PREFACE
SUPPOSINGthatTruthis
una
awoman—whatthen?Istherenotgroundfor
sospettare
suspectingthatallphilosophers,insofarastheyhanno
havebeendogmatists,havefailedtocapire
understandwomen—thattheterribleseriousnesse
andclumsyimportunitywithwhichtheyhanno
haveusuallypaidtheiraddressestoVerità
Truth,havebeenunskilledandunseemlymethodsforwinninguna
awoman?Certainlyshehasneverallowedherselftobewon;
e
andatpresenteverykindofdogmastandswithtriste
sadanddiscouragedmien—IF,indeed,itstandsatall!For
ci
therearescofferswhomaintainthatithasfallen,thattutto
alldogmaliesontheground—naymore,thatitisatitsultimo
lastgasp.Buttospeak
seriamente
seriously,therearegoodgroundsforhopingche
thatalldogmatizinginphilosophy,whateversolenne
solemn,whateverconclusiveanddecidedairsitabbia
hasassumed,mayhavebeensolo
onlyanoblepuerilismandtyronism;e
andprobablythetimeisathandwhenitwillbevolta
onceandagainunderstoodWHAThanno
hasactuallysufficedforthebasisofsuchimposinge
andabsolutephilosophicaledificesasthedogmatistshanno
havehithertoreared:perhapssome
popolare
popularsuperstitionofimmemorialtime(suchasla
thesoul-superstition,which,intheforma
formofsubject-andego-superstition,
ha
hasnotyetceaseddoingmischief):forse
perhapssomeplayuponwords,ainganno
deceptiononthepartofgrammatica
grammar,oranaudaciousgeneralizationofveryrestricted,verypersonal,veryhuman—all-too-humanfacts.The
filosofia
philosophyofthedogmatists,itistobehoped,wassolo
onlyapromiseforthousandsofyearsdopo
afterwards,aswasastrologyinancora
stillearliertimes,intheservizio
serviceofwhichprobablymorelabour,oro
gold,acuteness,andpatiencehavebeenspesi
spentthanonanyactualscienza
sciencehitherto:weowetoit,
e
andtoits"super-terrestrial"pretensionsinAsiae
andEgypt,thegrandstyleofarchitecture.It
sembra
seemsthatinordertoinscribethemselvesuponthecuore
heartofhumanitywitheverlastingclaims,tutte
allgreatthingshavefirsttovagare
wanderabouttheearthasenormouse
andawe-inspiringcaricatures:dogmaticphilosophyhasbeen
una
acaricatureofthiskind—foresempio
instance,theVedantadoctrineinAsia,e
andPlatonisminEurope.Letusnotbeungratefultoit,
sebbene
althoughitmustcertainlybeconfessare
confessedthattheworst,thepiù
mosttiresome,andthemostpericoloso
dangerousoferrorshithertohasbeenun
adogmatisterror—namely,Plato'sinventionofPuro
PureSpiritandtheGoodinItself.Ma
Butnowwhenithasbeensurmounted,quando
whenEurope,ridofthisincubo
nightmare,canagaindrawbreathliberamente
freelyandatleastenjoyun
ahealthier—sleep,we,WHOSEDUTYISWAKEFULNESSITSELF,aretheheirsofallthestrengthwhichthelotta
struggleagainstthiserrorhasfostered.Itamountedtotheveryinversionof
verità
truth,andthedenialofthePERSPECTIVE—thefondamentale
fundamentalcondition—oflife,tospeakofSpirito
SpiritandtheGoodasPlatospokeofthem;indeedone
potrebbe
mightask,asaphysician:"How
fatto
didsuchamaladyattackthatfinestprodotto
productofantiquity,Plato?Had
il
thewickedSocratesreallycorruptedhim?WasSocrates
dopo
afterallacorrupterofyouths,e
anddeservedhishemlock?"Butthe
lotta
struggleagainstPlato,or—tospeakplainer,e
andforthe"people"—thestrugglecontro
againsttheecclesiasticaloppressionofmillenniumsofCristianesimo
Christianity(FORCHRISTIANITYISPLATONISMFORTHE"PEOPLE"),prodotto
producedinEuropeamagnificenttensione
tensionofsoul,suchasha
hadnotexistedanywherepreviously;withsuchatenselystrained
arco
bowonecannowaimatthefurthestgoals.Asamatteroffact,theEuropean
sente
feelsthistensionasastato
stateofdistress,andtwiceattemptshavebeenmadeingrande
grandstyletounbendthebow:volta
oncebymeansofJesuitism,e
andthesecondtimebymeansofdemocratico
democraticenlightenment—which,withtheaidoflibertà
libertyofthepressandnewspaper-reading,potrebbe
might,infact,bringitaboutche
thatthespiritwouldnotsofacilmente
easilyfinditselfin"distress"!La
(TheGermansinventedgunpowder—allcredittoloro
them!buttheyagainmadethingssquare—they
inventato
inventedprinting.)Butwe,whoareneitherJesuits,nordemocrats,nor
nemmeno
evensufficientlyGermans,weGOODEUROPEANS,e
andfree,VERYfreespirits—wehaveitancora
still,allthedistressofspirito
spiritandallthetensionofitsarco
bow!Andperhapsalsothe
freccia
arrow,theduty,and,whosa
knows?THEGOALTOAIMAT....
