PREFACE
SUPPOSINGthatTruthis
eine
awoman—whatthen?Istherenotgroundforsuspectingthat
alle
allphilosophers,insofarastheyhaben
havebeendogmatists,havefailedtoverstehen
understandwomen—thattheterribleseriousnessund
andclumsyimportunitywithwhichtheyhaben
haveusuallypaidtheiraddressestoWahrheit
Truth,havebeenunskilledandunseemlymethodsforwinningeine
awoman?Certainlyshehas
nie
neverallowedherselftobewon;und
andatpresenteverykindofdogmastandswithsadund
anddiscouragedmien—IF,indeed,itstandsatall!Fortherearescofferswhomaintain
dass
thatithasfallen,thatalle
alldogmaliesontheground—naymore,dass
thatitisatitslastgasp.Aber
Buttospeakseriously,therearegoodgroundsforhoffen
hopingthatalldogmatizinginphilosophy,whateversolemn,whateverconclusiveund
anddecidedairsithasassumed,maysein
havebeenonlyanoblepuerilismund
andtyronism;andprobablythe
zeit
timeisathandwhenitwerden
willbeonceandagainunderstoodWHAThastatsächlich
actuallysufficedforthebasisofsuchimposingund
andabsolutephilosophicaledificesasthedogmatistshaben
havehithertoreared:perhapssomepopularsuperstitionofimmemorialtime(suchasthesoul-superstition,which,intheformofsubject-
und
andego-superstition,hasnotyetceaseddoingmischief):vielleicht
perhapssomeplayuponwords,adeceptiononder
thepartofgrammar,oranaudaciousgeneralizationofsehr
veryrestricted,verypersonal,veryhuman—all-too-humanfacts.Thephilosophyofthedogmatists,itistobehoped,was
nur
onlyapromiseforthousandsofyearsafterwards,aswasastrologyinstillearliertimes,intheserviceofwhichwahrscheinlich
probablymorelabour,gold,acuteness,und
andpatiencehavebeenspentthanonanyactualsciencehitherto:weowetoit,
und
andtoits"super-terrestrial"pretensionsinAsiaund
andEgypt,thegrandstyleofarchitecture.Itseems
dass
thatinordertoinscribethemselvesupontheherz
heartofhumanitywitheverlastingclaims,alle
allgreatthingshavefirsttowanderüber
abouttheearthasenormousund
andawe-inspiringcaricatures:dogmaticphilosophyhasbeen
eine
acaricatureofthiskind—forinstance,theVedantadoctrineinAsia,und
andPlatonisminEurope.Letusnotbeungratefulto
es
it,althoughitmustcertainlybeconfessedthatder
theworst,themosttiresome,und
andthemostdangerousoferrorshithertohasbeenein
adogmatisterror—namely,Plato'sinventionofPureSpiritund
andtheGoodinItself.Aber
Butnowwhenithasbeensurmounted,wenn
whenEurope,ridofthisnightmare,kann
canagaindrawbreathfreelyund
andatleastenjoyahealthier—sleep,wir
we,WHOSEDUTYISWAKEFULNESSITSELF,aretheheirsofaller
allthestrengthwhichthestrugglegegen
againstthiserrorhasfostered.Itamountedto
der
theveryinversionoftruth,und
andthedenialofthePERSPECTIVE—thefundamentalcondition—oflife,tosprechen
speakofSpiritandtheGut
GoodasPlatospokeofthem;indeedone
könnte
mightask,asaphysician:"Howdid
solche
suchamaladyattackthatfinestproductofantiquity,Plato?Had
der
thewickedSocratesreallycorruptedihn
him?WasSocratesafterall
ein
acorrupterofyouths,anddeservedhishemlock?"Aber
ButthestruggleagainstPlato,or—tospeakplainer,und
andforthe"people"—thestrugglegegen
againsttheecclesiasticaloppressionofmillenniumsofChristianityFür
(FORCHRISTIANITYISPLATONISMFORTHE"PEOPLE"),producedinEuropeeine
amagnificenttensionofsoul,suchashadnotexistedanywherepreviously;withsuchatenselystrainedbow
einem
onecannowaimatdie
thefurthestgoals.Asamatteroffact,theEuropeanfeels
diese
thistensionasastateofdistress,und
andtwiceattemptshavebeenmadeingrandstyletounbendthebow:einmal
oncebymeansofJesuitism,und
andthesecondtimebymeansofdemocraticenlightenment—which,withtheaidoflibertyofthepressund
andnewspaper-reading,might,infact,bringitaboutso
thatthespiritwouldnotsoeasilyfinditselfin"distress"!(TheGermansinventedgunpowder—allcredittothem!
