PREFACE
SUPPOSINGthatTruthis
una
awoman—whatthen?Istherenotgroundforsuspectingthat
todos
allphilosophers,insofarastheyhavebeendogmatists,havefailedtoentender
understandwomen—thattheterribleseriousnessy
andclumsyimportunitywithwhichtheyhaveusuallypaidtheiraddressestoTruth,havebeenunskilledy
andunseemlymethodsforwinninguna
awoman?Certainlyshehas
nunca
neverallowedherselftobewon;y
andatpresenteverykindofdogmastandscon
withsadanddiscouragedmien—IF,indeed,itstandsattodo
all!Fortherearescofferswhomaintainthatithas
caído
fallen,thatalldogmaliesonel
theground—naymore,thatitisatitsúltimo
lastgasp.Buttospeakseriously,
hay
therearegoodgroundsforesperar
hopingthatalldogmatizinginphilosophy,whateversolemn,whateverconclusivey
anddecidedairsithasassumed,pueda
mayhavebeenonlyanoblepuerilismy
andtyronism;andprobablythe
tiempo
timeisathandwhenitwillbeuna vez
onceandagainunderstoodWHAThasrealmente
actuallysufficedforthebasisofsuchimposingy
andabsolutephilosophicaledificesasthedogmatistshavehithertoreared:tal vez
perhapssomepopularsuperstitionofimmemorialtiempo
time(suchasthesoul-superstition,which,inla
theformofsubject-andego-superstition,
ha
hasnotyetceaseddoingmischief):tal vez
perhapssomeplayuponwords,adeceptionontheparte
partofgrammar,oranaudaciousgeneralizationofmuy
veryrestricted,verypersonal,veryhuman—all-too-humanfacts.Thephilosophyofthedogmatists,itistobe
esperar
hoped,wasonlyapromiseforthousandsofyearsafterwards,aswasastrologyinstillearliertimes,intheserviceofcual
whichprobablymorelabour,gold,acuteness,y
andpatiencehavebeenspentthanoncualquier
anyactualsciencehitherto:weowetoit,
y
andtoits"super-terrestrial"pretensionsinAsiay
andEgypt,thegrandstyleofarchitecture.Itseemsthatinordertoinscribethemselvesuponthe
corazón
heartofhumanitywitheverlastingclaims,todas
allgreatthingshavefirsttowanderaboutthetierra
earthasenormousandawe-inspiringcaricatures:dogmaticphilosophy
ha
hasbeenacaricatureofeste
thiskind—forinstance,theVedantadoctrineinAsia,y
andPlatonisminEurope.Letusnotbeungratefultoit,althoughitmustcertainlybeconfessedthattheworst,the
más
mosttiresome,andthemostdangerousoferrorshithertohasbeenun
adogmatisterror—namely,Plato'sinventionofPureSpirity
andtheGoodinItself.Pero
Butnowwhenithasbeensurmounted,cuando
whenEurope,ridofthisnightmare,puede
canagaindrawbreathfreelyy
andatleastenjoyahealthier—sleep,nosotros
we,WHOSEDUTYISWAKEFULNESSITSELF,aretheheirsoftoda
allthestrengthwhichthestrugglecontra
againstthiserrorhasfostered.Itamountedtotheveryinversionoftruth,
y
andthedenialofthePERSPECTIVE—thefundamentalcondition—ofvida
life,tospeakofSpirity
andtheGoodasPlatospokeofellos
them;indeedonemightask,asaphysician:
"Howdid
tal
suchamaladyattackthatfinestproductofantiquity,Plato?Había
HadthewickedSocratesreallycorruptedlo
him?WasSocratesafterall
un
acorrupterofyouths,anddeservedhishemlock?"Pero
ButthestruggleagainstPlato,or—tohablar
speakplainer,andforthe"people"—thestrugglecontra
againsttheecclesiasticaloppressionofmillenniumsofChristianity(FORCHRISTIANITYISPLATONISMFORTHE"PEOPLE"),producedinEuropeuna
amagnificenttensionofsoul,suchashabía
hadnotexistedanywherepreviously;con
withsuchatenselystrainedbowonepuede
cannowaimatthefurthestgoals.As
un
amatteroffact,theEuropeansiente
feelsthistensionasastateofdistress,y
andtwiceattemptshavebeenhecho
madeingrandstyletounbendel
thebow:oncebymeansofJesuitism,
y
andthesecondtimebymeansofdemocraticenlightenment—which,con
withtheaidoflibertyofthepressy
andnewspaper-reading,might,infact,bringitaboutthatthespiritwouldnotsoeasilyencontrara
finditselfin"distress"!(TheGermansinventedgunpowder—allcreditto
ellos
them!buttheyagainmadethingssquare—theyinventedprinting.)
Pero
Butwe,whoareneitherJesuits,nordemocrats,norsiquiera
evensufficientlyGermans,weGOODEUROPEANS,y
andfree,VERYfreespirits—wetenemos
haveitstill,allthedistressofspirity
andallthetensionofitsbow!Y
Andperhapsalsothearrow,theduty,y
and,whoknows?THEGOALTOAIMAT....
CHAPTERI.PREJUDICESOFPHILOSOPHERS
1.
The
Voluntad
WilltoTruth,whichistotemptustomanyahazardousenterprise,thefamousTruthfulnessofwhichtodos
allphilosophershavehithertospokencon
withrespect,whatquestionshasesta
thisWilltoTruthnotlaidbeforenos
us!Whatstrange,perplexing,questionablequestions!
