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

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

Unlock the potential of this modern translation approach, designed to enhance your language learning experience. By allowing you to choose your difficulty level, it guarantees a personalized challenge that's suited to your progress. This method promotes comprehension by encouraging you to infer the meaning of new words from context, rather than relying heavily on direct translations. Though some translations are obscured to stimulate guessing, it's perfectly fine to consult a dictionary when needed. This technique combines challenge and support, making language learning fun and effective. Explore these translated classics to enjoy literature while advancing your language skills.

PREFACE
SUPPOSINGthatTruthis
una
awoman—whatthen?
Istherenotgroundforsuspectingthat
tutti
allphilosophers,insofarasthey
hanno
havebeendogmatists,havefailedto
capire
understandwomen—thattheterribleseriousness
e
andclumsyimportunitywithwhichthey
hanno
haveusuallypaidtheiraddressesto
Verità
Truth,havebeenunskilledandunseemlymethodsforwinning
una
awoman?
Certainlyshehasneverallowedherselftobewon;
e
andatpresenteverykindofdogmastandswithsad
e
anddiscouragedmien—IF,indeed,itstandsatall!
For
ci
therearescofferswhomaintainthatithasfallen,that
tutto
alldogmaliesontheground—naymore,thatitisatits
ultimo
lastgasp.
Buttospeakseriously,
ci
therearegoodgroundsforhoping
che
thatalldogmatizinginphilosophy,whateversolemn,whateverconclusive
e
anddecidedairsithasassumed,may
abbia
havebeenonlyanoblepuerilism
e
andtyronism;
andprobablythetimeisathandwhenitwillbe
volta
onceandagainunderstoodWHAT
hanno
hasactuallysufficedforthebasisofsuchimposing
e
andabsolutephilosophicaledificesasthedogmatists
hanno
havehithertoreared:
perhapssomepopularsuperstitionofimmemorial
tempo
time(suchasthesoul-superstition,
che
which,intheformofsubject-
e
andego-superstition,hasnotyetceased
fare
doingmischief):
perhapssomeplayuponwords,adeceptionon
le
thepartofgrammar,oranaudaciousgeneralizationofveryrestricted,verypersonal,veryhuman—all-too-humanfacts.
Thephilosophyofthedogmatists,itistobehoped,was
solo
onlyapromiseforthousandsofyearsafterwards,aswasastrologyin
ancora
stillearliertimes,intheserviceofwhich
probabilmente
probablymorelabour,gold,acuteness,
e
andpatiencehavebeenspentthanon
qualsiasi
anyactualsciencehitherto:
weowetoit,
e
andtoits"super-terrestrial"pretensionsinAsia
e
andEgypt,thegrandstyleofarchitecture.
Itseems
che
thatinordertoinscribethemselvesuponthe
cuore
heartofhumanitywitheverlastingclaims,
tutte
allgreatthingshavefirsttowanderaboutthe
terra
earthasenormousandawe-inspiringcaricatures:
dogmaticphilosophyhasbeen
una
acaricatureofthiskind—forinstance,theVedantadoctrineinAsia,
e
andPlatonisminEurope.
Letusnotbeungratefultoit,althoughit
debba
mustcertainlybeconfessedthat
il
theworst,themosttiresome,
e
andthemostdangerousoferrorshithertohasbeen
un
adogmatisterror—namely,Plato'sinventionofPureSpirit
e
andtheGoodinItself.
Ma
Butnowwhenithasbeensurmounted,
quando
whenEurope,ridofthisnightmare,can
di nuovo
againdrawbreathfreelyandat
almeno
leastenjoyahealthier—sleep,we,WHOSEDUTYISWAKEFULNESSITSELF,aretheheirsofallthestrengthwhichthestruggle
contro
againstthiserrorhasfostered.