aber
buttheyagainmadethingssquare—theyinventedprinting.)Aber
Butwe,whoareneitherJesuits,nordemocrats,norsogar
evensufficientlyGermans,weGOODEUROPEANS,und
andfree,VERYfreespirits—wehaben
haveitstill,allthedistressofspiritund
andallthetensionofitsbow!Und
Andperhapsalsothearrow,theduty,und
and,whoknows?THEGOALTOAIMAT....
CHAPTERI.PREJUDICESOFPHILOSOPHERS
1.
The
Wille
WilltoTruth,whichistotemptustomanyahazardousenterprise,thefamousTruthfulnessofwhichalle
allphilosophershavehithertospokenwithrespect,whatquestionshasdieser
thisWilltoTruthnotlaidbeforeus!Whatstrange,perplexing,questionablequestions!
Itis
schon
alreadyalongstory;yetitseemsasifitwerehardlycommenced.
Isitanywonder
wenn
ifweatlastgrowdistrustful,verlieren
losepatience,andturnimpatientlyaway?Dass
ThatthisSphinxteachesusatlasttoaskquestionsourselves?WHOisit
wirklich
reallythatputsquestionstoushier
here?WHATreallyisthis"WilltoTruth"inus?
Infactwemadea
lange
longhaltatthequestionastoder
theoriginofthisWill—untilatlastwekamen
cametoanabsolutestandstillvor
beforeayetmorefundamentalfrage
question.WeinquiredabouttheVALUEof
dieses
thisWill.Grantedthatwe
wollen
wantthetruth:WHYNOTRATHERuntruth?
Und
Anduncertainty?Evenignorance?
The
problem
problemofthevalueofwahrheit
truthpresenteditselfbeforeus—orwasitwewhopresentedourselvesvor
beforetheproblem?WhichofusistheOedipus
hier
here?WhichtheSphinx?
Itwouldseemtobe
ein
arendezvousofquestionsandnotesofinterrogation.Und
Andcoulditbebelievedthatitatlastseemstousasiftheproblem
problemhadneverbeenpropoundedbefore,asifwewerethefirsttodiscernes
it,getasightofes
it,andRISKRAISINGit?Forthereisriskinraising
es
it,perhapsthereisnogreaterrisk.2.
"HOW
Könnte
COULDanythingoriginateoutofitsopposite?Forexample,
wahrheit
truthoutoferror?or
der
theWilltoTruthoutofder
thewilltodeception?or
die
thegenerousdeedoutofselfishness?or
die
thepuresun-brightvisionofdie
thewisemanoutofcovetousness?Solche
Suchgenesisisimpossible;whoeverdreamsofitis
ein
afool,nay,worsethanein
afool;thingsofthehighestvalue
müssen
musthaveadifferentorigin,anoriginofTHEIRown—indieser
thistransitory,seductive,illusory,paltrywelt
world,inthisturmoilofdelusionund
andcupidity,theycannothavetheirsource.Aber
ButratherinthelapofBeing,intheintransitory,intheconcealedGott
God,inthe'Thing-in-itself—THEREmustbetheirsource,und
andnowhereelse!"—Thismodeofreasoningdisclosesthetypicalprejudicebywhichmetaphysiciansofaller
alltimescanberecognized,diese
thismodeofvaluationisatthebackofaller
alltheirlogicalprocedure;throughthis"belief"oftheirs,theyexertthemselvesfortheir"knowledge,"for
etwas
somethingthatisintheendsolemnlychristened"theTruth."ThefundamentalbeliefofmetaphysiciansisTHEBELIEFINANTITHESESOFVALUES.
