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
a
woman—whatthen?
Istherenotgroundforsuspectingthat
tutti
all
philosophers,insofarasthey
hanno
have
beendogmatists,havefailedto
capire
understand
women—thattheterribleseriousness
e
and
clumsyimportunitywithwhichthey
hanno
have
usuallypaidtheiraddressesto
Verità
Truth
,havebeenunskilledandunseemlymethodsforwinning
una
a
woman?
Certainlyshehasneverallowedherselftobewon;
e
and
atpresenteverykindofdogmastandswithsad
e
and
discouragedmien—IF,indeed,itstandsatall!
For
ci
there
arescofferswhomaintainthatithasfallen,that
tutto
all
dogmaliesontheground—naymore,thatitisatits
ultimo
last
gasp.
Buttospeakseriously,
ci
there
aregoodgroundsforhoping
che
that
alldogmatizinginphilosophy,whateversolemn,whateverconclusive
e
and
decidedairsithasassumed,may
abbia
have
beenonlyanoblepuerilism
e
and
tyronism;
andprobablythetimeisathandwhenitwillbe
volta
once
andagainunderstoodWHAT
hanno
has
actuallysufficedforthebasisofsuchimposing
e
and
absolutephilosophicaledificesasthedogmatists
hanno
have
hithertoreared:
perhapssomepopularsuperstitionofimmemorial
tempo
time
(suchasthesoul-superstition,
che
which
,intheformofsubject-
e
and
ego-superstition,hasnotyetceased
fare
doing
mischief):
perhapssomeplayuponwords,adeceptionon
le
the
partofgrammar,oranaudaciousgeneralizationofveryrestricted,verypersonal,veryhuman—all-too-humanfacts.
Thephilosophyofthedogmatists,itistobehoped,was
solo
only
apromiseforthousandsofyearsafterwards,aswasastrologyin
ancora
still
earliertimes,intheserviceofwhich
probabilmente
probably
morelabour,gold,acuteness,
e
and
patiencehavebeenspentthanon
qualsiasi
any
actualsciencehitherto:
weowetoit,
e
and
toits"super-terrestrial"pretensionsinAsia
e
and
Egypt,thegrandstyleofarchitecture.
Itseems
che
that
inordertoinscribethemselvesuponthe
cuore
heart
ofhumanitywitheverlastingclaims,
tutte
all
greatthingshavefirsttowanderaboutthe
terra
earth
asenormousandawe-inspiringcaricatures:
dogmaticphilosophyhasbeen
una
a
caricatureofthiskind—forinstance,theVedantadoctrineinAsia,
e
and
PlatonisminEurope.
Letusnotbeungratefultoit,althoughit
debba
must
certainlybeconfessedthat
il
the
worst,themosttiresome,
e
and
themostdangerousoferrorshithertohasbeen
un
a
dogmatisterror—namely,Plato'sinventionofPureSpirit
e
and
theGoodinItself.
Ma
But
nowwhenithasbeensurmounted,
quando
when
Europe,ridofthisnightmare,can
di nuovo
again
drawbreathfreelyandat
almeno
least
enjoyahealthier—sleep,we,WHOSEDUTYISWAKEFULNESSITSELF,aretheheirsofallthestrengthwhichthestruggle
contro
against
thiserrorhasfostered.
Itamountedtotheveryinversionof
verità
truth
,andthedenialofthePERSPECTIVE—thefundamentalcondition—of
vita
life
,tospeakofSpirit
e
and
theGoodasPlatospokeofthem;
indeedone
potrebbe
might
ask,asaphysician:
"How
fatto
did
suchamaladyattackthatfinestproductofantiquity,Plato?
Had
il
the
wickedSocratesreallycorruptedhim?
WasSocrates
dopo
after
allacorrupterofyouths,
e
and
deservedhishemlock?"
