Beyond Good and Evil | Progressive Translation Books for German A1 Learners

Beyond Good and Evil | Progressive Translation Books for German A1 Learners

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PREFACE
SUPPOSINGthatTruthis
eine
a
woman—whatthen?
Istherenotgroundforsuspectingthat
alle
all
philosophers,insofarasthey
haben
have
beendogmatists,havefailedto
verstehen
understand
women—thattheterribleseriousness
und
and
clumsyimportunitywithwhichthey
haben
have
usuallypaidtheiraddressesto
Wahrheit
Truth
,havebeenunskilledandunseemlymethodsforwinning
eine
a
woman?
Certainlyshehas
nie
never
allowedherselftobewon;
und
and
atpresenteverykindofdogmastandswithsad
und
and
discouragedmien—IF,indeed,itstandsatall!
Fortherearescofferswhomaintain
dass
that
ithasfallen,that
alle
all
dogmaliesontheground—naymore,
dass
that
itisatitslastgasp.
Aber
But
tospeakseriously,therearegoodgroundsfor
hoffen
hoping
thatalldogmatizinginphilosophy,whateversolemn,whateverconclusive
und
and
decidedairsithasassumed,may
sein
have
beenonlyanoblepuerilism
und
and
tyronism;
andprobablythe
zeit
time
isathandwhenit
werden
will
beonceandagainunderstoodWHAThas
tatsächlich
actually
sufficedforthebasisofsuchimposing
und
and
absolutephilosophicaledificesasthedogmatists
haben
have
hithertoreared:
perhapssomepopularsuperstitionofimmemorialtime(suchasthesoul-superstition,which,intheformofsubject-
und
and
ego-superstition,hasnotyetceaseddoingmischief):
vielleicht
perhaps
someplayuponwords,adeceptionon
der
the
partofgrammar,oranaudaciousgeneralizationof
sehr
very
restricted,verypersonal,veryhuman—all-too-humanfacts.
Thephilosophyofthedogmatists,itistobehoped,was
nur
only
apromiseforthousandsofyearsafterwards,aswasastrologyinstillearliertimes,intheserviceofwhich
wahrscheinlich
probably
morelabour,gold,acuteness,
und
and
patiencehavebeenspentthanonanyactualsciencehitherto:
weowetoit,
und
and
toits"super-terrestrial"pretensionsinAsia
und
and
Egypt,thegrandstyleofarchitecture.
Itseems
dass
that
inordertoinscribethemselvesuponthe
herz
heart
ofhumanitywitheverlastingclaims,
alle
all
greatthingshavefirsttowander
über
about
theearthasenormous
und
and
awe-inspiringcaricatures:
dogmaticphilosophyhasbeen
eine
a
caricatureofthiskind—forinstance,theVedantadoctrineinAsia,
und
and
PlatonisminEurope.
Letusnotbeungratefulto
es
it
,althoughitmustcertainlybeconfessedthat
der
the
worst,themosttiresome,
und
and
themostdangerousoferrorshithertohasbeen
ein
a
dogmatisterror—namely,Plato'sinventionofPureSpirit
und
and
theGoodinItself.
Aber
But
nowwhenithasbeensurmounted,
wenn
when
Europe,ridofthisnightmare,
kann
can
againdrawbreathfreely
und
and
atleastenjoyahealthier—sleep,
wir
we
,WHOSEDUTYISWAKEFULNESSITSELF,aretheheirsof
aller
all
thestrengthwhichthestruggle
gegen
against
thiserrorhasfostered.
Itamountedto
der
the
veryinversionoftruth,
und
and
thedenialofthePERSPECTIVE—thefundamentalcondition—oflife,to
sprechen
speak
ofSpiritandthe
Gut
Good
asPlatospokeofthem;
indeedone
könnte
might
ask,asaphysician:
"Howdid
solche
such
amaladyattackthatfinestproductofantiquity,Plato?
Had
der
the
wickedSocratesreallycorrupted
ihn
him
?