Itamountedtotheveryinversionof
verità
truth,andthedenialofthePERSPECTIVE—thefundamentalcondition—of
vita
life,tospeakofSpirit
e
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"—thestruggle
contro
againsttheecclesiasticaloppressionofmillenniumsofChristianity(FORCHRISTIANITYISPLATONISMFORTHE"PEOPLE"),producedinEurope
una
amagnificenttensionofsoul,suchas
ha
hadnotexistedanywherepreviously;
withsuchatenselystrainedbowonecan
ora
nowaimatthefurthestgoals.
Asamatteroffact,theEuropean
sente
feelsthistensionasastateofdistress,
e
andtwiceattemptshavebeenmadeingrandstyletounbendthebow:
volta
oncebymeansofJesuitism,
e
andthesecondtimebymeansofdemocraticenlightenment—which,withtheaidoflibertyofthepress
e
andnewspaper-reading,might,infact,bringitabout
che
thatthespiritwouldnotsoeasily
trovi
finditselfin"distress"!
(TheGermansinventedgunpowder—allcreditto
loro
them!
buttheyagainmadethingssquare—theyinventedprinting.)
Ma
Butwe,whoareneitherJesuits,nordemocrats,nor
nemmeno
evensufficientlyGermans,weGOODEUROPEANS,
e
andfree,VERYfreespirits—wehaveit
ancora
still,allthedistressofspirit
e
andallthetensionofitsbow!
E
Andperhapsalsothearrow,theduty,
e
and,whoknows?
THEGOALTOAIMAT....
CHAPTERI.PREJUDICESOFPHILOSOPHERS
1.
The
Volontà
WilltoTruth,whichistotemptusto
molte
manyahazardousenterprise,thefamousTruthfulnessofwhich
tutti
allphilosophershavehithertospokenwithrespect,whatquestionshas
questa
thisWilltoTruthnotlaidbeforeus!
Whatstrange,perplexing,questionablequestions!
Itisalready
una
alongstory;
yetitseemsasifitwerehardlycommenced.
Isitanywonder
se
ifweatlastgrowdistrustful,
perdiamo
losepatience,andturnimpatientlyaway?
Che
ThatthisSphinxteachesusatlasttoaskquestionsourselves?
Chi
WHOisitreallythatputsquestionstous
qui
here?
WHATreallyisthis"WilltoTruth"inus?
Infactwemadea
lungo
longhaltatthequestionastotheoriginof
questa
thisWill—untilatlastwecametoanabsolutestandstillbeforea
ancora
yetmorefundamentalquestion.
WeinquiredabouttheVALUEof
questo
thisWill.
Grantedthatwewant
la
thetruth:
WHYNOTRATHERuntruth?
E
Anduncertainty?
Evenignorance?
The
problema
problemofthevalueof
verità
truthpresenteditselfbeforeus—orwasitwewhopresentedourselvesbefore
il
theproblem?
WhichofusistheOedipus
qui
here?
WhichtheSphinx?
Itwouldseemtobe
un
arendezvousofquestionsandnotesofinterrogation.
E
Andcoulditbebelieved
che
thatitatlastseemstousas
se
iftheproblemhadneverbeenpropoundedbefore,as
se
ifwewerethefirsttodiscernit,getasightofit,
e
andRISKRAISINGit?
Forthereisriskinraisingit,
forse
perhapsthereisnogreaterrisk.
2.
"HOWCOULD
qualcosa
anythingoriginateoutofitsopposite?
Forexample,
verità
truthoutoferror?
or
la
theWilltoTruthoutof
la
thewilltodeception?
orthegenerousdeedoutofselfishness?
o
orthepuresun-brightvisionof
la
thewisemanoutofcovetousness?
Tale
Suchgenesisisimpossible;
whoeverdreamsofitisafool,nay,worsethanafool;
thingsofthehighestvalue
devono
musthaveadifferentorigin,anoriginofTHEIRown—in
questo
thistransitory,seductive,illusory,paltry
mondo
world,inthisturmoilofdelusion
e
andcupidity,theycannothavetheirsource.
