PREFACE
SUPPOSINGthatTruthis
una
awoman—whatthen?Istherenotgroundforsuspectingthat
tutti
allphilosophers,insofarastheyhanno
havebeendogmatists,havefailedtocapire
understandwomen—thattheterribleseriousnesse
andclumsyimportunitywithwhichtheyhanno
haveusuallypaidtheiraddressestoVerità
Truth,havebeenunskilledandunseemlymethodsforwinninguna
awoman?Certainlyshehasneverallowedherselftobewon;
e
andatpresenteverykindofdogmastandswithsade
anddiscouragedmien—IF,indeed,itstandsatall!For
ci
therearescofferswhomaintainthatithasfallen,thattutto
alldogmaliesontheground—naymore,thatitisatitsultimo
lastgasp.Buttospeakseriously,
ci
therearegoodgroundsforhopingche
thatalldogmatizinginphilosophy,whateversolemn,whateverconclusivee
anddecidedairsithasassumed,mayabbia
havebeenonlyanoblepuerilisme
andtyronism;andprobablythetimeisathandwhenitwillbe
volta
onceandagainunderstoodWHAThanno
hasactuallysufficedforthebasisofsuchimposinge
andabsolutephilosophicaledificesasthedogmatistshanno
havehithertoreared:perhapssomepopularsuperstitionofimmemorial
tempo
time(suchasthesoul-superstition,che
which,intheformofsubject-e
andego-superstition,hasnotyetceasedfare
doingmischief):perhapssomeplayuponwords,adeceptionon
le
thepartofgrammar,oranaudaciousgeneralizationofveryrestricted,verypersonal,veryhuman—all-too-humanfacts.Thephilosophyofthedogmatists,itistobehoped,was
solo
onlyapromiseforthousandsofyearsafterwards,aswasastrologyinancora
stillearliertimes,intheserviceofwhichprobabilmente
probablymorelabour,gold,acuteness,e
andpatiencehavebeenspentthanonqualsiasi
anyactualsciencehitherto:weowetoit,
e
andtoits"super-terrestrial"pretensionsinAsiae
andEgypt,thegrandstyleofarchitecture.Itseems
che
thatinordertoinscribethemselvesuponthecuore
heartofhumanitywitheverlastingclaims,tutte
allgreatthingshavefirsttowanderabouttheterra
earthasenormousandawe-inspiringcaricatures:dogmaticphilosophyhasbeen
una
acaricatureofthiskind—forinstance,theVedantadoctrineinAsia,e
andPlatonisminEurope.Letusnotbeungratefultoit,althoughit
debba
mustcertainlybeconfessedthatil
theworst,themosttiresome,e
andthemostdangerousoferrorshithertohasbeenun
adogmatisterror—namely,Plato'sinventionofPureSpirite
andtheGoodinItself.Ma
Butnowwhenithasbeensurmounted,quando
whenEurope,ridofthisnightmare,candi nuovo
againdrawbreathfreelyandatalmeno
leastenjoyahealthier—sleep,we,WHOSEDUTYISWAKEFULNESSITSELF,aretheheirsofallthestrengthwhichthestrugglecontro
againstthiserrorhasfostered.Itamountedtotheveryinversionof
verità
truth,andthedenialofthePERSPECTIVE—thefundamentalcondition—ofvita
life,tospeakofSpirite
andtheGoodasPlatospokeofthem;indeedone
potrebbe
mightask,asaphysician:"How
fatto
didsuchamaladyattackthatfinestproductofantiquity,Plato?Had
il
thewickedSocratesreallycorruptedhim?WasSocrates
dopo
afterallacorrupterofyouths,e
anddeservedhishemlock?"Butthestruggle
contro
againstPlato,or—tospeakplainer,e
andforthe"people"—thestrugglecontro
againsttheecclesiasticaloppressionofmillenniumsofChristianity(FORCHRISTIANITYISPLATONISMFORTHE"PEOPLE"),producedinEuropeuna
amagnificenttensionofsoul,suchasha
hadnotexistedanywherepreviously;withsuchatenselystrainedbowonecan
ora
nowaimatthefurthestgoals.Asamatteroffact,theEuropean
sente
feelsthistensionasastateofdistress,e
andtwiceattemptshavebeenmadeingrandstyletounbendthebow:volta
oncebymeansofJesuitism,e
andthesecondtimebymeansofdemocraticenlightenment—which,withtheaidoflibertyofthepresse
andnewspaper-reading,might,infact,bringitaboutche
thatthespiritwouldnotsoeasilytrovi
finditselfin"distress"!(TheGermansinventedgunpowder—allcreditto
loro
them!buttheyagainmadethingssquare—theyinventedprinting.)