WasSocratesafterall
ein
a
corrupterofyouths,anddeservedhishemlock?"
Aber
But
thestruggleagainstPlato,or—tospeakplainer,
und
and
forthe"people"—thestruggle
gegen
against
theecclesiasticaloppressionofmillenniumsofChristianity
Für
(FOR
CHRISTIANITYISPLATONISMFORTHE"PEOPLE"),producedinEurope
eine
a
magnificenttensionofsoul,suchashadnotexistedanywherepreviously;
withsuchatenselystrainedbow
einem
one
cannowaimat
die
the
furthestgoals.
Asamatteroffact,theEuropeanfeels
diese
this
tensionasastateofdistress,
und
and
twiceattemptshavebeenmadeingrandstyletounbendthebow:
einmal
once
bymeansofJesuitism,
und
and
thesecondtimebymeansofdemocraticenlightenment—which,withtheaidoflibertyofthepress
und
and
newspaper-reading,might,infact,bringitabout
so
that
thespiritwouldnotsoeasilyfinditselfin"distress"!
(TheGermansinventedgunpowder—allcredittothem!
aber
but
theyagainmadethingssquare—theyinventedprinting.)
Aber
But
we,whoareneitherJesuits,nordemocrats,nor
sogar
even
sufficientlyGermans,weGOODEUROPEANS,
und
and
free,VERYfreespirits—we
haben
have
itstill,allthedistressofspirit
und
and
allthetensionofitsbow!
Und
And
perhapsalsothearrow,theduty,
und
and
,whoknows?
THEGOALTOAIMAT....
CHAPTERI.PREJUDICESOFPHILOSOPHERS
1.
The
Wille
Will
toTruth,whichistotemptustomanyahazardousenterprise,thefamousTruthfulnessofwhich
alle
all
philosophershavehithertospokenwithrespect,whatquestionshas
dieser
this
WilltoTruthnotlaidbeforeus!
Whatstrange,perplexing,questionablequestions!
Itis
schon
already
alongstory;
yetitseemsasifitwerehardlycommenced.
Isitanywonder
wenn
if
weatlastgrowdistrustful,
verlieren
lose
patience,andturnimpatientlyaway?
Dass
That
thisSphinxteachesusatlasttoaskquestionsourselves?
WHOisit
wirklich
really
thatputsquestionstous
hier
here
?
WHATreallyisthis"WilltoTruth"inus?
Infactwemadea
lange
long
haltatthequestionasto
der
the
originofthisWill—untilatlastwe
kamen
came
toanabsolutestandstill
vor
before
ayetmorefundamental
frage
question
.
WeinquiredabouttheVALUEof
dieses
this
Will.
Grantedthatwe
wollen
want
thetruth:
WHYNOTRATHERuntruth?
Und
And
uncertainty?
Evenignorance?
The
problem
problem
ofthevalueof
wahrheit
truth
presenteditselfbeforeus—orwasitwewhopresentedourselves
vor
before
theproblem?
WhichofusistheOedipus
hier
here
?
WhichtheSphinx?
Itwouldseemtobe
ein
a
rendezvousofquestionsandnotesofinterrogation.
Und
And
coulditbebelievedthatitatlastseemstousasifthe
problem
problem
hadneverbeenpropoundedbefore,asifwewerethefirsttodiscern
es
it
,getasightof
es
it
,andRISKRAISINGit?
Forthereisriskinraising
es
it
,perhapsthereisnogreaterrisk.
2.
"HOW
Könnte
COULD
anythingoriginateoutofitsopposite?
Forexample,
wahrheit
truth
outoferror?
or
der
the
WilltoTruthoutof
der
the
willtodeception?
or
die
the
generousdeedoutofselfishness?
or
die
the
puresun-brightvisionof
die
the
wisemanoutofcovetousness?