Ma
ButratherinthelapofBeing,intheintransitory,intheconcealed
Dio
God,inthe'Thing-in-itself—THEREmustbetheirsource,
e
andnowhereelse!"—Thismodeofreasoningdisclosesthetypicalprejudiceby
cui
whichmetaphysiciansofalltimescanberecognized,
questo
thismodeofvaluationisatthebackofalltheirlogicalprocedure;
attraverso
throughthis"belief"oftheirs,theyexertthemselvesfortheir"knowledge,"for
qualcosa
somethingthatisinthe
fine
endsolemnlychristened"theTruth."
La
Thefundamentalbeliefofmetaphysiciansis
La
THEBELIEFINANTITHESESOFVALUES.
Itneveroccurred
nemmeno
eventothewariestofthemtodoubt
qui
hereontheverythreshold(wheredoubt,however,was
più
mostnecessary);
thoughtheyhad
fatto
madeasolemnvow,"DEOMNIBUSDUBITANDUM."
Foritmaybedoubted,firstly,whetherantithesesexistatall;
e
andsecondly,whetherthepopularvaluations
e
andantithesesofvalueupon
cui
whichmetaphysicianshavesettheirseal,arenot
forse
perhapsmerelysuperficialestimates,merelyprovisionalperspectives,besidesbeing
probabilmente
probablymadefromsomecorner,
forse
perhapsfrombelow—"frogperspectives,"asitwere,toborrow
un
anexpressioncurrentamongpainters.
Inspiteof
tutto
allthevaluewhichmaybelongtothe
vero
true,thepositive,andtheunselfish,it
potrebbe
mightbepossiblethatahigher
e
andmorefundamentalvaluefor
vita
lifegenerallyshouldbeassignedtopretence,tothe
volontà
willtodelusion,toselfishness,
e
andcupidity.
Itmightevenbe
possibile
possiblethatWHATconstitutesthevalueofthosegood
e
andrespectedthings,consistspreciselyintheirbeinginsidiouslyrelated,knotted,
e
andcrochetedtotheseevil
e
andapparentlyopposedthings—perhapseveninbeingessentiallyidenticalwiththem.
Forse
Perhaps!
Butwhowishestoconcernhimselfwithsuchdangerous"Perhapses"!
For
che
thatinvestigationonemustawaittheadventofa
nuovo
neworderofphilosophers,suchaswill
avranno
haveothertastesandinclinations,thereverseofthosehithertoprevalent—philosophersofthedangerous"Perhaps"in
ogni
everysenseoftheterm.
E
Andtospeakinallseriousness,I
vedo
seesuchnewphilosophersbeginningtoappear.
3.
Avendo
Havingkeptasharpeyeonphilosophers,
e
andhavingreadbetweentheirlines
lungo
longenough,Inowsaytomyself
che
thatthegreaterpartofconsciousthinking
deve
mustbecountedamongtheinstinctivefunctions,
e
anditissoeveninthe
caso
caseofphilosophicalthinking;
onehas
qui
heretolearnanew,asonelearnedanewaboutheredity
e
and"innateness."
Aslittleastheactofbirthcomesintoconsiderationinthewholeprocess
e
andprocedureofheredity,justas
poco
littleis"being-conscious"OPPOSEDtotheinstinctiveinanydecisivesense;
la
thegreaterpartoftheconsciousthinkingof
un
aphilosopherissecretlyinfluencedbyhisinstincts,
e
andforcedintodefinitechannels.
E
Andbehindalllogicanditsseemingsovereigntyofmovement,therearevaluations,
o
ortospeakmoreplainly,physiologicaldemands,forthemaintenanceof
un
adefinitemodeoflifeForexample,thatthecertainisworth
più
morethantheuncertain,thatillusionislessvaluablethan"truth"suchvaluations,inspiteoftheirregulativeimportanceforUS,mightnotwithstandingbe
solo
onlysuperficialvaluations,specialkindsofniaiserie,suchasmaybenecessaryforthemaintenanceofbeingssuchasourselves.