Capitolo
CHAPTERI.PREJUDICESOFPHILOSOPHERS1.
The
Volontà
WilltoTruth,whichistotenta
temptustomanyahazardousenterprise,thefamousTruthfulnessofwhichtutti
allphilosophershavehithertospokenwithrispetto
respect,whatquestionshasthisVolontà
WilltoTruthnotlaidbeforeus!Whatstrange,perplexing,questionablequestions!
Itisalready
una
alongstory;yetit
sembra
seemsasifitwereappena
hardlycommenced.Isitany
stupirsi
wonderifweatlastgrowdistrustful,perdiamo
losepatience,andturnimpatientlyaway?Che
ThatthisSphinxteachesusatlasttoaskquestionsourselves?Chi
WHOisitreallythatputsquestionstousqui
here?WHATreallyisthis"WilltoTruth"inus?
Infactwemadea
lungo
longhaltatthequestionastotheoriginofquesta
thisWill—untilatlastwecametoanabsolutestandstillbeforeaancora
yetmorefundamentalquestion.We
informati
inquiredabouttheVALUEofquesto
thisWill.Grantedthatwewant
la
thetruth:WHYNOTRATHERuntruth?
E
Anduncertainty?Evenignorance?
The
problema
problemofthevalueofverità
truthpresenteditselfbeforeus—orwasitwewhopresentato
presentedourselvesbeforetheproblem?Quale
WhichofusistheOedipusqui
here?WhichtheSphinx?
Itwould
sembra
seemtobearendezvousofquestionse
andnotesofinterrogation.Andcoulditbe
credere
believedthatitatlastsembri
seemstousasiftheproblema
problemhadneverbeenpropoundedbefore,asse
ifwewerethefirsttodiscernit,getasightofit,e
andRISKRAISINGit?Forthereis
rischio
riskinraisingit,perhapsthereisnon
nogreaterrisk.2.
"HOWCOULD
qualcosa
anythingoriginateoutofitsopposto
opposite?Forexample,truthoutoferror?
o
ortheWilltoTruthoutofla
thewilltodeception?orthegenerousdeedoutofselfishness?
o
orthepuresun-brightvisionofla
thewisemanoutofcovetousness?Tale
Suchgenesisisimpossible;whoeverdreamsofitisafool,
anzi
nay,worsethanafool;thingsofthehighest
valore
valuemusthaveadifferentorigin,anoriginofTHEIRown—inquesto
thistransitory,seductive,illusory,paltrymondo
world,inthisturmoilofillusione
delusionandcupidity,theycannotavere
havetheirsource.ButratherinthelapofBeing,intheintransitory,intheconcealed
Dio
God,inthe'Thing-in-itself—THEREmustbetheirfonte
source,andnowhereelse!"—Thismodeofreasoningrivela
disclosesthetypicalprejudicebycui
whichmetaphysiciansofalltimescanberecognized,questo
thismodeofvaluationisatthebackofalltheirlogico
logicalprocedure;throughthis"belief"oftheirs,theyexertthemselvesfortheir"knowledge,"for
qualcosa
somethingthatisinthefine
endsolemnlychristened"theTruth."La
ThefundamentalbeliefofmetaphysiciansisLa
THEBELIEFINANTITHESESOFVALUES.Itneveroccurred
nemmeno
eventothewariestofthemtodubitare
doubthereontheverysoglia
threshold(wheredoubt,however,waspiù
mostnecessary);thoughtheyhad
fatto
madeasolemnvow,"DEOMNIBUSDUBITANDUM."Foritmaybe
dubitare
doubted,firstly,whetherantithesesexistatall;e
andsecondly,whetherthepopularvaluationse
andantithesesofvalueuponcui
whichmetaphysicianshavesettheirsigillo
seal,arenotperhapsmerelysuperficialestimates,semplicemente
merelyprovisionalperspectives,besidesbeingprobabilmente
probablymadefromsomecorner,forse
perhapsfrombelow—"frogperspectives,"asitwere,toborrowun
anexpressioncurrentamongpainters.Inspiteof
tutto
allthevaluewhichmayappartenere
belongtothetrue,thepositivo
positive,andtheunselfish,itpotrebbe
mightbepossiblethatahighere
andmorefundamentalvalueforvita
lifegenerallyshouldbeassignedtopretence,tothevolontà
willtodelusion,toselfishness,e
andcupidity.Itmightevenbe
possibile
possiblethatWHATconstitutesthevalore
valueofthosegoodandrispettate
respectedthings,consistspreciselyintheirbeinginsidiouslyrelated,knotted,e
andcrochetedtotheseevile
andapparentlyopposedthings—perhapseveninbeingessenzialmente
essentiallyidenticalwiththem.Perhaps!