Itneveroccurredeventothewariestofthemtodoubt
hier
hereontheverythreshold(wheredoubt,however,wasmostnecessary);obwohl
thoughtheyhadmadeasolemnvow,"DEOMNIBUSDUBITANDUM."Forit
kann
maybedoubted,firstly,whetherantithesesexistatall;und
andsecondly,whetherthepopularvaluationsund
andantithesesofvalueuponwhichmetaphysicianshaben
havesettheirseal,arenotvielleicht
perhapsmerelysuperficialestimates,merelyprovisionalperspectives,besidesbeingwahrscheinlich
probablymadefromsomecorner,vielleicht
perhapsfrombelow—"frogperspectives,"asitwere,toborrowanexpressioncurrentamongpainters.Inspiteofallthevaluewhich
kann
maybelongtothetrue,thepositive,und
andtheunselfish,itmightbepossibledass
thatahigherandmorefundamentalvalueforleben
lifegenerallyshouldbeassignedtopretence,tothewerden
willtodelusion,toselfishness,und
andcupidity.Itmightevenbepossible
dass
thatWHATconstitutesthevalueofthosegoodund
andrespectedthings,consistspreciselyintheirbeinginsidiouslyrelated,knotted,und
andcrochetedtotheseevilund
andapparentlyopposedthings—perhapseveninbeingessentiallyidenticalwiththem.Vielleicht
Perhaps!Butwhowishestoconcernhimselfwithsuchdangerous"Perhapses"!
Forthatinvestigation
einer
onemustawaittheadventofanewordnung
orderofphilosophers,suchaswerden
willhaveothertastesandinclinations,thereverseofthosehithertoprevalent—philosophersofthedangerous"Perhaps"ineverysenseoftheterm.Und
Andtospeakinallseriousness,Isehe
seesuchnewphilosophersbeginningtoappear.3.
Havingkeptasharpeyeonphilosophers,
und
andhavingreadbetweentheirlineslange
longenough,Inowsaytomyselfthatthegreaterteil
partofconsciousthinkingmustbecountedamongtheinstinctivefunctions,und
anditissoeveninthecaseofphilosophicaldenken
thinking;onehasheretolearnanew,asonelearnedanew
über
aboutheredityand"innateness."As
wenig
littleastheactofbirthcomesintoconsiderationinthewholeprocessund
andprocedureofheredity,justaswenig
littleis"being-conscious"OPPOSEDtotheinstinctiveinanydecisivesense;der
thegreaterpartoftheconsciousthinkingofaphilosopherissecretlyinfluencedbyhisinstincts,und
andforcedintodefinitechannels.Und
Andbehindalllogicanditsseemingsovereigntyofmovement,therearevaluations,ortospeakmehr
moreplainly,physiologicaldemands,forthemaintenanceofadefinitemodeoflifeForexample,dass
thatthecertainisworthmehr
morethantheuncertain,thatillusionislessvaluablethan"truth"suchvaluations,inspiteoftheirregulativeimportanceforUS,mightnotwithstandingbeonlysuperficialvaluations,specialkindsofniaiserie,suchasmaybenecessaryforthemaintenanceofbeingssuchasourselves.Supposing,ineffect,thatmanisnot
nur
justthe"measureofthings."4.
Die
Thefalsenessofanopinionisnotforusanyobjectiontoit:itis
hier
here,perhaps,thatournewlanguageklingt
soundsmoststrangely.Thequestionis,howfaranopinionislife-furthering,life-preserving,species-preserving,
vielleicht
perhapsspecies-rearing,andwearefundamentallyinclinedtomaintaindass
thatthefalsestopinions(towhichthesyntheticjudgmentsaprioribelong),arethemostindispensabletous,dass
thatwithoutarecognitionoflogicalfictions,ohne
withoutacomparisonofrealitywiththepurelyIMAGINEDwelt
worldoftheabsoluteandimmutable,ohne
withoutaconstantcounterfeitingofthewelt
worldbymeansofnumbers,mankönnte
couldnotlive—thattherenunciationoffalseopinionswouldbearenunciationofleben
life,anegationoflife.TORECOGNISEUNTRUTHASACONDITIONOFLIFE;
thatiscertainlytoimpugnthetraditionalideasofvaluein
eine
adangerousmanner,andaphilosophywhichventurestotun
doso,hastherebyaloneplaceditselfbeyondgut
goodandevil.5.