Supposing,ineffect,
che
thatmanisnotjust
la
the"measureofthings."
4.
Thefalsenessof
un
anopinionisnotforusanyobjectiontoit:
itis
qui
here,perhaps,thatournewlanguage
suona
soundsmoststrangely.
Thequestion
è
is,howfaranopinionislife-furthering,life-preserving,species-preserving,
forse
perhapsspecies-rearing,andwearefundamentallyinclinedtomaintainthatthefalsestopinions(towhichthesyntheticjudgmentsaprioribelong),arethe
più
mostindispensabletous,that
senza
withoutarecognitionoflogicalfictions,
senza
withoutacomparisonofrealitywiththepurelyIMAGINED
mondo
worldoftheabsoluteandimmutable,
senza
withoutaconstantcounterfeitingofthe
mondo
worldbymeansofnumbers,mancouldnotlive—thattherenunciationoffalseopinionswouldbearenunciationof
vita
life,anegationoflife.
TORECOGNISEUNTRUTHAS
Una
ACONDITIONOFLIFE;
thatiscertainlytoimpugn
le
thetraditionalideasofvaluein
una
adangerousmanner,andaphilosophywhichventurestodoso,
ha
hastherebyaloneplaceditselfbeyond
bene
goodandevil.
5.
Thatwhichcausesphilosopherstoberegardedhalf-distrustfully
e
andhalf-mockingly,isnottheoft-repeateddiscovery
quanto
howinnocenttheyare—howoften
e
andeasilytheymakemistakes
e
andlosetheirway,inshort,
quanto
howchildishandchildliketheyare,—butthatthereisnot
abbastanza
enoughhonestdealingwiththem,whereasthey
tutti
allraisealoudandvirtuousoutcry
quando
whentheproblemoftruthfulnessisevenhintedatintheremotestmanner.
They
tutti
allposeasthoughtheirrealopinionshadbeendiscovered
e
andattainedthroughtheself-evolvingofacold,pure,divinelyindifferentdialectic(incontrastto
tutti
allsortsofmystics,who,fairer
e
andfoolisher,talkof"inspiration"),whereas,in
realtà
fact,aprejudicedproposition,idea,
o
or"suggestion,"whichisgenerallytheirheart'sdesireabstracted
e
andrefined,isdefendedbythemwithargumentssoughtout
dopo
aftertheevent.
Theyare
tutti
alladvocateswhodonot
desiderano
wishtoberegardedassuch,generallyastutedefenders,also,oftheirprejudices,whichtheydub"truths,"—andVERYfarfromhavingtheconsciencewhichbravelyadmits
questo
thistoitself,veryfarfromhavingthegoodtasteofthecouragewhich
va
goessofarastolet
questo
thisbeunderstood,perhapstowarn
amico
friendorfoe,orincheerfulconfidence
e
andself-ridicule.
Thespectacleof
i
theTartufferyofoldKant,equallystiff
e
anddecent,withwhichheenticesusinto
i
thedialecticby-waysthatlead(morecorrectlymislead)tohis"categoricalimperative"—makesusfastidiousonessmile,wewho
troviamo
findnosmallamusementinspyingout
i
thesubtletricksofoldmoralists
e
andethicalpreachers.
Or,still
più
moreso,thehocus-pocusinmathematicalform,by
dire
meansofwhichSpinozahas,asitwere,cladhisphilosophyinmail
e
andmask—infact,the"loveofHISwisdom,"totranslatethetermfairly
e
andsquarely—inordertherebytostriketerroratonceintothe
cuore
heartoftheassailantwhoshoulddaretocast
un
aglanceonthatinvinciblemaiden,thatPallasAthene:—howmuchofpersonaltimidity
e
andvulnerabilitydoesthismasqueradeof
un
asicklyreclusebetray!
6.