Ma
Butwhowishestoconcernhimselfwithsuchdangerous"Perhapses"!For
che
thatinvestigationonemustawaittheadventofanuovo
neworderofphilosophers,suchaswillavranno
haveothertastesandinclinations,thereverseofthosehithertoprevalent—philosophersofthepericoloso
dangerous"Perhaps"ineverysenseofthetermine
term.Andtospeakinall
serietà
seriousness,Iseesuchnewphilosophersbeginningtoapparire
appear.3.
Havingkeptasharp
occhio
eyeonphilosophers,andhavingletto
readbetweentheirlineslongabbastanza
enough,Inowsaytomyselfche
thatthegreaterpartofcosciente
consciousthinkingmustbecountedamongtheinstinctivefunctions,e
anditissoeveninthecaso
caseofphilosophicalthinking;onehas
qui
heretolearnanew,asonelearnedanewabouthereditye
and"innateness."Aslittleastheactof
nascita
birthcomesintoconsiderationinthewholeprocesso
processandprocedureofheredity,justaspoco
littleis"being-conscious"OPPOSEDtotheinstinctiveinanydecisivo
decisivesense;thegreaterpartof
la
theconsciousthinkingofafilosofo
philosopherissecretlyinfluencedbyhisinstincts,e
andforcedintodefinitechannels.E
Andbehindalllogicanditsseemingsovranità
sovereigntyofmovement,therearevaluations,o
ortospeakmoreplainly,physiologicaldemands,forthemaintenanceofun
adefinitemodeoflifeForesempio
example,thatthecertainisvale
worthmorethantheuncertain,thatillusionismeno
lessvaluablethan"truth"suchvaluations,inspiteoftheirregulativeimportanceforUS,mightnotwithstandingbesolo
onlysuperficialvaluations,specialkindsofniaiserie,suchasmaybenecessaryforthemaintenanceofbeingssuchasourselves.Supponendo
Supposing,ineffect,thatmanisnotsolo
justthe"measureofthings."4.
Thefalsenessof
un
anopinionisnotforusanyobiezione
objectiontoit:itis
qui
here,perhaps,thatournewlingua
languagesoundsmoststrangely.The
questione
questionis,howfaranopinionislife-furthering,life-preserving,species-preserving,forse
perhapsspecies-rearing,andwearefondamentalmente
fundamentallyinclinedtomaintainthatthefalsestopinions(towhichthesyntheticjudgmentsaprioriappartengono
belong),arethemostindispensabletous,thatsenza
withoutarecognitionoflogicalfictions,senza
withoutacomparisonofrealitywiththepuramente
purelyIMAGINEDworldoftheabsolutee
andimmutable,withoutaconstantcounterfeitingofthemondo
worldbymeansofnumbers,mancouldnotlive—thattherenunciationoffalseopinionswouldbearenunciationofvita
life,anegationoflife.TO
Riconoscere
RECOGNISEUNTRUTHASACONDITIONOFVita
LIFE;thatiscertainlytoimpugn
le
thetraditionalideasofvalueinuna
adangerousmanner,andafilosofia
philosophywhichventurestodoso,ha
hastherebyaloneplaceditselfbeyondbene
goodandevil.5.