Thatwhichcausesphilosopherstoberegardedhalf-distrustfully
und
andhalf-mockingly,isnottheoft-repeateddiscoveryhowinnocenttheyare—howoftenund
andeasilytheymakemistakesund
andlosetheirway,inshort,howchildishund
andchildliketheyare,—butthatthereisnotgenug
enoughhonestdealingwiththem,whereastheyalle
allraisealoudandvirtuousoutcrywenn
whentheproblemoftruthfulnessisauch
evenhintedatintheremotestmanner.They
alle
allposeasthoughtheirrealopinionshadbeendiscoveredund
andattainedthroughtheself-evolvingofacold,pure,divinelyindifferentdialectic(incontrasttoalle
allsortsofmystics,who,fairerund
andfoolisher,talkof"inspiration"),whereas,infact,aprejudicedproposition,idee
idea,or"suggestion,"whichisgenerallytheirheart'sdesireabstractedund
andrefined,isdefendedbythemwithargumentssoughtoutnach
aftertheevent.Theyare
alle
alladvocateswhodonotwishtoberegardedassolche
such,generallyastutedefenders,also,oftheirprejudices,whichtheydub"truths,"—andSehr
VERYfarfromhavingtheconsciencewhichbravelyadmitsthistoitself,sehr
veryfarfromhavingthegoodtasteofthecouragewhichgeht
goessofarastoletthisbeunderstood,vielleicht
perhapstowarnfriendorfoe,orincheerfulconfidenceund
andself-ridicule.ThespectacleoftheTartufferyofoldKant,equallystiff
und
anddecent,withwhichheenticesusintothedialecticby-waysthatlead(morecorrectlymislead)tohis"categoricalimperative"—makesusfastidiousonessmile,wewhofindnicht
nosmallamusementinspyingoutthesubtletricksofoldmoralistsund
andethicalpreachers.Or,stillmoreso,thehocus-pocusinmathematicalform,bymeansofwhichSpinozahas,asitwere,cladhisphilosophyinmail
und
andmask—infact,the"loveofHISwisdom,"totranslatethetermfairlyund
andsquarely—inordertherebytostriketerroratonceintotheherz
heartoftheassailantwhosollte
shoulddaretocastaglanceonthatinvinciblemaiden,thatPallasAthene:—howviel
muchofpersonaltimidityandvulnerabilitytat
doesthismasqueradeofasicklyreclusebetray!6.
Ithasgraduallybecome
klar
cleartomewhateverygreatphilosophyuptilljetzt
nowhasconsistedof—namely,theconfessionofitsoriginator,und
andaspeciesofinvoluntaryund
andunconsciousauto-biography;andmoreover
dass
thatthemoral(orimmoral)purposeinjeder
everyphilosophyhasconstitutedthetruevitalgermaus
outofwhichtheentireplanthasalwaysgrown.Indeed,to
verstehen
understandhowtheabstrusestmetaphysicalassertionsofaphilosopherhavebeenarrivedat,itisalwaysgut
well(andwise)tofirstfragen
askoneself:"Whatmoralitydothey(ordoeshe)aimat?"
Accordingly,Idonot
glaube
believethatan"impulsetoknowledge"isder
thefatherofphilosophy;but
dass
thatanotherimpulse,hereaselsewhere,hasnur
onlymadeuseofknowledge(andmistakenknowledge!)as
ein
aninstrument.Butwhoeverconsidersthefundamentalimpulsesofmanwithaviewtodetermininghowfartheymay
haben
havehereactedasINSPIRINGGENII(orasdemonsund
andcobolds),willfindthattheyhaben
haveallpracticedphilosophyateiner
onetimeoranother,andthatjeder
eachoneofthemwouldhaben
havebeenonlytoogladtolookuponitselfastheultimateendofexistenceund
andthelegitimateLORDoveralle
alltheotherimpulses.For
jeder
everyimpulseisimperious,andasSUCH,attemptstophilosophize.Tobe
sicher
sure,inthecaseofscholars,inthefall
caseofreallyscientificmen,itkann
maybeotherwise—"better,"ifyouwill;therethere
kann
mayreallybesuchathingasan"impulsetoknowledge,"etwas
somekindofsmall,independentclock-work,which,wenn
whenwellwoundup,worksawayindustriouslytothatend,Ohne
WITHOUTtherestofthescholarlyimpulsestakinganymaterialteil
parttherein.Theactual"interests"ofthescholar,therefore,aregenerallyin
ganz
quiteanotherdirection—inthefamily,vielleicht
perhaps,orinmoney-making,orinpolitics;itis,infact,
fast
almostindifferentatwhatpointofresearchhislittlemachineisplaced,und
andwhetherthehopefulyoungworkerbecomesein
agoodphilologist,amushroomspecialist,orein
achemist;heisnotCHARACTERISEDbybecomingthisorthat.