Ithasgradually
diventato
becomecleartomewhat
ogni
everygreatphilosophyuptill
ora
nowhasconsistedof—namely,theconfessionofitsoriginator,
e
andaspeciesofinvoluntary
e
andunconsciousauto-biography;
andmoreoverthat
il
themoral(orimmoral)purposein
ogni
everyphilosophyhasconstitutedthe
vero
truevitalgermoutofwhich
il
theentireplanthasalwaysgrown.
Indeed,to
capire
understandhowtheabstrusestmetaphysicalassertionsof
un
aphilosopherhavebeenarrivedat,itis
sempre
alwayswell(andwise)to
prima
firstaskoneself:
"Whatmoralitydothey(ordoeshe)aimat?"
Accordingly,Idonot
credo
believethatan"impulsetoknowledge"is
il
thefatherofphilosophy;
but
che
thatanotherimpulse,hereaselsewhere,
ha
hasonlymadeuseofknowledge(andmistakenknowledge!)
asaninstrument.
Ma
Butwhoeverconsidersthefundamentalimpulsesofmanwithaviewtodetermininghowfartheymay
hanno
havehereactedasINSPIRINGGENII
O
(orasdemonsandcobolds),willfind
che
thattheyhaveallpracticedphilosophyatonetime
o
oranother,andthateachoneofthemwould
hanno
havebeenonlytoogladtolookuponitselfastheultimate
fine
endofexistenceandthelegitimate
Signore
LORDoveralltheotherimpulses.
For
ogni
everyimpulseisimperious,andas
Tale
SUCH,attemptstophilosophize.
Tobesure,inthe
caso
caseofscholars,inthe
caso
caseofreallyscientificmen,itmaybeotherwise—"better,"
se
ifyouwill;
theretheremay
davvero
reallybesuchathingasan"impulsetoknowledge,"somekindof
piccolo
small,independentclock-work,which,whenwellwoundup,worksawayindustriouslytothat
fine
end,WITHOUTtherestofthescholarlyimpulses
prendono
takinganymaterialparttherein.
Theactual"interests"ofthescholar,therefore,aregenerallyinquiteanotherdirection—inthe
famiglia
family,perhaps,orinmoney-making,
o
orinpolitics;
itis,in
infatti
fact,almostindifferentatwhat
punto
pointofresearchhislittlemachineisplaced,
e
andwhetherthehopefulyoungworker
diventa
becomesagoodphilologist,amushroomspecialist,
o
orachemist;
heisnotCHARACTERISEDby
diventare
becomingthisorthat.
Inthephilosopher,onthecontrary,thereisabsolutely
nulla
nothingimpersonal;
andaboveall,hismoralityfurnishes
una
adecidedanddecisivetestimonyastoWHOHEIS,—thatistosay,inwhat
ordine
orderthedeepestimpulsesofhisnaturestandtoeachother.
7.
Come
Howmaliciousphilosopherscanbe!
Iknowof
nulla
nothingmorestingingthanthejokeEpicurus
prese
tookthelibertyofmakingonPlato
e
andthePlatonists;
hecalledthemDionysiokolakes.
Initsoriginalsense,
e
andonthefaceofit,the
parola
wordsignifies"FlatterersofDionysius"—consequently,tyrants'accessories
e
andlick-spittles;
besidesthis,however,itisasmuchasto
dire
say,"TheyareallACTORS,thereis
nulla
nothinggenuineaboutthem"(forDionysiokolaxwasapopular
nome
nameforanactor).
And
il
thelatterisreallythemalignantreproach
che
thatEpicuruscastuponPlato:
hewasannoyedby
i
thegrandiosemanner,themiseenscenestyleof
cui
whichPlatoandhisscholarsweremasters—of
cui
whichEpicuruswasnota
maestro
master!
He,theoldschool-teacherofSamos,who
sedeva
satconcealedinhislittlegardenatAthens,
e
andwrotethreehundredbooks,
forse
perhapsoutofrageandambitiousenvyofPlato,who
sa
knows!