Solche
Such
genesisisimpossible;
whoeverdreamsofitis
ein
a
fool,nay,worsethan
ein
a
fool;
thingsofthehighestvalue
müssen
must
haveadifferentorigin,anoriginofTHEIRown—in
dieser
this
transitory,seductive,illusory,paltry
welt
world
,inthisturmoilofdelusion
und
and
cupidity,theycannothavetheirsource.
Aber
But
ratherinthelapofBeing,intheintransitory,intheconcealed
Gott
God
,inthe'Thing-in-itself—THEREmustbetheirsource,
und
and
nowhereelse!"—Thismodeofreasoningdisclosesthetypicalprejudicebywhichmetaphysiciansof
aller
all
timescanberecognized,
diese
this
modeofvaluationisatthebackof
aller
all
theirlogicalprocedure;
throughthis"belief"oftheirs,theyexertthemselvesfortheir"knowledge,"for
etwas
something
thatisintheendsolemnlychristened"theTruth."
ThefundamentalbeliefofmetaphysiciansisTHEBELIEFINANTITHESESOFVALUES.
Itneveroccurredeventothewariestofthemtodoubt
hier
here
ontheverythreshold(wheredoubt,however,wasmostnecessary);
obwohl
though
theyhadmadeasolemnvow,"DEOMNIBUSDUBITANDUM."
Forit
kann
may
bedoubted,firstly,whetherantithesesexistatall;
und
and
secondly,whetherthepopularvaluations
und
and
antithesesofvalueuponwhichmetaphysicians
haben
have
settheirseal,arenot
vielleicht
perhaps
merelysuperficialestimates,merelyprovisionalperspectives,besidesbeing
wahrscheinlich
probably
madefromsomecorner,
vielleicht
perhaps
frombelow—"frogperspectives,"asitwere,toborrowanexpressioncurrentamongpainters.
Inspiteofallthevaluewhich
kann
may
belongtothetrue,thepositive,
und
and
theunselfish,itmightbepossible
dass
that
ahigherandmorefundamentalvaluefor
leben
life
generallyshouldbeassignedtopretence,tothe
werden
will
todelusion,toselfishness,
und
and
cupidity.
Itmightevenbepossible
dass
that
WHATconstitutesthevalueofthosegood
und
and
respectedthings,consistspreciselyintheirbeinginsidiouslyrelated,knotted,
und
and
crochetedtotheseevil
und
and
apparentlyopposedthings—perhapseveninbeingessentiallyidenticalwiththem.
Vielleicht
Perhaps
!
Butwhowishestoconcernhimselfwithsuchdangerous"Perhapses"!
Forthatinvestigation
einer
one
mustawaittheadventofanew
ordnung
order
ofphilosophers,suchas
werden
will
haveothertastesandinclinations,thereverseofthosehithertoprevalent—philosophersofthedangerous"Perhaps"ineverysenseoftheterm.
Und
And
tospeakinallseriousness,I
sehe
see
suchnewphilosophersbeginningtoappear.
3.
Havingkeptasharpeyeonphilosophers,
und
and
havingreadbetweentheirlines
lange
long
enough,Inowsaytomyselfthatthegreater
teil
part
ofconsciousthinkingmustbecountedamongtheinstinctivefunctions,
und
and
itissoeveninthecaseofphilosophical
denken
thinking
;
onehasheretolearnanew,asonelearnedanew
über
about
heredityand"innateness."
As
wenig
little
astheactofbirthcomesintoconsiderationinthewholeprocess
und
and
procedureofheredity,justas
wenig
little
is"being-conscious"OPPOSEDtotheinstinctiveinanydecisivesense;
der
the
greaterpartoftheconsciousthinkingofaphilosopherissecretlyinfluencedbyhisinstincts,
und
and
forcedintodefinitechannels.
Und
And
behindalllogicanditsseemingsovereigntyofmovement,therearevaluations,ortospeak
mehr
more
plainly,physiologicaldemands,forthemaintenanceofadefinitemodeoflifeForexample,
dass
that
thecertainisworth
mehr
more
thantheuncertain,thatillusionislessvaluablethan"truth"suchvaluations,inspiteoftheirregulativeimportanceforUS,mightnotwithstandingbeonlysuperficialvaluations,specialkindsofniaiserie,suchasmaybenecessaryforthemaintenanceofbeingssuchasourselves.