Thatwhichcausesphilosopherstobe
considerare
regardedhalf-distrustfullyandhalf-mockingly,isnottheoft-repeateddiscoveryquanto
howinnocenttheyare—howoftene
andeasilytheymakemistakese
andlosetheirway,inbreve
short,howchildishandchildliketheyare,—butthatthereisnotabbastanza
enoughhonestdealingwiththem,whereastheytutti
allraisealoudandvirtuoso
virtuousoutcrywhentheproblemoftruthfulnessisevenaccennato
hintedatintheremotestmanner.They
tutti
allposeasthoughtheirrealopinionshadbeendiscoverede
andattainedthroughtheself-evolvingofacold,pure,divinelyindifferente
indifferentdialectic(incontrasttotutti
allsortsofmystics,who,fairere
andfoolisher,talkof"inspiration"),whereas,inrealtà
fact,aprejudicedproposition,idea,o
or"suggestion,"whichisgenerallytheirheart'sdesiderio
desireabstractedandrefined,isdifeso
defendedbythemwithargumentssoughtoutdopo
aftertheevent.Theyare
tutti
alladvocateswhodonotdesiderano
wishtoberegardedassuch,generalmente
generallyastutedefenders,also,oftheirprejudices,whichtheydub"truths,"—andVERYfarfromhavingthecoscienza
consciencewhichbravelyadmitsthistoitself,veryfarfromhavingthegoodgusto
tasteofthecouragewhichva
goessofarastoletquesto
thisbeunderstood,perhapstoavvertire
warnfriendorfoe,orincheerfulfiducia
confidenceandself-ridicule.Thespectacleof
i
theTartufferyofoldKant,equallyrigido
stiffanddecent,withwhichheenticesusintoi
thedialecticby-waysthatlead(morecorrectlymislead)tohis"categoricalimperative"—makesusfastidiousonessorridere
smile,wewhofindnopiccolo
smallamusementinspyingouti
thesubtletricksofoldmoralistse
andethicalpreachers.Or,still
più
moreso,thehocus-pocusinmathematicalforma
form,bymeansofwhichSpinozaha
has,asitwere,cladhisfilosofia
philosophyinmailandmask—infact,the"loveofHISwisdom,"totradurre
translatethetermfairlyandsquarely—inordertherebytocolpire
striketerroratonceintothecuore
heartoftheassailantwhoshouldoserebbe
daretocastaglanceonthatinvincibile
invinciblemaiden,thatPallasAthene:—howmuchofpersonaltimiditye
andvulnerabilitydoesthismasqueradeofun
asicklyreclusebetray!6.
Ithas
gradualmente
graduallybecomecleartomewhatogni
everygreatphilosophyuptillora
nowhasconsistedof—namely,theconfessione
confessionofitsoriginator,anduna
aspeciesofinvoluntaryandunconsciousauto-biography;e
andmoreoverthatthemoral(orimmoral)scopo
purposeineveryphilosophyhasconstitutedil
thetruevitalgermoutofwhichil
theentireplanthasalwaysgrown.Indeed,to
capire
understandhowtheabstrusestmetaphysicalassertionsofun
aphilosopherhavebeenarrivedat,itissempre
alwayswell(andwise)toprima
firstaskoneself:"Whatmoralitydothey(ordoeshe)
mirano
aimat?"Accordingly,Idonot
credo
believethatan"impulsetoknowledge"isil
thefatherofphilosophy;but
che
thatanotherimpulse,hereasaltrove
elsewhere,hasonlymadeuseofconoscenza
knowledge(andmistakenknowledge!)asan
strumento
instrument.Butwhoeverconsidersthefundamentalimpulsesofmanwithaviewto
determinare
determininghowfartheymayhanno
havehereactedasINSPIRINGGENIIO
(orasdemonsandcobolds),willfindche
thattheyhaveallpracticedfilosofia
philosophyatonetimeoranother,e
andthateachoneofthemwouldhanno
havebeenonlytoogladtolookuponitselfastheultimo
ultimateendofexistenceandthelegittimo
legitimateLORDoverallthealtri
otherimpulses.Foreveryimpulseisimperious,
e
andasSUCH,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"ofthe
studioso
scholar,therefore,aregenerallyinquiteanotherdirection—inthefamiglia
family,perhaps,orinmoney-making,o
orinpolitics;itis,in
infatti
fact,almostindifferentatwhatpunto
pointofresearchhislittlemacchina
machineisplaced,andwhetherthehopefulgiovane
youngworkerbecomesagoodphilologist,un
amushroomspecialist,orachimico
chemist;heisnotCHARACTERISEDby
diventare
becomingthisorthat.Inthe
filosofo
philosopher,onthecontrary,thereisassolutamente
absolutelynothingimpersonal;andaboveall,his
moralità
moralityfurnishesadecidedanddecisivetestimonianza
testimonyastoWHOHEIS,—thatistosay,inwhatordine
orderthedeepestimpulsesofhisnatura
naturestandtoeachother.7.