Greecetookahundredyearstofindout
chi
whothegarden-godEpicurusreallywas.
Didsheeverfindout?
8.
Thereis
un
apointineveryphilosophyat
cui
whichthe"conviction"ofthephilosopherappearson
la
thescene;
or,toputitin
le
thewordsofanancientmystery:.
Adventavitasinus,Pulcheretfortissimus.
9.
Youdesireto
Vivere
LIVE"accordingtoNature"?
Oh,younobleStoics,whatfraudofwords!
Imaginetoyourselves
un
abeinglikeNature,boundlesslyextravagant,boundlesslyindifferent,
senza
withoutpurposeorconsideration,withoutpity
o
orjustice,atoncefruitful
e
andbarrenanduncertain:
imaginetoyourselvesINDIFFERENCEas
un
apower—howCOULDyouliveinaccordancewith
tale
suchindifference?
Tolive—isnotthat
solo
justendeavouringtobeotherwisethan
questa
thisNature?
Isnotlivingvaluing,preferring,beingunjust,beinglimited,endeavouringtobedifferent?
E
Andgrantedthatyourimperative,"livingaccordingtoNature,"
significa
meansactuallythesameas"livingaccordingtolife"—howcouldyou
fare
doDIFFERENTLY?
Whyshouldyou
fare
makeaprincipleoutofwhatyouyourselvesare,
e
andmustbe?
Inreality,however,itisquiteotherwisewithyou:
mentre
whileyoupretendtoreadwithrapturethecanonofyour
legge
lawinNature,youwant
qualcosa
somethingquitethecontrary,youextraordinarystage-players
e
andself-deluders!
Inyourprideyou
desideri
wishtodictateyourmorals
e
andidealstoNature,toNatureherself,
e
andtoincorporatethemtherein;
youinsist
che
thatitshallbeNature"accordingtotheStoa,"
e
andwouldlikeeverythingtobe
fatto
madeafteryourownimage,as
una
avast,eternalglorificationandgeneralismofStoicism!
With
tutto
allyourlovefortruth,youhaveforcedyourselvesso
lungo
long,sopersistently,andwith
tale
suchhypnoticrigiditytoseeNatureFALSELY,
che
thatistosay,Stoically,
che
thatyouarenolongerableto
vedere
seeitotherwise—andtocrown
tutto
all,someunfathomablesuperciliousnessgivesyoutheBedlamite
speranza
hopethatBECAUSEyouareabletotyrannizeoveryourselves—Stoicismisself-tyranny—Naturewillalsoallowherselftobetyrannizedover:
isnottheStoica
Parte
PARTofNature?...
Butthisis
una
anoldandeverlastingstory:
whathappenedinoldtimeswiththeStoics
ancora
stillhappenstoday,assoonasever
una
aphilosophybeginstobelieveinitself.
It
sempre
alwayscreatestheworldinitsownimage;
itcannot
fare
dootherwise;
philosophyisthistyrannicalimpulseitself,the
più
mostspiritualWilltoPower,the
volontà
willto"creationoftheworld,"the
volontà
willtothecausaprima.
10.
Theeagerness
e
andsubtlety,Ishouldeven
dire
saycraftiness,withwhichthe
problema
problemof"therealandtheapparentworld"isdealtwithatpresentthroughoutEurope,furnishes
cibo
foodforthoughtandattention;
e
andhewhohearsonly
una
a"WilltoTruth"in
le
thebackground,andnothingelse,cannotcertainlyboastof
le
thesharpestears.
Inrare
e
andisolatedcases,itmay
davvero
reallyhavehappenedthatsucha
Volontà
WilltoTruth—acertainextravagant
e
andadventurouspluck,ametaphysician'sambitionoftheforlornhope—hasparticipatedtherein:
thatwhichinthe
fine
endalwaysprefersahandfulof"certainty"toawholecartloadofbeautifulpossibilities;
ci
theremayevenbepuritanicalfanaticsofconscience,whopreferto
mettere
puttheirlasttrustina
sicuro
surenothing,ratherthaninanuncertain
qualcosa
something.