Ma
Butwe,whoareneitherJesuits,nordemocrats,nornemmeno
evensufficientlyGermans,weGOODEUROPEANS,e
andfree,VERYfreespirits—wehaveitancora
still,allthedistressofspirite
andallthetensionofitsbow!E
Andperhapsalsothearrow,theduty,e
and,whoknows?THEGOALTOAIMAT....
CHAPTERI.PREJUDICESOFPHILOSOPHERS
1.
The
Volontà
WilltoTruth,whichistotemptustomolte
manyahazardousenterprise,thefamousTruthfulnessofwhichtutti
allphilosophershavehithertospokenwithrespect,whatquestionshasquesta
thisWilltoTruthnotlaidbeforeus!Whatstrange,perplexing,questionablequestions!
Itisalready
una
alongstory;yetitseemsasifitwerehardlycommenced.
Isitanywonder
se
ifweatlastgrowdistrustful,perdiamo
losepatience,andturnimpatientlyaway?Che
ThatthisSphinxteachesusatlasttoaskquestionsourselves?Chi
WHOisitreallythatputsquestionstousqui
here?WHATreallyisthis"WilltoTruth"inus?
Infactwemadea
lungo
longhaltatthequestionastotheoriginofquesta
thisWill—untilatlastwecametoanabsolutestandstillbeforeaancora
yetmorefundamentalquestion.WeinquiredabouttheVALUEof
questo
thisWill.Grantedthatwewant
la
thetruth:WHYNOTRATHERuntruth?
E
Anduncertainty?Evenignorance?
The
problema
problemofthevalueofverità
truthpresenteditselfbeforeus—orwasitwewhopresentedourselvesbeforeil
theproblem?WhichofusistheOedipus
qui
here?WhichtheSphinx?
Itwouldseemtobe
un
arendezvousofquestionsandnotesofinterrogation.E
Andcoulditbebelievedche
thatitatlastseemstousasse
iftheproblemhadneverbeenpropoundedbefore,asse
ifwewerethefirsttodiscernit,getasightofit,e
andRISKRAISINGit?Forthereisriskinraisingit,
forse
perhapsthereisnogreaterrisk.2.
"HOWCOULD
qualcosa
anythingoriginateoutofitsopposite?Forexample,
verità
truthoutoferror?or
la
theWilltoTruthoutofla
thewilltodeception?orthegenerousdeedoutofselfishness?
o
orthepuresun-brightvisionofla
thewisemanoutofcovetousness?Tale
Suchgenesisisimpossible;whoeverdreamsofitisafool,nay,worsethanafool;
thingsofthehighestvalue
devono
musthaveadifferentorigin,anoriginofTHEIRown—inquesto
thistransitory,seductive,illusory,paltrymondo
world,inthisturmoilofdelusione
andcupidity,theycannothavetheirsource.Ma
ButratherinthelapofBeing,intheintransitory,intheconcealedDio
God,inthe'Thing-in-itself—THEREmustbetheirsource,e
andnowhereelse!"—Thismodeofreasoningdisclosesthetypicalprejudicebycui
whichmetaphysiciansofalltimescanberecognized,questo
thismodeofvaluationisatthebackofalltheirlogicalprocedure;attraverso
throughthis"belief"oftheirs,theyexertthemselvesfortheir"knowledge,"forqualcosa
somethingthatisinthefine
endsolemnlychristened"theTruth."La
ThefundamentalbeliefofmetaphysiciansisLa
THEBELIEFINANTITHESESOFVALUES.Itneveroccurred
nemmeno
eventothewariestofthemtodoubtqui
hereontheverythreshold(wheredoubt,however,waspiù
mostnecessary);thoughtheyhad
fatto
madeasolemnvow,"DEOMNIBUSDUBITANDUM."Foritmaybedoubted,firstly,whetherantithesesexistatall;
e
andsecondly,whetherthepopularvaluationse
andantithesesofvalueuponcui
whichmetaphysicianshavesettheirseal,arenotforse
perhapsmerelysuperficialestimates,merelyprovisionalperspectives,besidesbeingprobabilmente
probablymadefromsomecorner,forse
perhapsfrombelow—"frogperspectives,"asitwere,toborrowun
anexpressioncurrentamongpainters.Inspiteof
tutto
allthevaluewhichmaybelongtothevero
true,thepositive,andtheunselfish,itpotrebbe
mightbepossiblethatahighere
andmorefundamentalvalueforvita
lifegenerallyshouldbeassignedtopretence,tothevolontà
willtodelusion,toselfishness,e
andcupidity.Itmightevenbe
possibile
possiblethatWHATconstitutesthevalueofthosegoode
andrespectedthings,consistspreciselyintheirbeinginsidiouslyrelated,knotted,e
andcrochetedtotheseevile
andapparentlyopposedthings—perhapseveninbeingessentiallyidenticalwiththem.Forse
Perhaps!Butwhowishestoconcernhimselfwithsuchdangerous"Perhapses"!