Come
Howmaliciousphilosopherscanbe!Iknowof
nulla
nothingmorestingingthanthejokeEpicurusprese
tookthelibertyofmakingonPlatoe
andthePlatonists;hecalledthemDionysiokolakes.
Inits
originale
originalsense,andonthefaccia
faceofit,thewordsignifies"FlatterersofDionysius"—consequently,tyrants'accessoriese
andlick-spittles;besidesthis,however,itisasmuchasto
dire
say,"TheyareallACTORS,thereisnulla
nothinggenuineaboutthem"(forDionysiokolaxwasapopolare
popularnameforanactor).E
Andthelatterisreallyil
themalignantreproachthatEpicuruscastuponPlato:hewas
infastidito
annoyedbythegrandiosemanner,i
themiseenscenestyleofcui
whichPlatoandhisscholarsweremasters—ofcui
whichEpicuruswasnotamaestro
master!He,theoldschool-teacherofSamos,who
sedeva
satconcealedinhislittlegiardino
gardenatAthens,andwrotethreehundredbooks,forse
perhapsoutofrageandambitiousinvidia
envyofPlato,whoknows!Greecetooka
cento
hundredyearstofindoutchi
whothegarden-godEpicurusreallywas.Didsheeverfindout?
8.
Thereis
un
apointineveryphilosophyatcui
whichthe"conviction"ofthefilosofo
philosopherappearsonthescene;o
or,toputitinle
thewordsofanancientmistero
mystery:.Adventavitasinus,Pulcheretfortissimus.
9.
Youdesireto
Vivere
LIVE"accordingtoNature"?Oh,younobleStoics,what
frode
fraudofwords!Imaginetoyourselves
un
abeinglikeNature,boundlesslystravagante
extravagant,boundlesslyindifferent,withoutpurposeo
orconsideration,withoutpityorgiustizia
justice,atoncefruitfulandsterile
barrenanduncertain:imaginetoyourselves
Indifferenza
INDIFFERENCEasapower—howCOULDyouvivere
liveinaccordancewithsuchindifferenza
indifference?Tolive—isnotthat
solo
justendeavouringtobeotherwisethanquesta
thisNature?Isnotlivingvaluing,
preferire
preferring,beingunjust,beinglimited,endeavouringtobedifferent?E
Andgrantedthatyourimperative,"livingsecondo
accordingtoNature,"meansactuallythesameas"livingsecondo
accordingtolife"—howcouldyoufare
doDIFFERENTLY?Whyshouldyou
fare
makeaprincipleoutofwhatyouyourselvesare,e
andmustbe?Inreality,
però
however,itisquiteotherwisewithyou:mentre
whileyoupretendtoreadwithrapturethecanone
canonofyourlawinNatura
Nature,youwantsomethingquitethecontrario
contrary,youextraordinarystage-playersandself-deluders!Inyour
orgoglio
prideyouwishtodictateyourmoralse
andidealstoNature,toNatura
Natureherself,andtoincorporatethemtherein;you
insisti
insistthatitshallbeNatura
Nature"accordingtotheStoa,"e
andwouldlikeeverythingtobefatto
madeafteryourownimage,asuna
avast,eternalglorificationandgeneralismofStoicism!With
tutto
allyourlovefortruth,youhaveforcedyourselvessolungo
long,sopersistently,andwithtale
suchhypnoticrigiditytoseeNatura
NatureFALSELY,thatistosay,Stoically,che
thatyouarenolongerabletovedere
seeitotherwise—andtocrowntutto
all,someunfathomablesuperciliousnessgivesyoutheBedlamitesperanza
hopethatBECAUSEyouareabletotyrannizeoveryourselves—Stoicismisself-tyranny—Naturewillalsopermetterà
allowherselftobetyrannizedover:isnottheStoica
Parte
PARTofNature?...Butthisis
una
anoldandeverlastingstory:whathappenedinoldtimeswiththeStoics
ancora
stillhappenstoday,assoonaseveruna
aphilosophybeginstobelieveinitself.It
sempre
alwayscreatestheworldinitsownimage;itcannot
fare
dootherwise;philosophyisthistyrannical
impulso
impulseitself,themostspiritualVolontà
WilltoPower,thewillto"creationoftheworld,"thevolontà
willtothecausaprima.10.