Butthestruggle
contro
against
Plato,or—tospeakplainer,
e
and
forthe"people"—thestruggle
contro
against
theecclesiasticaloppressionofmillenniumsofChristianity(FORCHRISTIANITYISPLATONISMFORTHE"PEOPLE"),producedinEurope
una
a
magnificenttensionofsoul,suchas
ha
had
notexistedanywherepreviously;
withsuchatenselystrainedbowonecan
ora
now
aimatthefurthestgoals.
Asamatteroffact,theEuropean
sente
feels
thistensionasastateofdistress,
e
and
twiceattemptshavebeenmadeingrandstyletounbendthebow:
volta
once
bymeansofJesuitism,
e
and
thesecondtimebymeansofdemocraticenlightenment—which,withtheaidoflibertyofthepress
e
and
newspaper-reading,might,infact,bringitabout
che
that
thespiritwouldnotsoeasily
trovi
find
itselfin"distress"!
(TheGermansinventedgunpowder—allcreditto
loro
them
!
buttheyagainmadethingssquare—theyinventedprinting.)
Ma
But
we,whoareneitherJesuits,nordemocrats,nor
nemmeno
even
sufficientlyGermans,weGOODEUROPEANS,
e
and
free,VERYfreespirits—wehaveit
ancora
still
,allthedistressofspirit
e
and
allthetensionofitsbow!
E
And
perhapsalsothearrow,theduty,
e
and
,whoknows?
THEGOALTOAIMAT....
CHAPTERI.PREJUDICESOFPHILOSOPHERS
1.
The
Volontà
Will
toTruth,whichistotemptusto
molte
many
ahazardousenterprise,thefamousTruthfulnessofwhich
tutti
all
philosophershavehithertospokenwithrespect,whatquestionshas
questa
this
WilltoTruthnotlaidbeforeus!
Whatstrange,perplexing,questionablequestions!
Itisalready
una
a
longstory;
yetitseemsasifitwerehardlycommenced.
Isitanywonder
se
if
weatlastgrowdistrustful,
perdiamo
lose
patience,andturnimpatientlyaway?
Che
That
thisSphinxteachesusatlasttoaskquestionsourselves?
Chi
WHO
isitreallythatputsquestionstous
qui
here
?
WHATreallyisthis"WilltoTruth"inus?
Infactwemadea
lungo
long
haltatthequestionastotheoriginof
questa
this
Will—untilatlastwecametoanabsolutestandstillbeforea
ancora
yet
morefundamentalquestion.
WeinquiredabouttheVALUEof
questo
this
Will.
Grantedthatwewant
la
the
truth:
WHYNOTRATHERuntruth?
E
And
uncertainty?
Evenignorance?
The
problema
problem
ofthevalueof
verità
truth
presenteditselfbeforeus—orwasitwewhopresentedourselvesbefore
il
the
problem?
WhichofusistheOedipus
qui
here
?
WhichtheSphinx?
Itwouldseemtobe
un
a
rendezvousofquestionsandnotesofinterrogation.
E
And
coulditbebelieved
che
that
itatlastseemstousas
se
if
theproblemhadneverbeenpropoundedbefore,as
se
if
wewerethefirsttodiscernit,getasightofit,
e
and
RISKRAISINGit?
Forthereisriskinraisingit,
forse
perhaps
thereisnogreaterrisk.
2.
"HOWCOULD
qualcosa
anything
originateoutofitsopposite?
Forexample,
verità
truth
outoferror?
or
la
the
WilltoTruthoutof
la
the
willtodeception?
orthegenerousdeedoutofselfishness?
o
or
thepuresun-brightvisionof
la
the
wisemanoutofcovetousness?
Tale
Such
genesisisimpossible;
whoeverdreamsofitisafool,nay,worsethanafool;
thingsofthehighestvalue
devono
must
haveadifferentorigin,anoriginofTHEIRown—in
questo
this
transitory,seductive,illusory,paltry
mondo
world
,inthisturmoilofdelusion
e
and
cupidity,theycannothavetheirsource.