For
che
thatinvestigationonemustawaittheadventofanuovo
neworderofphilosophers,suchaswillavranno
haveothertastesandinclinations,thereverseofthosehithertoprevalent—philosophersofthedangerous"Perhaps"inogni
everysenseoftheterm.E
Andtospeakinallseriousness,Ivedo
seesuchnewphilosophersbeginningtoappear.3.
Avendo
Havingkeptasharpeyeonphilosophers,e
andhavingreadbetweentheirlineslungo
longenough,Inowsaytomyselfche
thatthegreaterpartofconsciousthinkingdeve
mustbecountedamongtheinstinctivefunctions,e
anditissoeveninthecaso
caseofphilosophicalthinking;onehas
qui
heretolearnanew,asonelearnedanewabouthereditye
and"innateness."Aslittleastheactofbirthcomesintoconsiderationinthewholeprocess
e
andprocedureofheredity,justaspoco
littleis"being-conscious"OPPOSEDtotheinstinctiveinanydecisivesense;la
thegreaterpartoftheconsciousthinkingofun
aphilosopherissecretlyinfluencedbyhisinstincts,e
andforcedintodefinitechannels.E
Andbehindalllogicanditsseemingsovereigntyofmovement,therearevaluations,o
ortospeakmoreplainly,physiologicaldemands,forthemaintenanceofun
adefinitemodeoflifeForexample,thatthecertainisworthpiù
morethantheuncertain,thatillusionislessvaluablethan"truth"suchvaluations,inspiteoftheirregulativeimportanceforUS,mightnotwithstandingbesolo
onlysuperficialvaluations,specialkindsofniaiserie,suchasmaybenecessaryforthemaintenanceofbeingssuchasourselves.Supposing,ineffect,
che
thatmanisnotjustla
the"measureofthings."4.
Thefalsenessof
un
anopinionisnotforusanyobjectiontoit:itis
qui
here,perhaps,thatournewlanguagesuona
soundsmoststrangely.Thequestion
è
is,howfaranopinionislife-furthering,life-preserving,species-preserving,forse
perhapsspecies-rearing,andwearefundamentallyinclinedtomaintainthatthefalsestopinions(towhichthesyntheticjudgmentsaprioribelong),arethepiù
mostindispensabletous,thatsenza
withoutarecognitionoflogicalfictions,senza
withoutacomparisonofrealitywiththepurelyIMAGINEDmondo
worldoftheabsoluteandimmutable,senza
withoutaconstantcounterfeitingofthemondo
worldbymeansofnumbers,mancouldnotlive—thattherenunciationoffalseopinionswouldbearenunciationofvita
life,anegationoflife.TORECOGNISEUNTRUTHAS
Una
ACONDITIONOFLIFE;thatiscertainlytoimpugn
le
thetraditionalideasofvalueinuna
adangerousmanner,andaphilosophywhichventurestodoso,ha
hastherebyaloneplaceditselfbeyondbene
goodandevil.5.