Theeagerness
e
andsubtlety,Ishouldevendire
saycraftiness,withwhichtheproblema
problemof"therealandtheapparentworld"isdealtwithatattualmente
presentthroughoutEurope,furnishesfoodforthoughte
andattention;andhewho
sente
hearsonlya"WilltoTruth"inle
thebackground,andnothingelse,cannotcertamente
certainlyboastofthesharpestears.Inrare
e
andisolatedcases,itmaydavvero
reallyhavehappenedthatsuchaVolontà
WilltoTruth—acertainextravagante
andadventurouspluck,ametaphysician'sambitionoftheforlornhope—haspartecipato
participatedtherein:thatwhichinthe
fine
endalwaysprefersahandfulof"certainty"toawholecartloadofbeautifulpossibilities;ci
theremayevenbepuritanicalfanaticsofcoscienza
conscience,whoprefertoputtheirlastfiducia
trustinasurenothing,piuttosto
ratherthaninanuncertainqualcosa
something.ButthatisNihilism,
e
andthesignofadespairing,mortallyweariedsoul,notwithstandingil
thecourageousbearingsuchavirtù
virtuemaydisplay.Itseems,however,tobe
diversamente
otherwisewithstrongerandlivelierthinkersche
whoarestilleagerforvita
life.Inthattheyside
Contro
AGAINSTappearance,andspeaksuperciliouslyof"perspective,"inthattheyrankthecredibilità
credibilityoftheirownbodiescirca
aboutaslowasthecredibilità
credibilityoftheocularevidencethat"theterra
earthstandsstill,"andthus,apparentemente
apparently,allowingwithcomplacencytheirsecurestpossesso
possessiontoescape(forwhatdoesoneatattualmente
presentbelieveinmorefirmlythaninone'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
adisbeliefinallthathasbeencostruito
constructedyesterdayandtoday;thereis
forse
perhapssomeslightadmixtureofsatietye
andscorn,whichcannolongersopportare
enduretheBRIC-A-BRACofideasofil
themostvariedorigin,suchasso-calledPositivismatattualmente
presentthrowsonthemarket;un
adisgustofthemorerefinedgusto
tasteatthevillage-fairmotleynesse
andpatchinessofallthesereality-philosophasters,inwhomthereisnulla
nothingeithernewortrue,tranne
exceptthismotleyness.Thereinit
sembra
seemstomethatwedovremmo
shouldagreewiththoseskepticalanti-realistse
andknowledge-microscopistsofthepresentday;their
istinto
instinct,whichrepelsthemfromMODERNrealtà
reality,isunrefuted...whatdotheirretrogradeby-pathsconcernus!
La
ThemainthingaboutthemisNOTche
thattheywishtogo"back,"ma
butthattheywishtogetAWAYtherefrom.Un
AlittleMOREstrength,swing,coraggio
courage,andartisticpower,andtheysarebbero
wouldbeOFF—andnotback!11.
It
sembra
seemstomethatthereisovunque
everywhereanattemptatpresenttodeviare
divertattentionfromtheactualinfluenza
influencewhichKantexercisedonGermanfilosofia
philosophy,andespeciallytoignoreprudentlyil
thevaluewhichhesetuponhimself.Kantwas
prima
firstandforemostproudofhisTableofCategories;withitinhis
mano
handhesaid:"Thisis
la
themostdifficultthingthatcouldeverbeundertakenonbehalfofmetaphysics."Letus
solo
onlyunderstandthis"couldbe"!Hewas
orgoglioso
proudofhavingDISCOVEREDanewfacoltà
facultyinman,thefacultyofsyntheticgiudizio
judgmentapriori.Grantingthathe
ingannato
deceivedhimselfinthismatter;la
thedevelopmentandrapidflourishingofGermanfilosofia
philosophydependedneverthelessonhisorgoglio
pride,andontheeagerrivalryofla
theyoungergenerationtodiscoverse
ifpossiblesomething—atallevents"newfaculties"—ofcui
whichtobestillprouder!—Butletusreflectforamoment—itishightimetodoso."HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaprioriPOSSIBLE?"