Ma
But
ratherinthelapofBeing,intheintransitory,intheconcealed
Dio
God
,inthe'Thing-in-itself—THEREmustbetheirsource,
e
and
nowhereelse!"—Thismodeofreasoningdisclosesthetypicalprejudiceby
cui
which
metaphysiciansofalltimescanberecognized,
questo
this
modeofvaluationisatthebackofalltheirlogicalprocedure;
attraverso
through
this"belief"oftheirs,theyexertthemselvesfortheir"knowledge,"for
qualcosa
something
thatisinthe
fine
end
solemnlychristened"theTruth."
La
The
fundamentalbeliefofmetaphysiciansis
La
THE
BELIEFINANTITHESESOFVALUES.
Itneveroccurred
nemmeno
even
tothewariestofthemtodoubt
qui
here
ontheverythreshold(wheredoubt,however,was
più
most
necessary);
thoughtheyhad
fatto
made
asolemnvow,"DEOMNIBUSDUBITANDUM."
Foritmaybedoubted,firstly,whetherantithesesexistatall;
e
and
secondly,whetherthepopularvaluations
e
and
antithesesofvalueupon
cui
which
metaphysicianshavesettheirseal,arenot
forse
perhaps
merelysuperficialestimates,merelyprovisionalperspectives,besidesbeing
probabilmente
probably
madefromsomecorner,
forse
perhaps
frombelow—"frogperspectives,"asitwere,toborrow
un
an
expressioncurrentamongpainters.
Inspiteof
tutto
all
thevaluewhichmaybelongtothe
vero
true
,thepositive,andtheunselfish,it
potrebbe
might
bepossiblethatahigher
e
and
morefundamentalvaluefor
vita
life
generallyshouldbeassignedtopretence,tothe
volontà
will
todelusion,toselfishness,
e
and
cupidity.
Itmightevenbe
possibile
possible
thatWHATconstitutesthevalueofthosegood
e
and
respectedthings,consistspreciselyintheirbeinginsidiouslyrelated,knotted,
e
and
crochetedtotheseevil
e
and
apparentlyopposedthings—perhapseveninbeingessentiallyidenticalwiththem.
Forse
Perhaps
!
Butwhowishestoconcernhimselfwithsuchdangerous"Perhapses"!
For
che
that
investigationonemustawaittheadventofa
nuovo
new
orderofphilosophers,suchaswill
avranno
have
othertastesandinclinations,thereverseofthosehithertoprevalent—philosophersofthedangerous"Perhaps"in
ogni
every
senseoftheterm.
E
And
tospeakinallseriousness,I
vedo
see
suchnewphilosophersbeginningtoappear.
3.
Avendo
Having
keptasharpeyeonphilosophers,
e
and
havingreadbetweentheirlines
lungo
long
enough,Inowsaytomyself
che
that
thegreaterpartofconsciousthinking
deve
must
becountedamongtheinstinctivefunctions,
e
and
itissoeveninthe
caso
case
ofphilosophicalthinking;
onehas
qui
here
tolearnanew,asonelearnedanewaboutheredity
e
and
"innateness."
Aslittleastheactofbirthcomesintoconsiderationinthewholeprocess
e
and
procedureofheredity,justas
poco
little
is"being-conscious"OPPOSEDtotheinstinctiveinanydecisivesense;
la
the
greaterpartoftheconsciousthinkingof
un
a
philosopherissecretlyinfluencedbyhisinstincts,
e
and
forcedintodefinitechannels.
E
And
behindalllogicanditsseemingsovereigntyofmovement,therearevaluations,
o
or
tospeakmoreplainly,physiologicaldemands,forthemaintenanceof
un
a
definitemodeoflifeForexample,thatthecertainisworth
più
more
thantheuncertain,thatillusionislessvaluablethan"truth"suchvaluations,inspiteoftheirregulativeimportanceforUS,mightnotwithstandingbe
solo
only
superficialvaluations,specialkindsofniaiserie,suchasmaybenecessaryforthemaintenanceofbeingssuchasourselves.