Thatwhichcausesphilosopherstoberegardedhalf-distrustfully
e
andhalf-mockingly,isnottheoft-repeateddiscoveryquanto
howinnocenttheyare—howoftene
andeasilytheymakemistakese
andlosetheirway,inshort,quanto
howchildishandchildliketheyare,—butthatthereisnotabbastanza
enoughhonestdealingwiththem,whereastheytutti
allraisealoudandvirtuousoutcryquando
whentheproblemoftruthfulnessisevenhintedatintheremotestmanner.They
tutti
allposeasthoughtheirrealopinionshadbeendiscoverede
andattainedthroughtheself-evolvingofacold,pure,divinelyindifferentdialectic(incontrasttotutti
allsortsofmystics,who,fairere
andfoolisher,talkof"inspiration"),whereas,inrealtà
fact,aprejudicedproposition,idea,o
or"suggestion,"whichisgenerallytheirheart'sdesireabstractede
andrefined,isdefendedbythemwithargumentssoughtoutdopo
aftertheevent.Theyare
tutti
alladvocateswhodonotdesiderano
wishtoberegardedassuch,generallyastutedefenders,also,oftheirprejudices,whichtheydub"truths,"—andVERYfarfromhavingtheconsciencewhichbravelyadmitsquesto
thistoitself,veryfarfromhavingthegoodtasteofthecouragewhichva
goessofarastoletquesto
thisbeunderstood,perhapstowarnamico
friendorfoe,orincheerfulconfidencee
andself-ridicule.Thespectacleof
i
theTartufferyofoldKant,equallystiffe
anddecent,withwhichheenticesusintoi
thedialecticby-waysthatlead(morecorrectlymislead)tohis"categoricalimperative"—makesusfastidiousonessmile,wewhotroviamo
findnosmallamusementinspyingouti
thesubtletricksofoldmoralistse
andethicalpreachers.Or,still
più
moreso,thehocus-pocusinmathematicalform,bydire
meansofwhichSpinozahas,asitwere,cladhisphilosophyinmaile
andmask—infact,the"loveofHISwisdom,"totranslatethetermfairlye
andsquarely—inordertherebytostriketerroratonceintothecuore
heartoftheassailantwhoshoulddaretocastun
aglanceonthatinvinciblemaiden,thatPallasAthene:—howmuchofpersonaltimiditye
andvulnerabilitydoesthismasqueradeofun
asicklyreclusebetray!6.
Ithasgradually
diventato
becomecleartomewhatogni
everygreatphilosophyuptillora
nowhasconsistedof—namely,theconfessionofitsoriginator,e
andaspeciesofinvoluntarye
andunconsciousauto-biography;andmoreoverthat
il
themoral(orimmoral)purposeinogni
everyphilosophyhasconstitutedthevero
truevitalgermoutofwhichil
theentireplanthasalwaysgrown.Indeed,to
capire
understandhowtheabstrusestmetaphysicalassertionsofun
aphilosopherhavebeenarrivedat,itissempre
alwayswell(andwise)toprima
firstaskoneself:"Whatmoralitydothey(ordoeshe)aimat?"
Accordingly,Idonot
credo
believethatan"impulsetoknowledge"isil
thefatherofphilosophy;but
che
thatanotherimpulse,hereaselsewhere,ha
hasonlymadeuseofknowledge(andmistakenknowledge!)asaninstrument.
Ma
Butwhoeverconsidersthefundamentalimpulsesofmanwithaviewtodetermininghowfartheymayhanno
havehereactedasINSPIRINGGENIIO
(orasdemonsandcobolds),willfindche
thattheyhaveallpracticedphilosophyatonetimeo
oranother,andthateachoneofthemwouldhanno
havebeenonlytoogladtolookuponitselfastheultimatefine
endofexistenceandthelegitimateSignore
LORDoveralltheotherimpulses.For
ogni
everyimpulseisimperious,andasTale
SUCH,attemptstophilosophize.Tobesure,inthe
caso
caseofscholars,inthecaso
caseofreallyscientificmen,itmaybeotherwise—"better,"se
ifyouwill;theretheremay
davvero
reallybesuchathingasan"impulsetoknowledge,"somekindofpiccolo
small,independentclock-work,which,whenwellwoundup,worksawayindustriouslytothatfine
end,WITHOUTtherestofthescholarlyimpulsesprendono
takinganymaterialparttherein.Theactual"interests"ofthescholar,therefore,aregenerallyinquiteanotherdirection—inthe
famiglia
family,perhaps,orinmoney-making,o
orinpolitics;itis,in
infatti
fact,almostindifferentatwhatpunto
pointofresearchhislittlemachineisplaced,e
andwhetherthehopefulyoungworkerdiventa
becomesagoodphilologist,amushroomspecialist,o
orachemist;heisnotCHARACTERISEDby
diventare
becomingthisorthat.Inthephilosopher,onthecontrary,thereisabsolutely
nulla
nothingimpersonal;andaboveall,hismoralityfurnishes
una
adecidedanddecisivetestimonyastoWHOHEIS,—thatistosay,inwhatordine
orderthedeepestimpulsesofhisnaturestandtoeachother.7.