Supposing,ineffect,thatmanisnot
nur
just
the"measureofthings."
4.
Die
The
falsenessofanopinionisnotforusanyobjectiontoit:
itis
hier
here
,perhaps,thatournewlanguage
klingt
sounds
moststrangely.
Thequestionis,howfaranopinionislife-furthering,life-preserving,species-preserving,
vielleicht
perhaps
species-rearing,andwearefundamentallyinclinedtomaintain
dass
that
thefalsestopinions(towhichthesyntheticjudgmentsaprioribelong),arethemostindispensabletous,
dass
that
withoutarecognitionoflogicalfictions,
ohne
without
acomparisonofrealitywiththepurelyIMAGINED
welt
world
oftheabsoluteandimmutable,
ohne
without
aconstantcounterfeitingofthe
welt
world
bymeansofnumbers,man
könnte
could
notlive—thattherenunciationoffalseopinionswouldbearenunciationof
leben
life
,anegationoflife.
TORECOGNISEUNTRUTHASACONDITIONOFLIFE;
thatiscertainlytoimpugnthetraditionalideasofvaluein
eine
a
dangerousmanner,andaphilosophywhichventuresto
tun
do
so,hastherebyaloneplaceditselfbeyond
gut
good
andevil.
5.
Thatwhichcausesphilosopherstoberegardedhalf-distrustfully
und
and
half-mockingly,isnottheoft-repeateddiscoveryhowinnocenttheyare—howoften
und
and
easilytheymakemistakes
und
and
losetheirway,inshort,howchildish
und
and
childliketheyare,—butthatthereisnot
genug
enough
honestdealingwiththem,whereasthey
alle
all
raisealoudandvirtuousoutcry
wenn
when
theproblemoftruthfulnessis
auch
even
hintedatintheremotestmanner.
They
alle
all
poseasthoughtheirrealopinionshadbeendiscovered
und
and
attainedthroughtheself-evolvingofacold,pure,divinelyindifferentdialectic(incontrastto
alle
all
sortsofmystics,who,fairer
und
and
foolisher,talkof"inspiration"),whereas,infact,aprejudicedproposition,
idee
idea
,or"suggestion,"whichisgenerallytheirheart'sdesireabstracted
und
and
refined,isdefendedbythemwithargumentssoughtout
nach
after
theevent.
Theyare
alle
all
advocateswhodonotwishtoberegardedas
solche
such
,generallyastutedefenders,also,oftheirprejudices,whichtheydub"truths,"—and
Sehr
VERY
farfromhavingtheconsciencewhichbravelyadmitsthistoitself,
sehr
very
farfromhavingthegoodtasteofthecouragewhich
geht
goes
sofarastoletthisbeunderstood,
vielleicht
perhaps
towarnfriendorfoe,orincheerfulconfidence
und
and
self-ridicule.
ThespectacleoftheTartufferyofoldKant,equallystiff
und
and
decent,withwhichheenticesusintothedialecticby-waysthatlead(morecorrectlymislead)tohis"categoricalimperative"—makesusfastidiousonessmile,wewhofind
nicht
no
smallamusementinspyingoutthesubtletricksofoldmoralists
und
and
ethicalpreachers.
Or,stillmoreso,thehocus-pocusinmathematicalform,bymeansofwhichSpinozahas,asitwere,cladhisphilosophyinmail
und
and
mask—infact,the"loveofHISwisdom,"totranslatethetermfairly
und
and
squarely—inordertherebytostriketerroratonceintothe
herz
heart
oftheassailantwho
sollte
should
daretocastaglanceonthatinvinciblemaiden,thatPallasAthene:—how
viel
much
ofpersonaltimidityandvulnerability
tat
does
thismasqueradeofasicklyreclusebetray!
6.