Supposing,ineffect,
che
that
manisnotjust
la
the
"measureofthings."
4.
Thefalsenessof
un
an
opinionisnotforusanyobjectiontoit:
itis
qui
here
,perhaps,thatournewlanguage
suona
sounds
moststrangely.
Thequestion
è
is
,howfaranopinionislife-furthering,life-preserving,species-preserving,
forse
perhaps
species-rearing,andwearefundamentallyinclinedtomaintainthatthefalsestopinions(towhichthesyntheticjudgmentsaprioribelong),arethe
più
most
indispensabletous,that
senza
without
arecognitionoflogicalfictions,
senza
without
acomparisonofrealitywiththepurelyIMAGINED
mondo
world
oftheabsoluteandimmutable,
senza
without
aconstantcounterfeitingofthe
mondo
world
bymeansofnumbers,mancouldnotlive—thattherenunciationoffalseopinionswouldbearenunciationof
vita
life
,anegationoflife.
TORECOGNISEUNTRUTHAS
Una
A
CONDITIONOFLIFE;
thatiscertainlytoimpugn
le
the
traditionalideasofvaluein
una
a
dangerousmanner,andaphilosophywhichventurestodoso,
ha
has
therebyaloneplaceditselfbeyond
bene
good
andevil.
5.
Thatwhichcausesphilosopherstoberegardedhalf-distrustfully
e
and
half-mockingly,isnottheoft-repeateddiscovery
quanto
how
innocenttheyare—howoften
e
and
easilytheymakemistakes
e
and
losetheirway,inshort,
quanto
how
childishandchildliketheyare,—butthatthereisnot
abbastanza
enough
honestdealingwiththem,whereasthey
tutti
all
raisealoudandvirtuousoutcry
quando
when
theproblemoftruthfulnessisevenhintedatintheremotestmanner.
They
tutti
all
poseasthoughtheirrealopinionshadbeendiscovered
e
and
attainedthroughtheself-evolvingofacold,pure,divinelyindifferentdialectic(incontrastto
tutti
all
sortsofmystics,who,fairer
e
and
foolisher,talkof"inspiration"),whereas,in
realtà
fact
,aprejudicedproposition,idea,
o
or
"suggestion,"whichisgenerallytheirheart'sdesireabstracted
e
and
refined,isdefendedbythemwithargumentssoughtout
dopo
after
theevent.
Theyare
tutti
all
advocateswhodonot
desiderano
wish
toberegardedassuch,generallyastutedefenders,also,oftheirprejudices,whichtheydub"truths,"—andVERYfarfromhavingtheconsciencewhichbravelyadmits
questo
this
toitself,veryfarfromhavingthegoodtasteofthecouragewhich
va
goes
sofarastolet
questo
this
beunderstood,perhapstowarn
amico
friend
orfoe,orincheerfulconfidence
e
and
self-ridicule.
Thespectacleof
i
the
TartufferyofoldKant,equallystiff
e
and
decent,withwhichheenticesusinto
i
the
dialecticby-waysthatlead(morecorrectlymislead)tohis"categoricalimperative"—makesusfastidiousonessmile,wewho
troviamo
find
nosmallamusementinspyingout
i
the
subtletricksofoldmoralists
e
and
ethicalpreachers.
Or,still
più
more
so,thehocus-pocusinmathematicalform,by
dire
means
ofwhichSpinozahas,asitwere,cladhisphilosophyinmail
e
and
mask—infact,the"loveofHISwisdom,"totranslatethetermfairly
e
and
squarely—inordertherebytostriketerroratonceintothe
cuore
heart
oftheassailantwhoshoulddaretocast
un
a
glanceonthatinvinciblemaiden,thatPallasAthene:—howmuchofpersonaltimidity
e
and
vulnerabilitydoesthismasqueradeof
un
a
sicklyreclusebetray!
6.