Kant
chiede
askshimself—andwhatisreallyhisrisposta
answer?"BYMEANSOFAMEANS(faculty)"—but
purtroppo
unfortunatelynotinfivewords,ma
butsocircumstantially,imposingly,andwithtale
suchdisplayofGermanprofunditye
andverbalflourishes,thatonedel tutto
altogetherlosessightofthecomicalniaiserieallemandeinvolvedintale
suchananswer.Peoplewerebesidethemselveswith
gioia
delightoverthisnewfaculty,e
andthejubilationreacheditsculmine
climaxwhenKantfurtherdiscovereduna
amoralfacultyinman—foratthattempo
timeGermanswerestillmoral,notancora
yetdabblinginthe"Politicsofhardfact."Thencame
la
thehoneymoonofGermanphilosophy.Tutti
Alltheyoungtheologiansofi
theTubingeninstitutionwentimmediatelyintoi
thegroves—allseekingfor"faculties."E
Andwhatdidtheynotfind—inthatinnocente
innocent,rich,andstillyouthfulperiodo
periodoftheGermanspirit,tocui
whichRomanticism,themaliciousfairy,pipede
andsang,whenonecouldnotancora
yetdistinguishbetween"finding"and"inventing"!Aboveall
una
afacultyforthe"transcendental";Schellingchristenedit,
intellettuale
intellectualintuition,andtherebygratifiedthepiù
mostearnestlongingsofthenaturalmente
naturallypious-inclinedGermans.Onecan
fare
donogreaterwrongtothewholeofquesto
thisexuberantandeccentricmovement(whichwasreallyyouthfulness,notwithstandingthatitdisguiseditselfsoboldly,inhoarye
andsenileconceptions),thantotakeitseriously,o
oreventreatitwithmorale
moralindignation.Enough,however—theworldgrewolder,
e
andthedreamvanished.A
tempo
timecamewhenpeoplerubbedtheirforeheads,e
andtheystillrubthemoggi
today.Peoplehadbeendreaming,
e
andfirstandforemost—oldKant."Bymeansof
un
ameans(faculty)"—hehadsaid,o
oratleastmeanttodire
say.But,isthat—ananswer?
Una
Anexplanation?Orisitnot
piuttosto
rathermerelyarepetitionofthedomanda
question?Howdoesopiuminduce
sonno
sleep?"Bymeansofameans(faculty),"
cioè
namelythevirtusdormitiva,repliesil
thedoctorinMoliere,.Butsuchreplies
appartengono
belongtotherealmofcommedia
comedy,anditishightimetosostituire
replacetheKantianquestion,"HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaPRIORIpossible?"byanother
domanda
question,"Whyisbeliefinsuchjudgmentsnecessary?"—ineffect,itishightimeche
thatweshouldunderstandthatsuchjudgmentsdevono
mustbebelievedtobetrue,forthebene
sakeofthepreservationofcreaturescome
likeourselves;thoughtheystill
potrebbero
mightnaturallybefalsejudgments!O
Or,moreplainlyspoken,andapprossimativamente
roughlyandreadily—syntheticjudgmentsaprioridovrebbero
shouldnot"bepossible"atall;we
abbiamo
havenorighttothem;inourmouthstheyarenothingbutfalsejudgments.
Solo
Only,ofcourse,thebeliefintheirverità
truthisnecessary,asplausiblecredenza
beliefandocularevidencebelongingtola
theperspectiveviewoflife.E
Andfinally,tocalltomindtheenormousinfluenza
influencewhich"Germanphilosophy"—Ihopeyoucomprendiate
understanditsrighttoinvertedcommas(goosefeet)?—hasesercitato
exercisedthroughoutthewholeofEuropa
Europe,thereisnodoubtthatun
acertainVIRTUSDORMITIVAhadun
ashareinit;thankstoGerman
filosofia
philosophy,itwasadelighttothenobleidlers,thevirtuous,themystics,theartiste,thethree-fourthsChristians,e
andthepoliticalobscurantistsoftutte
allnations,tofindanantidoto
antidotetothestilloverwhelmingsensualismche
whichoverflowedfromthelastsecolo
centuryintothis,inshort—"sensusassoupire."...