Ithasgraduallybecome
klar
clear
tomewhateverygreatphilosophyuptill
jetzt
now
hasconsistedof—namely,theconfessionofitsoriginator,
und
and
aspeciesofinvoluntary
und
and
unconsciousauto-biography;
andmoreover
dass
that
themoral(orimmoral)purposein
jeder
every
philosophyhasconstitutedthetruevitalgerm
aus
out
ofwhichtheentireplanthasalwaysgrown.
Indeed,to
verstehen
understand
howtheabstrusestmetaphysicalassertionsofaphilosopherhavebeenarrivedat,itisalways
gut
well
(andwise)tofirst
fragen
ask
oneself:
"Whatmoralitydothey(ordoeshe)aimat?"
Accordingly,Idonot
glaube
believe
thatan"impulsetoknowledge"is
der
the
fatherofphilosophy;
but
dass
that
anotherimpulse,hereaselsewhere,has
nur
only
madeuseofknowledge(andmistakenknowledge!)
as
ein
an
instrument.
Butwhoeverconsidersthefundamentalimpulsesofmanwithaviewtodetermininghowfartheymay
haben
have
hereactedasINSPIRINGGENII(orasdemons
und
and
cobolds),willfindthatthey
haben
have
allpracticedphilosophyat
einer
one
timeoranother,andthat
jeder
each
oneofthemwould
haben
have
beenonlytoogladtolookuponitselfastheultimateendofexistence
und
and
thelegitimateLORDover
alle
all
theotherimpulses.
For
jeder
every
impulseisimperious,andasSUCH,attemptstophilosophize.
Tobe
sicher
sure
,inthecaseofscholars,inthe
fall
case
ofreallyscientificmen,it
kann
may
beotherwise—"better,"ifyouwill;
therethere
kann
may
reallybesuchathingasan"impulsetoknowledge,"
etwas
some
kindofsmall,independentclock-work,which,
wenn
when
wellwoundup,worksawayindustriouslytothatend,
Ohne
WITHOUT
therestofthescholarlyimpulsestakinganymaterial
teil
part
therein.
Theactual"interests"ofthescholar,therefore,aregenerallyin
ganz
quite
anotherdirection—inthefamily,
vielleicht
perhaps
,orinmoney-making,orinpolitics;
itis,infact,
fast
almost
indifferentatwhatpointofresearchhislittlemachineisplaced,
und
and
whetherthehopefulyoungworkerbecomes
ein
a
goodphilologist,amushroomspecialist,or
ein
a
chemist;
heisnotCHARACTERISEDbybecomingthisorthat.
Inthephilosopher,onthecontrary,thereisabsolutely
nichts
nothing
impersonal;
andaboveall,hismoralityfurnishes
ein
a
decidedanddecisivetestimonyastoWHOHEIS,—thatistosay,inwhat
reihenfolge
order
thedeepestimpulsesofhisnature
stehen
stand
toeachother.
7.
Howmaliciousphilosophers
können
can
be!
Iknowof
nichts
nothing
morestingingthanthejokeEpicurustookthelibertyofmakingonPlato
und
and
thePlatonists;
hecalledthemDionysiokolakes.
Initsoriginalsense,
und
and
onthefaceofit,the
wort
word
signifies"FlatterersofDionysius"—consequently,tyrants'accessories
und
and
lick-spittles;
besidesthis,however,itisas
viel
much
astosay,"Theyare
alle
all
ACTORS,thereisnothinggenuineaboutthem"(forDionysiokolaxwasapopular
name
name
foranactor).
Andthelatteris
wirklich
really
themalignantreproachthatEpicuruscastuponPlato:
hewasannoyedbythegrandiosemanner,themiseenscenestyleofwhichPlato
und
and
hisscholarsweremasters—ofwhichEpicuruswasnota
meister
master
!
He,theoldschool-teacherofSamos,whosatconcealedinhislittlegardenatAthens,
und
and
wrotethreehundredbooks,
vielleicht
perhaps
outofrageandambitiousenvyofPlato,whoknows!