Ithasgradually
diventato
become
cleartomewhat
ogni
every
greatphilosophyuptill
ora
now
hasconsistedof—namely,theconfessionofitsoriginator,
e
and
aspeciesofinvoluntary
e
and
unconsciousauto-biography;
andmoreoverthat
il
the
moral(orimmoral)purposein
ogni
every
philosophyhasconstitutedthe
vero
true
vitalgermoutofwhich
il
the
entireplanthasalwaysgrown.
Indeed,to
capire
understand
howtheabstrusestmetaphysicalassertionsof
un
a
philosopherhavebeenarrivedat,itis
sempre
always
well(andwise)to
prima
first
askoneself:
"Whatmoralitydothey(ordoeshe)aimat?"
Accordingly,Idonot
credo
believe
thatan"impulsetoknowledge"is
il
the
fatherofphilosophy;
but
che
that
anotherimpulse,hereaselsewhere,
ha
has
onlymadeuseofknowledge(andmistakenknowledge!)
asaninstrument.
Ma
But
whoeverconsidersthefundamentalimpulsesofmanwithaviewtodetermininghowfartheymay
hanno
have
hereactedasINSPIRINGGENII
O
(or
asdemonsandcobolds),willfind
che
that
theyhaveallpracticedphilosophyatonetime
o
or
another,andthateachoneofthemwould
hanno
have
beenonlytoogladtolookuponitselfastheultimate
fine
end
ofexistenceandthelegitimate
Signore
LORD
overalltheotherimpulses.
For
ogni
every
impulseisimperious,andas
Tale
SUCH
,attemptstophilosophize.
Tobesure,inthe
caso
case
ofscholars,inthe
caso
case
ofreallyscientificmen,itmaybeotherwise—"better,"
se
if
youwill;
theretheremay
davvero
really
besuchathingasan"impulsetoknowledge,"somekindof
piccolo
small
,independentclock-work,which,whenwellwoundup,worksawayindustriouslytothat
fine
end
,WITHOUTtherestofthescholarlyimpulses
prendono
taking
anymaterialparttherein.
Theactual"interests"ofthescholar,therefore,aregenerallyinquiteanotherdirection—inthe
famiglia
family
,perhaps,orinmoney-making,
o
or
inpolitics;
itis,in
infatti
fact
,almostindifferentatwhat
punto
point
ofresearchhislittlemachineisplaced,
e
and
whetherthehopefulyoungworker
diventa
becomes
agoodphilologist,amushroomspecialist,
o
or
achemist;
heisnotCHARACTERISEDby
diventare
becoming
thisorthat.
Inthephilosopher,onthecontrary,thereisabsolutely
nulla
nothing
impersonal;
andaboveall,hismoralityfurnishes
una
a
decidedanddecisivetestimonyastoWHOHEIS,—thatistosay,inwhat
ordine
order
thedeepestimpulsesofhisnaturestandtoeachother.
7.
Come
How
maliciousphilosopherscanbe!
Iknowof
nulla
nothing
morestingingthanthejokeEpicurus
prese
took
thelibertyofmakingonPlato
e
and
thePlatonists;
hecalledthemDionysiokolakes.
Initsoriginalsense,
e
and
onthefaceofit,the
parola
word
signifies"FlatterersofDionysius"—consequently,tyrants'accessories
e
and
lick-spittles;
besidesthis,however,itisasmuchasto
dire
say
,"TheyareallACTORS,thereis
nulla
nothing
genuineaboutthem"(forDionysiokolaxwasapopular
nome
name
foranactor).
And
il
the
latterisreallythemalignantreproach
che
that
EpicuruscastuponPlato:
hewasannoyedby
i
the
grandiosemanner,themiseenscenestyleof
cui
which
Platoandhisscholarsweremasters—of
cui
which
Epicuruswasnota
maestro
master
!
He,theoldschool-teacherofSamos,who
sedeva
sat
concealedinhislittlegardenatAthens,
e
and
wrotethreehundredbooks,
forse
perhaps
outofrageandambitiousenvyofPlato,who
sa
knows
!