Inthephilosopher,onthecontrary,thereisabsolutely
nichts
nothingimpersonal;andaboveall,hismoralityfurnishes
ein
adecidedanddecisivetestimonyastoWHOHEIS,—thatistosay,inwhatreihenfolge
orderthedeepestimpulsesofhisnaturestehen
standtoeachother.7.
Howmaliciousphilosophers
können
canbe!Iknowof
nichts
nothingmorestingingthanthejokeEpicurustookthelibertyofmakingonPlatound
andthePlatonists;hecalledthemDionysiokolakes.
Initsoriginalsense,
und
andonthefaceofit,thewort
wordsignifies"FlatterersofDionysius"—consequently,tyrants'accessoriesund
andlick-spittles;besidesthis,however,itisas
viel
muchastosay,"Theyarealle
allACTORS,thereisnothinggenuineaboutthem"(forDionysiokolaxwasapopularname
nameforanactor).Andthelatteris
wirklich
reallythemalignantreproachthatEpicuruscastuponPlato:hewasannoyedbythegrandiosemanner,themiseenscenestyleofwhichPlato
und
andhisscholarsweremasters—ofwhichEpicuruswasnotameister
master!He,theoldschool-teacherofSamos,whosatconcealedinhislittlegardenatAthens,
und
andwrotethreehundredbooks,vielleicht
perhapsoutofrageandambitiousenvyofPlato,whoknows!Greecetookahundredyearstofindoutwho
der
thegarden-godEpicurusreallywas.Didsheeverfindout?
8.
Thereisa
punkt
pointineveryphilosophyatwhichdie
the"conviction"ofthephilosopherappearsondie
thescene;or,toputitin
den
thewordsofanancientmystery:.Adventavitasinus,Pulcheretfortissimus.
9.
Youdesireto
Leben
LIVE"accordingtoNature"?Oh,younobleStoics,whatfraudofwords!
Imaginetoyourselves
ein
abeinglikeNature,boundlesslyextravagant,boundlesslyindifferent,ohne
withoutpurposeorconsideration,withoutpityorjustice,atoncefruitfulund
andbarrenanduncertain:imaginetoyourselvesINDIFFERENCEas
eine
apower—howCOULDyouliveinaccordancewithsuchindifference?Tolive—isnotthat
nur
justendeavouringtobeotherwiseals
thanthisNature?Isnot
leben
livingvaluing,preferring,beingunjust,beinglimited,endeavouringtobedifferent?Und
Andgrantedthatyourimperative,"livingaccordingtoNature,"meanseigentlich
actuallythesameas"livingaccordingtolife"—howkönnten
couldyoudoDIFFERENTLY?Why
solltet
shouldyoumakeaprincipleaus
outofwhatyouyourselvesare,und
andmustbe?Inreality,however,itis
ganz
quiteotherwisewithyou:whileyoupretendto
lesen
readwithrapturethecanonofyourlawinNature,youwantetwas
somethingquitethecontrary,youextraordinarystage-playersund
andself-deluders!Inyourprideyouwishtodictateyourmorals
und
andidealstoNature,toNatureherself,und
andtoincorporatethemtherein;youinsist
dass
thatitshallbeNature"accordingtotheStoa,"und
andwouldlikeeverythingtobemadeafteryourownimage,aseine
avast,eternalglorificationandgeneralismofStoicism!Withallyour
liebe
lovefortruth,youhaveforcedyourselvessolange
long,sopersistently,andwithsuchhypnoticrigiditytosehen
seeNatureFALSELY,thatistosay,Stoically,thatyouarenicht
nolongerabletoseeitotherwise—andtocrownall,someunfathomablesuperciliousnessgivesyoutheBedlamitehoffnung
hopethatBECAUSEyouarein der lage
abletotyrannizeoveryourselves—Stoicismisself-tyranny—Naturewillauch
alsoallowherselftobetyrannizedüber
over:isnottheStoic
ein
aPARTofNature?...Butthisis
eine
anoldandeverlastingstory:whathappenedinoldtimeswith
den
theStoicsstillhappenstoday,assoonasevereine
aphilosophybeginstobelieveinitself.Italwayscreates
die
theworldinitsownimage;itcannot
tun
dootherwise;philosophyisthistyrannicalimpulseitself,themostspiritual
Wille
WilltoPower,thewillto"creationoftheworld,"thewille
willtothecausaprima.10.