Greecetookahundredyearstofindoutwho
der
the
garden-godEpicurusreallywas.
Didsheeverfindout?
8.
Thereisa
punkt
point
ineveryphilosophyatwhich
die
the
"conviction"ofthephilosopherappearson
die
the
scene;
or,toputitin
den
the
wordsofanancientmystery:.
Adventavitasinus,Pulcheretfortissimus.
9.
Youdesireto
Leben
LIVE
"accordingtoNature"?
Oh,younobleStoics,whatfraudofwords!
Imaginetoyourselves
ein
a
beinglikeNature,boundlesslyextravagant,boundlesslyindifferent,
ohne
without
purposeorconsideration,withoutpityorjustice,atoncefruitful
und
and
barrenanduncertain:
imaginetoyourselvesINDIFFERENCEas
eine
a
power—howCOULDyouliveinaccordancewithsuchindifference?
Tolive—isnotthat
nur
just
endeavouringtobeotherwise
als
than
thisNature?
Isnot
leben
living
valuing,preferring,beingunjust,beinglimited,endeavouringtobedifferent?
Und
And
grantedthatyourimperative,"livingaccordingtoNature,"means
eigentlich
actually
thesameas"livingaccordingtolife"—how
könnten
could
youdoDIFFERENTLY?
Why
solltet
should
youmakeaprinciple
aus
out
ofwhatyouyourselvesare,
und
and
mustbe?
Inreality,however,itis
ganz
quite
otherwisewithyou:
whileyoupretendto
lesen
read
withrapturethecanonofyourlawinNature,youwant
etwas
something
quitethecontrary,youextraordinarystage-players
und
and
self-deluders!
Inyourprideyouwishtodictateyourmorals
und
and
idealstoNature,toNatureherself,
und
and
toincorporatethemtherein;
youinsist
dass
that
itshallbeNature"accordingtotheStoa,"
und
and
wouldlikeeverythingtobemadeafteryourownimage,as
eine
a
vast,eternalglorificationandgeneralismofStoicism!
Withallyour
liebe
love
fortruth,youhaveforcedyourselvesso
lange
long
,sopersistently,andwithsuchhypnoticrigidityto
sehen
see
NatureFALSELY,thatistosay,Stoically,thatyouare
nicht
no
longerabletoseeitotherwise—andtocrownall,someunfathomablesuperciliousnessgivesyoutheBedlamite
hoffnung
hope
thatBECAUSEyouare
in der lage
able
totyrannizeoveryourselves—Stoicismisself-tyranny—Naturewill
auch
also
allowherselftobetyrannized
über
over
:
isnottheStoic
ein
a
PARTofNature?...
Butthisis
eine
an
oldandeverlastingstory:
whathappenedinoldtimeswith
den
the
Stoicsstillhappenstoday,assoonasever
eine
a
philosophybeginstobelieveinitself.
Italwayscreates
die
the
worldinitsownimage;
itcannot
tun
do
otherwise;
philosophyisthistyrannicalimpulseitself,themostspiritual
Wille
Will
toPower,thewillto"creationoftheworld,"the
wille
will
tothecausaprima.
10.
Theeagerness
und
and
subtlety,Ishouldeven
sagen
say
craftiness,withwhichthe
problem
problem
of"therealandtheapparentworld"is
gibt
dealt
withatpresentthroughoutEurope,furnishesfoodforthought
und
and
attention;
andhewhohears
nur
only
a"WilltoTruth"in
den
the
background,andnothingelse,cannotcertainlyboastof
den
the
sharpestears.
Inrare
und
and
isolatedcases,itmay
wirklich
really
havehappenedthatsuch
ein
a
WilltoTruth—acertainextravagant
und
and
adventurouspluck,ametaphysician'sambitionof
der
the
forlornhope—hasparticipatedtherein:
thatwhichin
das
the
endalwaysprefersahandfulof"certainty"to
eine
a
wholecartloadofbeautifulpossibilities;
there
kann
may
evenbepuritanicalfanaticsofconscience,whoprefertoputtheirlast
vertrauen
trust
inasurenothing,ratherthaninanuncertain
etwas
something
.