ButthatisNihilism,
e
andthesignofadespairing,mortallyweariedsoul,notwithstanding
il
thecourageousbearingsuchavirtuemaydisplay.
Itseems,however,tobeotherwisewithstronger
e
andlivelierthinkerswhoare
ancora
stilleagerforlife.
Inthattheyside
Contro
AGAINSTappearance,andspeaksuperciliouslyof"perspective,"inthattheyrankthecredibilityoftheir
proprio
ownbodiesaboutaslowasthecredibilityoftheocularevidencethat"the
terra
earthstandsstill,"andthus,apparently,allowingwithcomplacencytheirsecurestpossessiontoescape(forwhatdoesoneatpresent
crede
believeinmorefirmlythaninone'sbody?),—who
sa
knowsiftheyarenotreallytryingtowinback
qualcosa
somethingwhichwasformerlyan
ancora
evensecurerpossession,somethingofthe
vecchio
olddomainofthefaithofformertimes,
forse
perhapsthe"immortalsoul,"perhaps"the
vecchio
oldGod,"inshort,ideasbywhichtheycould
vivere
livebetter,thatistosay,
più
morevigorouslyandmorejoyously,thanby"modernideas"?
ThereisDISTRUSTofthesemodernideasin
questo
thismodeoflookingatthings,
una
adisbeliefinallthathasbeenconstructedyesterday
e
andtoday;
thereisperhapssomeslightadmixtureofsatiety
e
andscorn,whichcannolongerendure
il
theBRIC-A-BRACofideasof
il
themostvariedorigin,suchasso-calledPositivismatpresentthrowson
il
themarket;
adisgustofthe
più
morerefinedtasteatthevillage-fairmotleyness
e
andpatchinessofallthesereality-philosophasters,inwhomthereis
nulla
nothingeithernewortrue,except
questa
thismotleyness.
Thereinitseemstome
che
thatweshouldagreewiththoseskepticalanti-realists
e
andknowledge-microscopistsofthepresentday;
theirinstinct,
che
whichrepelsthemfromMODERNreality,isunrefuted...
whatdotheirretrogradeby-pathsconcernus!
La
ThemainthingaboutthemisNOT
che
thattheywishtogo"back,"
ma
butthattheywishtogetAWAYtherefrom.
Un
AlittleMOREstrength,swing,courage,
e
andartisticpower,andthey
sarebbero
wouldbeOFF—andnotback!
11.
Itseemstomethat
ci
thereiseverywhereanattemptatpresenttodivertattentionfrom
il
theactualinfluencewhichKantexercisedonGermanphilosophy,
e
andespeciallytoignoreprudently
il
thevaluewhichhesetuponhimself.
Kantwas
prima
firstandforemostproudofhisTableofCategories;
withitinhis
mano
handhesaid:
"Thisis
la
themostdifficultthingthatcouldeverbeundertakenonbehalfofmetaphysics."
Letus
solo
onlyunderstandthis"couldbe"!
HewasproudofhavingDISCOVERED
una
anewfacultyinman,
la
thefacultyofsyntheticjudgment
una
apriori.
Grantingthathedeceivedhimselfin
questa
thismatter;
thedevelopmentandrapidflourishingofGermanphilosophydependedneverthelessonhispride,
e
andontheeagerrivalryof
la
theyoungergenerationtodiscover
se
ifpossiblesomething—atallevents"newfaculties"—of
cui
whichtobestillprouder!—Butletusreflectforamoment—itishightimetodoso.
"HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaprioriPOSSIBLE?"
Kant
chiede
askshimself—andwhatisreallyhis
risposta
answer?