Come
Howmaliciousphilosopherscanbe!Iknowof
nulla
nothingmorestingingthanthejokeEpicurusprese
tookthelibertyofmakingonPlatoe
andthePlatonists;hecalledthemDionysiokolakes.
Initsoriginalsense,
e
andonthefaceofit,theparola
wordsignifies"FlatterersofDionysius"—consequently,tyrants'accessoriese
andlick-spittles;besidesthis,however,itisasmuchasto
dire
say,"TheyareallACTORS,thereisnulla
nothinggenuineaboutthem"(forDionysiokolaxwasapopularnome
nameforanactor).And
il
thelatterisreallythemalignantreproachche
thatEpicuruscastuponPlato:hewasannoyedby
i
thegrandiosemanner,themiseenscenestyleofcui
whichPlatoandhisscholarsweremasters—ofcui
whichEpicuruswasnotamaestro
master!He,theoldschool-teacherofSamos,who
sedeva
satconcealedinhislittlegardenatAthens,e
andwrotethreehundredbooks,forse
perhapsoutofrageandambitiousenvyofPlato,whosa
knows!Greecetookahundredyearstofindout
chi
whothegarden-godEpicurusreallywas.Didsheeverfindout?
8.
Thereis
un
apointineveryphilosophyatcui
whichthe"conviction"ofthephilosopherappearsonla
thescene;or,toputitin
le
thewordsofanancientmystery:.Adventavitasinus,Pulcheretfortissimus.
9.
Youdesireto
Vivere
LIVE"accordingtoNature"?Oh,younobleStoics,whatfraudofwords!
Imaginetoyourselves
un
abeinglikeNature,boundlesslyextravagant,boundlesslyindifferent,senza
withoutpurposeorconsideration,withoutpityo
orjustice,atoncefruitfule
andbarrenanduncertain:imaginetoyourselvesINDIFFERENCEas
un
apower—howCOULDyouliveinaccordancewithtale
suchindifference?Tolive—isnotthat
solo
justendeavouringtobeotherwisethanquesta
thisNature?Isnotlivingvaluing,preferring,beingunjust,beinglimited,endeavouringtobedifferent?
E
Andgrantedthatyourimperative,"livingaccordingtoNature,"significa
meansactuallythesameas"livingaccordingtolife"—howcouldyoufare
doDIFFERENTLY?Whyshouldyou
fare
makeaprincipleoutofwhatyouyourselvesare,e
andmustbe?Inreality,however,itisquiteotherwisewithyou:
mentre
whileyoupretendtoreadwithrapturethecanonofyourlegge
lawinNature,youwantqualcosa
somethingquitethecontrary,youextraordinarystage-playerse
andself-deluders!Inyourprideyou
desideri
wishtodictateyourmoralse
andidealstoNature,toNatureherself,e
andtoincorporatethemtherein;youinsist
che
thatitshallbeNature"accordingtotheStoa,"e
andwouldlikeeverythingtobefatto
madeafteryourownimage,asuna
avast,eternalglorificationandgeneralismofStoicism!With
tutto
allyourlovefortruth,youhaveforcedyourselvessolungo
long,sopersistently,andwithtale
suchhypnoticrigiditytoseeNatureFALSELY,che
thatistosay,Stoically,che
thatyouarenolongerabletovedere
seeitotherwise—andtocrowntutto
all,someunfathomablesuperciliousnessgivesyoutheBedlamitesperanza
hopethatBECAUSEyouareabletotyrannizeoveryourselves—Stoicismisself-tyranny—Naturewillalsoallowherselftobetyrannizedover:isnottheStoica
Parte
PARTofNature?...Butthisis
una
anoldandeverlastingstory:whathappenedinoldtimeswiththeStoics
ancora
stillhappenstoday,assoonaseveruna
aphilosophybeginstobelieveinitself.It
sempre
alwayscreatestheworldinitsownimage;itcannot
fare
dootherwise;philosophyisthistyrannicalimpulseitself,the
più
mostspiritualWilltoPower,thevolontà
willto"creationoftheworld,"thevolontà
willtothecausaprima.10.