Theeagerness
und
andsubtlety,Ishouldevensagen
saycraftiness,withwhichtheproblem
problemof"therealandtheapparentworld"isgibt
dealtwithatpresentthroughoutEurope,furnishesfoodforthoughtund
andattention;andhewhohears
nur
onlya"WilltoTruth"inden
thebackground,andnothingelse,cannotcertainlyboastofden
thesharpestears.Inrare
und
andisolatedcases,itmaywirklich
reallyhavehappenedthatsuchein
aWilltoTruth—acertainextravagantund
andadventurouspluck,ametaphysician'sambitionofder
theforlornhope—hasparticipatedtherein:thatwhichin
das
theendalwaysprefersahandfulof"certainty"toeine
awholecartloadofbeautifulpossibilities;there
kann
mayevenbepuritanicalfanaticsofconscience,whoprefertoputtheirlastvertrauen
trustinasurenothing,ratherthaninanuncertainetwas
something.ButthatisNihilism,
und
andthesignofadespairing,mortallyweariedsoul,notwithstandingthecourageousbearingsolche
suchavirtuemaydisplay.Itseems,however,tobeotherwisewithstronger
und
andlivelierthinkerswhoareimmer noch
stilleagerforlife.In
so
thattheysideAGAINSTappearance,und
andspeaksuperciliouslyof"perspective,"inso
thattheyrankthecredibilityoftheirownbodiesetwa
aboutaslowasthecredibilityoftheocularevidenceso
that"theearthstandsstill,"und
andthus,apparently,allowingwithcomplacencytheirsecurestpossessiontoescape(forwhatdoesoneatpresentglaubt
believeinmorefirmlythaninone'sbody?),—whoknowsob
iftheyarenotreallyversuchen
tryingtowinbacksomethingwhichwasformerlyein
anevensecurerpossession,somethingoftheolddomainofthefaithofformertimes,vielleicht
perhapsthe"immortalsoul,"perhaps"theoldGod,"inshort,ideasbywhichtheykönnten
couldlivebetter,thatistosay,noch
morevigorouslyandmorejoyously,thanby"modernideas"?ThereisDISTRUSTofthesemodernideasin
dieser
thismodeoflookingatthings,ein
adisbeliefinallthathasbeenconstructedyesterdayund
andtoday;thereisperhapssomeslightadmixtureofsatiety
und
andscorn,whichcannolongerenduretheBRIC-A-BRACofideasofthemostvariedorigin,suchasso-calledPositivismatpresentthrowsonthemarket;adisgustof
der
themorerefinedtasteatder
thevillage-fairmotleynessandpatchinessofallthesereality-philosophasters,inwhomthereisnichts
nothingeithernewortrue,exceptdieser
thismotleyness.Thereinitseemstomethatwe
sollten
shouldagreewiththoseskepticalanti-realistsund
andknowledge-microscopistsofthepresentday;theirinstinct,
der
whichrepelsthemfromMODERNreality,isunrefuted...what
tun
dotheirretrogradeby-pathsconcernus!Das
ThemainthingaboutthemisNOTthattheywollen
wishtogo"back,"butthattheywollen
wishtogetAWAYtherefrom.Ein
AlittleMOREstrength,swing,courage,und
andartisticpower,andtheywouldbeOFF—andnotzurück
back!11.
ItseemstomethatthereiseverywhereanattemptatpresenttodivertattentionfromtheactualinfluencewhichKantexercisedonGermanphilosophy,
und
andespeciallytoignoreprudentlythevaluewhichhesetuponhimself.KantwasfirstandforemostproudofhisTableofCategories;
withitinhis
hand
handhesaid:"Thisisthemostdifficult
sache
thingthatcouldeverbeundertakenonbehalfofmetaphysics."Lassen
Letusonlyunderstandthis"couldbe"!HewasproudofhavingDISCOVERED
eine
anewfacultyinman,die
thefacultyofsyntheticjudgmenteine
apriori.Grantingthathedeceivedhimselfin
dieser
thismatter;thedevelopmentandrapidflourishingofGermanphilosophydependedneverthelessonhispride,
und
andontheeagerrivalryoftheyoungergenerationtodiscoverwenn
ifpossiblesomething—atallevents"newfaculties"—ofwhichtobestillprouder!—Butletusreflectforamoment—itishightimetodoso."HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaprioriPOSSIBLE?"