Greecetookahundredyearstofindout
chi
who
thegarden-godEpicurusreallywas.
Didsheeverfindout?
8.
Thereis
un
a
pointineveryphilosophyat
cui
which
the"conviction"ofthephilosopherappearson
la
the
scene;
or,toputitin
le
the
wordsofanancientmystery:.
Adventavitasinus,Pulcheretfortissimus.
9.
Youdesireto
Vivere
LIVE
"accordingtoNature"?
Oh,younobleStoics,whatfraudofwords!
Imaginetoyourselves
un
a
beinglikeNature,boundlesslyextravagant,boundlesslyindifferent,
senza
without
purposeorconsideration,withoutpity
o
or
justice,atoncefruitful
e
and
barrenanduncertain:
imaginetoyourselvesINDIFFERENCEas
un
a
power—howCOULDyouliveinaccordancewith
tale
such
indifference?
Tolive—isnotthat
solo
just
endeavouringtobeotherwisethan
questa
this
Nature?
Isnotlivingvaluing,preferring,beingunjust,beinglimited,endeavouringtobedifferent?
E
And
grantedthatyourimperative,"livingaccordingtoNature,"
significa
means
actuallythesameas"livingaccordingtolife"—howcouldyou
fare
do
DIFFERENTLY?
Whyshouldyou
fare
make
aprincipleoutofwhatyouyourselvesare,
e
and
mustbe?
Inreality,however,itisquiteotherwisewithyou:
mentre
while
youpretendtoreadwithrapturethecanonofyour
legge
law
inNature,youwant
qualcosa
something
quitethecontrary,youextraordinarystage-players
e
and
self-deluders!
Inyourprideyou
desideri
wish
todictateyourmorals
e
and
idealstoNature,toNatureherself,
e
and
toincorporatethemtherein;
youinsist
che
that
itshallbeNature"accordingtotheStoa,"
e
and
wouldlikeeverythingtobe
fatto
made
afteryourownimage,as
una
a
vast,eternalglorificationandgeneralismofStoicism!
With
tutto
all
yourlovefortruth,youhaveforcedyourselvesso
lungo
long
,sopersistently,andwith
tale
such
hypnoticrigiditytoseeNatureFALSELY,
che
that
istosay,Stoically,
che
that
youarenolongerableto
vedere
see
itotherwise—andtocrown
tutto
all
,someunfathomablesuperciliousnessgivesyoutheBedlamite
speranza
hope
thatBECAUSEyouareabletotyrannizeoveryourselves—Stoicismisself-tyranny—Naturewillalsoallowherselftobetyrannizedover:
isnottheStoica
Parte
PART
ofNature?...
Butthisis
una
an
oldandeverlastingstory:
whathappenedinoldtimeswiththeStoics
ancora
still
happenstoday,assoonasever
una
a
philosophybeginstobelieveinitself.
It
sempre
always
createstheworldinitsownimage;
itcannot
fare
do
otherwise;
philosophyisthistyrannicalimpulseitself,the
più
most
spiritualWilltoPower,the
volontà
will
to"creationoftheworld,"the
volontà
will
tothecausaprima.
10.
Theeagerness
e
and
subtlety,Ishouldeven
dire
say
craftiness,withwhichthe
problema
problem
of"therealandtheapparentworld"isdealtwithatpresentthroughoutEurope,furnishes
cibo
food
forthoughtandattention;
e
and
hewhohearsonly
una
a
"WilltoTruth"in
le
the
background,andnothingelse,cannotcertainlyboastof
le
the
sharpestears.
Inrare
e
and
isolatedcases,itmay
davvero
really
havehappenedthatsucha
Volontà
Will
toTruth—acertainextravagant
e
and
adventurouspluck,ametaphysician'sambitionoftheforlornhope—hasparticipatedtherein:
thatwhichinthe
fine
end
alwaysprefersahandfulof"certainty"toawholecartloadofbeautifulpossibilities;
ci
there
mayevenbepuritanicalfanaticsofconscience,whopreferto
mettere
put
theirlasttrustina
sicuro
sure
nothing,ratherthaninanuncertain
qualcosa
something
.