"BYMEANSOFAMEANS(faculty)"—butunfortunatelynotin
cinque
fivewords,butsocircumstantially,imposingly,
e
andwithsuchdisplayofGermanprofundity
e
andverbalflourishes,thatonealtogether
perde
losessightofthecomicalniaiserieallemandeinvolvedin
tale
suchananswer.
Peoplewerebesidethemselveswithdelightover
questa
thisnewfaculty,andthejubilationreacheditsclimax
quando
whenKantfurtherdiscoveredamoralfacultyinman—foratthat
tempo
timeGermanswerestillmoral,not
ancora
yetdabblinginthe"Politicsofhardfact."
Thencame
la
thehoneymoonofGermanphilosophy.
Tutti
Alltheyoungtheologiansof
i
theTubingeninstitutionwentimmediatelyinto
i
thegroves—allseekingfor"faculties."
E
Andwhatdidtheynotfind—inthatinnocent,rich,
e
andstillyouthfulperiodoftheGermanspirit,to
cui
whichRomanticism,themaliciousfairy,piped
e
andsang,whenonecouldnot
ancora
yetdistinguishbetween"finding"and"inventing"!
Aboveall
una
afacultyforthe"transcendental";
Schellingchristenedit,intellectualintuition,andtherebygratifiedthe
più
mostearnestlongingsofthenaturallypious-inclinedGermans.
Onecan
fare
donogreaterwrongtothewholeof
questo
thisexuberantandeccentricmovement(whichwasreallyyouthfulness,notwithstandingthatitdisguiseditselfsoboldly,inhoary
e
andsenileconceptions),thantotakeitseriously,
o
oreventreatitwithmoralindignation.
Enough,however—the
mondo
worldgrewolder,andthe
sogno
dreamvanished.
Atimecamewhen
persone
peoplerubbedtheirforeheads,andthey
ancora
stillrubthemtoday.
People
aveva
hadbeendreaming,andfirst
e
andforemost—oldKant.
"Bymeansof
un
ameans(faculty)"—hehadsaid,
o
oratleastmeantto
dire
say.
But,isthat—ananswer?
Una
Anexplanation?
Orisitnotrathermerely
una
arepetitionofthequestion?
Come
Howdoesopiuminducesleep?
"Bymeansof
un
ameans(faculty),"namelythevirtusdormitiva,replies
il
thedoctorinMoliere,.
Butsuchrepliesbelongtotherealmofcomedy,anditishightimetoreplacetheKantian
domanda
question,"HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaPRIORIpossible?"
byanother
domanda
question,"Whyisbeliefinsuchjudgmentsnecessary?"—ineffect,itishightime
che
thatweshouldunderstandthatsuchjudgments
devono
mustbebelievedtobetrue,forthesakeofthepreservationofcreatures
come
likeourselves;
thoughtheystill
potrebbero
mightnaturallybefalsejudgments!
O
Or,moreplainlyspoken,androughly
e
andreadily—syntheticjudgmentsapriori
dovrebbero
shouldnot"bepossible"atall;
we
abbiamo
havenorighttothem;
inourmouthstheyarenothingbutfalsejudgments.
Solo
Only,ofcourse,thebeliefintheir
verità
truthisnecessary,asplausiblebelief
e
andocularevidencebelongingto
la
theperspectiveviewoflife.
E
Andfinally,tocalltomindtheenormousinfluencewhich"Germanphilosophy"—Ihopeyou
comprendiate
understanditsrighttoinvertedcommas(goosefeet)?—hasexercisedthroughoutthewholeofEurope,thereis
non
nodoubtthatacertainVIRTUSDORMITIVAhad
un
ashareinit;
thankstoGermanphilosophy,itwasadelighttothenobleidlers,thevirtuous,themystics,theartiste,thethree-fourthsChristians,
e
andthepoliticalobscurantistsof
tutte
allnations,tofindanantidotetothe
ancora
stilloverwhelmingsensualismwhichoverflowedfromthe
scorso
lastcenturyintothis,inshort—"sensusassoupire."...