Theeagerness
e
andsubtlety,Ishouldevendire
saycraftiness,withwhichtheproblema
problemof"therealandtheapparentworld"isdealtwithatpresentthroughoutEurope,furnishescibo
foodforthoughtandattention;e
andhewhohearsonlyuna
a"WilltoTruth"inle
thebackground,andnothingelse,cannotcertainlyboastofle
thesharpestears.Inrare
e
andisolatedcases,itmaydavvero
reallyhavehappenedthatsuchaVolontà
WilltoTruth—acertainextravagante
andadventurouspluck,ametaphysician'sambitionoftheforlornhope—hasparticipatedtherein:thatwhichinthe
fine
endalwaysprefersahandfulof"certainty"toawholecartloadofbeautifulpossibilities;ci
theremayevenbepuritanicalfanaticsofconscience,whoprefertomettere
puttheirlasttrustinasicuro
surenothing,ratherthaninanuncertainqualcosa
something.ButthatisNihilism,
e
andthesignofadespairing,mortallyweariedsoul,notwithstandingil
thecourageousbearingsuchavirtuemaydisplay.Itseems,however,tobeotherwisewithstronger
e
andlivelierthinkerswhoareancora
stilleagerforlife.Inthattheyside
Contro
AGAINSTappearance,andspeaksuperciliouslyof"perspective,"inthattheyrankthecredibilityoftheirproprio
ownbodiesaboutaslowasthecredibilityoftheocularevidencethat"theterra
earthstandsstill,"andthus,apparently,allowingwithcomplacencytheirsecurestpossessiontoescape(forwhatdoesoneatpresentcrede
believeinmorefirmlythaninone'sbody?),—whosa
knowsiftheyarenotreallytryingtowinbackqualcosa
somethingwhichwasformerlyanancora
evensecurerpossession,somethingofthevecchio
olddomainofthefaithofformertimes,forse
perhapsthe"immortalsoul,"perhaps"thevecchio
oldGod,"inshort,ideasbywhichtheycouldvivere
livebetter,thatistosay,più
morevigorouslyandmorejoyously,thanby"modernideas"?ThereisDISTRUSTofthesemodernideasin
questo
thismodeoflookingatthings,una
adisbeliefinallthathasbeenconstructedyesterdaye
andtoday;thereisperhapssomeslightadmixtureofsatiety
e
andscorn,whichcannolongerendureil
theBRIC-A-BRACofideasofil
themostvariedorigin,suchasso-calledPositivismatpresentthrowsonil
themarket;adisgustofthe
più
morerefinedtasteatthevillage-fairmotleynesse
andpatchinessofallthesereality-philosophasters,inwhomthereisnulla
nothingeithernewortrue,exceptquesta
thismotleyness.Thereinitseemstome
che
thatweshouldagreewiththoseskepticalanti-realistse
andknowledge-microscopistsofthepresentday;theirinstinct,
che
whichrepelsthemfromMODERNreality,isunrefuted...whatdotheirretrogradeby-pathsconcernus!
La
ThemainthingaboutthemisNOTche
thattheywishtogo"back,"ma
butthattheywishtogetAWAYtherefrom.Un
AlittleMOREstrength,swing,courage,e
andartisticpower,andtheysarebbero
wouldbeOFF—andnotback!11.
Itseemstomethat
ci
thereiseverywhereanattemptatpresenttodivertattentionfromil
theactualinfluencewhichKantexercisedonGermanphilosophy,e
andespeciallytoignoreprudentlyil
thevaluewhichhesetuponhimself.Kantwas
prima
firstandforemostproudofhisTableofCategories;withitinhis
mano
handhesaid:"Thisis
la
themostdifficultthingthatcouldeverbeundertakenonbehalfofmetaphysics."Letus
solo
onlyunderstandthis"couldbe"!HewasproudofhavingDISCOVERED
una
anewfacultyinman,la
thefacultyofsyntheticjudgmentuna
apriori.Grantingthathedeceivedhimselfin
questa
thismatter;thedevelopmentandrapidflourishingofGermanphilosophydependedneverthelessonhispride,
e
andontheeagerrivalryofla
theyoungergenerationtodiscoverse
ifpossiblesomething—atallevents"newfaculties"—ofcui
whichtobestillprouder!—Butletusreflectforamoment—itishightimetodoso."HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaprioriPOSSIBLE?"