ButthatisNihilism,
e
and
thesignofadespairing,mortallyweariedsoul,notwithstanding
il
the
courageousbearingsuchavirtuemaydisplay.
Itseems,however,tobeotherwisewithstronger
e
and
livelierthinkerswhoare
ancora
still
eagerforlife.
Inthattheyside
Contro
AGAINST
appearance,andspeaksuperciliouslyof"perspective,"inthattheyrankthecredibilityoftheir
proprio
own
bodiesaboutaslowasthecredibilityoftheocularevidencethat"the
terra
earth
standsstill,"andthus,apparently,allowingwithcomplacencytheirsecurestpossessiontoescape(forwhatdoesoneatpresent
crede
believe
inmorefirmlythaninone'sbody?),—who
sa
knows
iftheyarenotreallytryingtowinback
qualcosa
something
whichwasformerlyan
ancora
even
securerpossession,somethingofthe
vecchio
old
domainofthefaithofformertimes,
forse
perhaps
the"immortalsoul,"perhaps"the
vecchio
old
God,"inshort,ideasbywhichtheycould
vivere
live
better,thatistosay,
più
more
vigorouslyandmorejoyously,thanby"modernideas"?
ThereisDISTRUSTofthesemodernideasin
questo
this
modeoflookingatthings,
una
a
disbeliefinallthathasbeenconstructedyesterday
e
and
today;
thereisperhapssomeslightadmixtureofsatiety
e
and
scorn,whichcannolongerendure
il
the
BRIC-A-BRACofideasof
il
the
mostvariedorigin,suchasso-calledPositivismatpresentthrowson
il
the
market;
adisgustofthe
più
more
refinedtasteatthevillage-fairmotleyness
e
and
patchinessofallthesereality-philosophasters,inwhomthereis
nulla
nothing
eithernewortrue,except
questa
this
motleyness.
Thereinitseemstome
che
that
weshouldagreewiththoseskepticalanti-realists
e
and
knowledge-microscopistsofthepresentday;
theirinstinct,
che
which
repelsthemfromMODERNreality,isunrefuted...
whatdotheirretrogradeby-pathsconcernus!
La
The
mainthingaboutthemisNOT
che
that
theywishtogo"back,"
ma
but
thattheywishtogetAWAYtherefrom.
Un
A
littleMOREstrength,swing,courage,
e
and
artisticpower,andthey
sarebbero
would
beOFF—andnotback!
11.
Itseemstomethat
ci
there
iseverywhereanattemptatpresenttodivertattentionfrom
il
the
actualinfluencewhichKantexercisedonGermanphilosophy,
e
and
especiallytoignoreprudently
il
the
valuewhichhesetuponhimself.
Kantwas
prima
first
andforemostproudofhisTableofCategories;
withitinhis
mano
hand
hesaid:
"Thisis
la
the
mostdifficultthingthatcouldeverbeundertakenonbehalfofmetaphysics."
Letus
solo
only
understandthis"couldbe"!
HewasproudofhavingDISCOVERED
una
a
newfacultyinman,
la
the
facultyofsyntheticjudgment
una
a
priori.
Grantingthathedeceivedhimselfin
questa
this
matter;
thedevelopmentandrapidflourishingofGermanphilosophydependedneverthelessonhispride,
e
and
ontheeagerrivalryof
la
the
youngergenerationtodiscover
se
if
possiblesomething—atallevents"newfaculties"—of
cui
which
tobestillprouder!—Butletusreflectforamoment—itishightimetodoso.
"HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaprioriPOSSIBLE?"
Kant
chiede
asks
himself—andwhatisreallyhis
risposta
answer
?
