repetitionofthequestion?
Comment
How
doesopiuminducesleep?
"Bymeansof
un
a
means(faculty),"namelythevirtusdormitiva,replies
le
the
doctorinMoliere,.
Butsuchrepliesbelongtotherealmofcomedy,
et
and
itishightimetoreplacetheKantian
question
question
,"HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaPRIORIpossible?"
by
autre
another
question,"Whyisbeliefinsuchjudgmentsnecessary?"—ineffect,itishigh
temps
time
thatweshouldunderstand
que
that
suchjudgmentsmustbebelievedtobetrue,forthesakeofthepreservationofcreatures
comme
like
ourselves;
thoughtheystill
puissent
might
naturallybefalsejudgments!
Ou
Or
,moreplainlyspoken,androughly
et
and
readily—syntheticjudgmentsapriori
devraient
should
not"bepossible"at
tout
all
;
wehavenorightto
eux
them
;
inourmouthstheyarenothingbutfalsejudgments.
Seule
Only
,ofcourse,thebeliefintheir
vérité
truth
isnecessary,asplausiblebelief
et
and
ocularevidencebelongingto
la
the
perspectiveviewoflife.
Et
And
finally,tocalltomind
la
the
enormousinfluencewhich"Germanphilosophy"—Ihopeyou
comprenez
understand
itsrighttoinvertedcommas(goosefeet)?—hasexercisedthroughout
la
the
wholeofEurope,thereis
aucun
no
doubtthatacertainVIRTUSDORMITIVAhadashareinit;
thankstoGermanphilosophy,itwasadelighttothenobleidlers,thevirtuous,themystics,theartiste,thethree-fourthsChristians,
et
and
thepoliticalobscurantistsof
toutes
all
nations,tofindanantidotetothestilloverwhelmingsensualism
qui
which
overflowedfromthelastcenturyinto
ce
this
,inshort—"sensusassoupire."...