ButthatisNihilism,
und
and
thesignofadespairing,mortallyweariedsoul,notwithstandingthecourageousbearing
solche
such
avirtuemaydisplay.
Itseems,however,tobeotherwisewithstronger
und
and
livelierthinkerswhoare
immer noch
still
eagerforlife.
In
so
that
theysideAGAINSTappearance,
und
and
speaksuperciliouslyof"perspective,"in
so
that
theyrankthecredibilityoftheirownbodies
etwa
about
aslowasthecredibilityoftheocularevidence
so
that
"theearthstandsstill,"
und
and
thus,apparently,allowingwithcomplacencytheirsecurestpossessiontoescape(forwhatdoesoneatpresent
glaubt
believe
inmorefirmlythaninone'sbody?),—whoknows
ob
if
theyarenotreally
versuchen
trying
towinbacksomethingwhichwasformerly
ein
an
evensecurerpossession,somethingoftheolddomainofthefaithofformertimes,
vielleicht
perhaps
the"immortalsoul,"perhaps"theoldGod,"inshort,ideasbywhichthey
könnten
could
livebetter,thatistosay,
noch
more
vigorouslyandmorejoyously,thanby"modernideas"?
ThereisDISTRUSTofthesemodernideasin
dieser
this
modeoflookingatthings,
ein
a
disbeliefinallthathasbeenconstructedyesterday
und
and
today;
thereisperhapssomeslightadmixtureofsatiety
und
and
scorn,whichcannolongerenduretheBRIC-A-BRACofideasofthemostvariedorigin,suchasso-calledPositivismatpresentthrowsonthemarket;
adisgustof
der
the
morerefinedtasteat
der
the
village-fairmotleynessandpatchinessofallthesereality-philosophasters,inwhomthereis
nichts
nothing
eithernewortrue,except
dieser
this
motleyness.
Thereinitseemstomethatwe
sollten
should
agreewiththoseskepticalanti-realists
und
and
knowledge-microscopistsofthepresentday;
theirinstinct,
der
which
repelsthemfromMODERNreality,isunrefuted...
what
tun
do
theirretrogradeby-pathsconcernus!
Das
The
mainthingaboutthemisNOTthatthey
wollen
wish
togo"back,"butthatthey
wollen
wish
togetAWAYtherefrom.
Ein
A
littleMOREstrength,swing,courage,
und
and
artisticpower,andtheywouldbeOFF—andnot
zurück
back
!
11.
ItseemstomethatthereiseverywhereanattemptatpresenttodivertattentionfromtheactualinfluencewhichKantexercisedonGermanphilosophy,
und
and
especiallytoignoreprudentlythevaluewhichhesetuponhimself.
KantwasfirstandforemostproudofhisTableofCategories;
withitinhis
hand
hand
hesaid:
"Thisisthemostdifficult
sache
thing
thatcouldeverbeundertakenonbehalfofmetaphysics."
Lassen
Let
usonlyunderstandthis"couldbe"!
HewasproudofhavingDISCOVERED
eine
a
newfacultyinman,
die
the
facultyofsyntheticjudgment
eine
a
priori.
Grantingthathedeceivedhimselfin
dieser
this
matter;
thedevelopmentandrapidflourishingofGermanphilosophydependedneverthelessonhispride,
und
and
ontheeagerrivalryoftheyoungergenerationtodiscover
wenn
if
possiblesomething—atallevents"newfaculties"—ofwhichtobestillprouder!—Butletusreflectforamoment—itishightimetodoso.
"HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaprioriPOSSIBLE?"
Kant
fragt
asks
himself—andwhatisreallyhis
antwort
answer
?