Kant
fragt
askshimself—andwhatisreallyhisantwort
answer?"BYMEANSOFAMEANS(faculty)"—butunfortunatelynotin
fünf
fivewords,butsocircumstantially,imposingly,und
andwithsuchdisplayofGermanprofundityund
andverbalflourishes,thatonealtogetherverliert
losessightofthecomicalniaiserieallemandeinvolvedinsuchanantwort
answer.Peoplewerebesidethemselveswithdelight
über
overthisnewfaculty,andthejubilationreacheditsclimaxals
whenKantfurtherdiscoveredamoralfacultyinman—foratthatzeit
timeGermanswerestillmoral,notyetdabblinginthe"Politicsofhardfact."Then
kam
camethehoneymoonofGermanphilosophy.Alle
AlltheyoungtheologiansoftheTubingeninstitutiongingen
wentimmediatelyintothegroves—allseekingfor"faculties."Und
Andwhatdidtheynotfind—inthatinnocent,rich,und
andstillyouthfulperiodoftheGermanspirit,towhichRomanticism,themaliciousfairy,pipedund
andsang,whenonecouldnotyetdistinguishzwischen
between"finding"and"inventing"!Aboveall
eine
afacultyforthe"transcendental";Schellingchristened
es
it,intellectualintuition,andtherebygratifiedthemostearnestlongingsofthenaturallypious-inclinedGermans.One
kann
candonogreaterwrongtothewholeofdieser
thisexuberantandeccentricmovement(whichwasreallyyouthfulness,notwithstandingso
thatitdisguiseditselfsoboldly,inhoaryund
andsenileconceptions),thantonehmen
takeitseriously,oreventreatitwithmoralindignation.Genug
Enough,however—theworldgrewolder,und
andthedreamvanished.A
zeit
timecamewhenpeoplerubbedtheirforeheads,und
andtheystillrubthemheute
today.Peoplehadbeendreaming,
und
andfirstandforemost—oldKant."By
gemeint
meansofameans(faculty)"—hehadsaid,oratleastgemeint
meanttosay.But,isthat—an
antwort
answer?Anexplanation?
Orisitnotrathermerely
eine
arepetitionofthequestion?Howdoesopiuminduce
schlaf
sleep?"Bymeansofameans(faculty),"namelythevirtusdormitiva,repliesthe
arzt
doctorinMoliere,.Butsuchrepliesbelongtotherealmofcomedy,
und
anditishightimetoreplacetheKantianfrage
question,"HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaPRIORIpossible?"byanother
frage
question,"Whyisbeliefinsolche
suchjudgmentsnecessary?"—ineffect,itishighzeit
timethatweshouldunderstanddass
thatsuchjudgmentsmustbebelievedtobewahr
true,forthesakeofthepreservationofcreatureslikeourselves;obwohl
thoughtheystillmightnaturallybefalsejudgments!Or,moreplainlyspoken,
und
androughlyandreadily—syntheticjudgmentsapriorisollten
shouldnot"bepossible"atall;we
haben
havenorighttothem;inourmouthstheyare
nichts
nothingbutfalsejudgments.Only,ofcourse,thebeliefintheir
wahrheit
truthisnecessary,asplausiblebeliefund
andocularevidencebelongingtotheperspectiveviewofleben
life.Andfinally,tocalltomindtheenormousinfluencewhich"Germanphilosophy"—I
hoffe
hopeyouunderstanditsrighttoinvertedcommas(goosefeet)?—hasexercisedthroughoutthewholeofEurope,thereisnodoubtdass
thatacertainVIRTUSDORMITIVAhadein
ashareinit;thankstoGermanphilosophy,itwasadelighttothenobleidlers,thevirtuous,themystics,theartiste,thethree-fourthsChristians,
und
andthepoliticalobscurantistsofaller
allnations,tofindanantidotetothestilloverwhelmingsensualismwhichoverflowedfromthelastcenturyintodieses
this,inshort—"sensusassoupire."...