Kant
chiede
askshimself—andwhatisreallyhisrisposta
answer?"BYMEANSOFAMEANS(faculty)"—butunfortunatelynotin
cinque
fivewords,butsocircumstantially,imposingly,e
andwithsuchdisplayofGermanprofunditye
andverbalflourishes,thatonealtogetherperde
losessightofthecomicalniaiserieallemandeinvolvedintale
suchananswer.Peoplewerebesidethemselveswithdelightover
questa
thisnewfaculty,andthejubilationreacheditsclimaxquando
whenKantfurtherdiscoveredamoralfacultyinman—foratthattempo
timeGermanswerestillmoral,notancora
yetdabblinginthe"Politicsofhardfact."Thencame
la
thehoneymoonofGermanphilosophy.Tutti
Alltheyoungtheologiansofi
theTubingeninstitutionwentimmediatelyintoi
thegroves—allseekingfor"faculties."E
Andwhatdidtheynotfind—inthatinnocent,rich,e
andstillyouthfulperiodoftheGermanspirit,tocui
whichRomanticism,themaliciousfairy,pipede
andsang,whenonecouldnotancora
yetdistinguishbetween"finding"and"inventing"!Aboveall
una
afacultyforthe"transcendental";Schellingchristenedit,intellectualintuition,andtherebygratifiedthe
più
mostearnestlongingsofthenaturallypious-inclinedGermans.Onecan
fare
donogreaterwrongtothewholeofquesto
thisexuberantandeccentricmovement(whichwasreallyyouthfulness,notwithstandingthatitdisguiseditselfsoboldly,inhoarye
andsenileconceptions),thantotakeitseriously,o
oreventreatitwithmoralindignation.Enough,however—the
mondo
worldgrewolder,andthesogno
dreamvanished.Atimecamewhen
persone
peoplerubbedtheirforeheads,andtheyancora
stillrubthemtoday.People
aveva
hadbeendreaming,andfirste
andforemost—oldKant."Bymeansof
un
ameans(faculty)"—hehadsaid,o
oratleastmeanttodire
say.But,isthat—ananswer?
Una
Anexplanation?Orisitnotrathermerely
una
arepetitionofthequestion?Come
Howdoesopiuminducesleep?"Bymeansof
un
ameans(faculty),"namelythevirtusdormitiva,repliesil
thedoctorinMoliere,.Butsuchrepliesbelongtotherealmofcomedy,anditishightimetoreplacetheKantian
domanda
question,"HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaPRIORIpossible?"byanother
domanda
question,"Whyisbeliefinsuchjudgmentsnecessary?"—ineffect,itishightimeche
thatweshouldunderstandthatsuchjudgmentsdevono
mustbebelievedtobetrue,forthesakeofthepreservationofcreaturescome
likeourselves;thoughtheystill
potrebbero
mightnaturallybefalsejudgments!O
Or,moreplainlyspoken,androughlye
andreadily—syntheticjudgmentsaprioridovrebbero
shouldnot"bepossible"atall;we
abbiamo
havenorighttothem;inourmouthstheyarenothingbutfalsejudgments.
Solo
Only,ofcourse,thebeliefintheirverità
truthisnecessary,asplausiblebeliefe
andocularevidencebelongingtola
theperspectiveviewoflife.E
Andfinally,tocalltomindtheenormousinfluencewhich"Germanphilosophy"—Ihopeyoucomprendiate
understanditsrighttoinvertedcommas(goosefeet)?—hasexercisedthroughoutthewholeofEurope,thereisnon
nodoubtthatacertainVIRTUSDORMITIVAhadun
ashareinit;thankstoGermanphilosophy,itwasadelighttothenobleidlers,thevirtuous,themystics,theartiste,thethree-fourthsChristians,
e
andthepoliticalobscurantistsoftutte
allnations,tofindanantidotetotheancora
stilloverwhelmingsensualismwhichoverflowedfromthescorso
lastcenturyintothis,inshort—"sensusassoupire."...