"BYMEANSOFAMEANS(faculty)"—butunfortunatelynotin
fünf
five
words,butsocircumstantially,imposingly,
und
and
withsuchdisplayofGermanprofundity
und
and
verbalflourishes,thatonealtogether
verliert
loses
sightofthecomicalniaiserieallemandeinvolvedinsuchan
antwort
answer
.
Peoplewerebesidethemselveswithdelight
über
over
thisnewfaculty,andthejubilationreacheditsclimax
als
when
Kantfurtherdiscoveredamoralfacultyinman—foratthat
zeit
time
Germanswerestillmoral,notyetdabblinginthe"Politicsofhardfact."
Then
kam
came
thehoneymoonofGermanphilosophy.
Alle
All
theyoungtheologiansoftheTubingeninstitution
gingen
went
immediatelyintothegroves—allseekingfor"faculties."
Und
And
whatdidtheynotfind—inthatinnocent,rich,
und
and
stillyouthfulperiodoftheGermanspirit,towhichRomanticism,themaliciousfairy,piped
und
and
sang,whenonecouldnotyetdistinguish
zwischen
between
"finding"and"inventing"!
Aboveall
eine
a
facultyforthe"transcendental";
Schellingchristened
es
it
,intellectualintuition,andtherebygratifiedthemostearnestlongingsofthenaturallypious-inclinedGermans.
One
kann
can
donogreaterwrongtothewholeof
dieser
this
exuberantandeccentricmovement(whichwasreallyyouthfulness,notwithstanding
so
that
itdisguiseditselfsoboldly,inhoary
und
and
senileconceptions),thanto
nehmen
take
itseriously,oreventreatitwithmoralindignation.
Genug
Enough
,however—theworldgrewolder,
und
and
thedreamvanished.
A
zeit
time
camewhenpeoplerubbedtheirforeheads,
und
and
theystillrubthem
heute
today
.
Peoplehadbeendreaming,
und
and
firstandforemost—oldKant.
"By
gemeint
means
ofameans(faculty)"—hehadsaid,oratleast
gemeint
meant
tosay.
But,isthat—an
antwort
answer
?
Anexplanation?
Orisitnotrathermerely
eine
a
repetitionofthequestion?
Howdoesopiuminduce
schlaf
sleep
?
"Bymeansofameans(faculty),"namelythevirtusdormitiva,repliesthe
arzt
doctor
inMoliere,.
Butsuchrepliesbelongtotherealmofcomedy,
und
and
itishightimetoreplacetheKantian
frage
question
,"HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaPRIORIpossible?"
byanother
frage
question
,"Whyisbeliefin
solche
such
judgmentsnecessary?"—ineffect,itishigh
zeit
time
thatweshouldunderstand
dass
that
suchjudgmentsmustbebelievedtobe
wahr
true
,forthesakeofthepreservationofcreatureslikeourselves;
obwohl
though
theystillmightnaturallybefalsejudgments!
Or,moreplainlyspoken,
und
and
roughlyandreadily—syntheticjudgmentsapriori
sollten
should
not"bepossible"atall;
we
haben
have
norighttothem;
inourmouthstheyare
nichts
nothing
butfalsejudgments.
Only,ofcourse,thebeliefintheir
wahrheit
truth
isnecessary,asplausiblebelief
und
and
ocularevidencebelongingtotheperspectiveviewof
leben
life
.
Andfinally,tocalltomindtheenormousinfluencewhich"Germanphilosophy"—I
hoffe
hope
youunderstanditsrighttoinvertedcommas(goosefeet)?—hasexercisedthroughoutthewholeofEurope,thereisnodoubt
dass
that
acertainVIRTUSDORMITIVAhad
ein
a
shareinit;
thankstoGermanphilosophy,itwasadelighttothenobleidlers,thevirtuous,themystics,theartiste,thethree-fourthsChristians,
und
and
thepoliticalobscurantistsof
aller
all
nations,tofindanantidotetothestilloverwhelmingsensualismwhichoverflowedfromthelastcenturyinto
dieses
this
,inshort—"sensusassoupire."...