"BYMEANSOFAMEANS(faculty)"—butunfortunatelynotin
cinque
five
words,butsocircumstantially,imposingly,
e
and
withsuchdisplayofGermanprofundity
e
and
verbalflourishes,thatonealtogether
perde
loses
sightofthecomicalniaiserieallemandeinvolvedin
tale
such
ananswer.
Peoplewerebesidethemselveswithdelightover
questa
this
newfaculty,andthejubilationreacheditsclimax
quando
when
Kantfurtherdiscoveredamoralfacultyinman—foratthat
tempo
time
Germanswerestillmoral,not
ancora
yet
dabblinginthe"Politicsofhardfact."
Thencame
la
the
honeymoonofGermanphilosophy.
Tutti
All
theyoungtheologiansof
i
the
Tubingeninstitutionwentimmediatelyinto
i
the
groves—allseekingfor"faculties."
E
And
whatdidtheynotfind—inthatinnocent,rich,
e
and
stillyouthfulperiodoftheGermanspirit,to
cui
which
Romanticism,themaliciousfairy,piped
e
and
sang,whenonecouldnot
ancora
yet
distinguishbetween"finding"and"inventing"!
Aboveall
una
a
facultyforthe"transcendental";
Schellingchristenedit,intellectualintuition,andtherebygratifiedthe
più
most
earnestlongingsofthenaturallypious-inclinedGermans.
Onecan
fare
do
nogreaterwrongtothewholeof
questo
this
exuberantandeccentricmovement(whichwasreallyyouthfulness,notwithstandingthatitdisguiseditselfsoboldly,inhoary
e
and
senileconceptions),thantotakeitseriously,
o
or
eventreatitwithmoralindignation.
Enough,however—the
mondo
world
grewolder,andthe
sogno
dream
vanished.
Atimecamewhen
persone
people
rubbedtheirforeheads,andthey
ancora
still
rubthemtoday.
People
aveva
had
beendreaming,andfirst
e
and
foremost—oldKant.
"Bymeansof
un
a
means(faculty)"—hehadsaid,
o
or
atleastmeantto
dire
say
.
But,isthat—ananswer?
Una
An
explanation?
Orisitnotrathermerely
una
a
repetitionofthequestion?
Come
How
doesopiuminducesleep?
"Bymeansof
un
a
means(faculty),"namelythevirtusdormitiva,replies
il
the
doctorinMoliere,.
Butsuchrepliesbelongtotherealmofcomedy,anditishightimetoreplacetheKantian
domanda
question
,"HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaPRIORIpossible?"
byanother
domanda
question
,"Whyisbeliefinsuchjudgmentsnecessary?"—ineffect,itishightime
che
that
weshouldunderstandthatsuchjudgments
devono
must
bebelievedtobetrue,forthesakeofthepreservationofcreatures
come
like
ourselves;
thoughtheystill
potrebbero
might
naturallybefalsejudgments!
O
Or
,moreplainlyspoken,androughly
e
and
readily—syntheticjudgmentsapriori
dovrebbero
should
not"bepossible"atall;
we
abbiamo
have
norighttothem;
inourmouthstheyarenothingbutfalsejudgments.
Solo
Only
,ofcourse,thebeliefintheir
verità
truth
isnecessary,asplausiblebelief
e
and
ocularevidencebelongingto
la
the
perspectiveviewoflife.
E
And
finally,tocalltomindtheenormousinfluencewhich"Germanphilosophy"—Ihopeyou
comprendiate
understand
itsrighttoinvertedcommas(goosefeet)?—hasexercisedthroughoutthewholeofEurope,thereis
non
no
doubtthatacertainVIRTUSDORMITIVAhad
un
a
shareinit;
thankstoGermanphilosophy,itwasadelighttothenobleidlers,thevirtuous,themystics,theartiste,thethree-fourthsChristians,
e
and
thepoliticalobscurantistsof
tutte
all
nations,tofindanantidotetothe
ancora
still
overwhelmingsensualismwhichoverflowedfromthe
scorso
last
centuryintothis,inshort—"sensusassoupire."...