Itisalready
una
alongstory;yetitseemsas
si
ifitwerehardlycommenced.Isitanywonderifweatlastgrowdistrustful,
perdamos
losepatience,andturnimpatientlyaway?That
esta
thisSphinxteachesusatfin
lasttoaskquestionsourselves?Quién
WHOisitreallythatputsquestionstousaquí
here?WHATreallyisthis"WilltoTruth"in
nosotros
us?Infactwemadea
tiempo
longhaltatthequestionastola
theoriginofthisWill—untilatfin
lastwecametoanabsolutestandstillbeforeayetmás
morefundamentalquestion.Weinquiredabout
el
theVALUEofthisWill.Grantedthatwe
queremos
wantthetruth:WHYNOTRATHERuntruth?
Y
Anduncertainty?Evenignorance?
The
problema
problemofthevalueoftruthpresenteditselfbeforeus—orwasitwewhopresentedourselvesbeforetheproblema
problem?Whichofusis
el
theOedipushere?WhichtheSphinx?
It
ser
wouldseemtobearendezvousofquestionsy
andnotesofinterrogation.And
podría
coulditbebelievedthatitatfin
lastseemstousassi
iftheproblemhadneverbeenpropoundedantes
before,asifwewerethefirsttodiscernit,getasightofit,y
andRISKRAISINGit?For
hay
thereisriskinraisingit,tal vez
perhapsthereisnogreaterrisk.2.
"HOW
Podría
COULDanythingoriginateoutofitsopposite?Forexample,truthoutoferror?
o
ortheWilltoTruthfuera
outofthewilltodeception?o
orthegenerousdeedoutofselfishness?o
orthepuresun-brightvisionofla
thewisemanoutofcovetousness?Tal
Suchgenesisisimpossible;whoever
sueña
dreamsofitisafool,nay,worsethanun
afool;thingsofthehighestvalue
deben
musthaveadifferentorigin,anoriginofTHEIRown—inthistransitory,seductive,illusory,paltrymundo
world,inthisturmoilofdelusiony
andcupidity,theycannothavetheirsource.Pero
ButratherinthelapofBeing,intheintransitory,intheconcealedDios
God,inthe'Thing-in-itself—THEREmustbetheirsource,y
andnowhereelse!"—Thismodeofreasoningdisclosesthetypicalprejudicebywhichmetaphysiciansofalltimespueden
canberecognized,thismodeofvaluationisatthebackofalltheirlogicalprocedure;through
esta
this"belief"oftheirs,theyexertthemselvesfortheir"knowledge,"foralgo
somethingthatisinthefinal
endsolemnlychristened"theTruth."ThefundamentalbeliefofmetaphysiciansisTHEBELIEFINANTITHESESOFVALUES.
It
nunca
neveroccurredeventothewariestofthemtodoubtaquí
hereontheverythreshold(wheredoubt,however,wasmás
mostnecessary);thoughtheyhad
hecho
madeasolemnvow,"DEOMNIBUSDUBITANDUM."Forit
puede
maybedoubted,firstly,whetherantithesesexistatall;y
andsecondly,whetherthepopularvaluationsy
andantithesesofvalueuponwhichmetaphysicianshan
havesettheirseal,arenottal vez
perhapsmerelysuperficialestimates,merelyprovisionalperspectives,besidesbeingprobablemente
probablymadefromsomecorner,tal vez
perhapsfrombelow—"frogperspectives,"asitwere,toborrowuna
anexpressioncurrentamongpainters.Inspiteof
todo
allthevaluewhichmaybelongtotheverdadero
true,thepositive,andtheunselfish,itmightbeposible
possiblethatahigherandmás
morefundamentalvalueforlifegenerallyshouldbeassignedtopretence,tothevoluntad
willtodelusion,toselfishness,y
andcupidity.Itmightevenbe
posible
possiblethatWHATconstitutesthevalueofthosegoody
andrespectedthings,consistspreciselyintheirbeinginsidiouslyrelated,knotted,y
andcrochetedtotheseevily
andapparentlyopposedthings—perhapseveninbeingessentiallyidenticalcon
withthem.Perhaps!
Butwho
quiere
wishestoconcernhimselfwithsuchdangerous"Perhapses"!For
esa
thatinvestigationonemustawaittheadventofanuevo
neworderofphilosophers,suchaswillhaveotros
othertastesandinclinations,thereverseofthosehithertoprevalent—philosophersofthedangerous"Perhaps"ineverysenseoftheterm.Y
Andtospeakinallseriousness,Iveo
seesuchnewphilosophersbeginningtoappear.3.
Habiendo
Havingkeptasharpeyeonphilosophers,y
andhavingreadbetweentheirlinestiempo
longenough,Inowsaytomyselfthatthegreaterparte
partofconsciousthinkingmustbecountedamongtheinstinctivefunctions,y
anditissoeveninthecaso
caseofphilosophicalthinking;one
tiene
hasheretolearnanew,asuno
onelearnedanewaboutheredityy
and"innateness."Aslittleastheactofbirthcomesintoconsiderationinthe
todo
wholeprocessandprocedureofheredity,justaspoco
littleis"being-conscious"OPPOSEDtotheinstinctiveinningún
anydecisivesense;thegreater
parte
partoftheconsciousthinkingofun
aphilosopherissecretlyinfluencedbyhisinstincts,y
andforcedintodefinitechannels.Y
Andbehindalllogicanditsseemingsovereigntyofmovement,hay
therearevaluations,ortohablar
speakmoreplainly,physiologicaldemands,forthemaintenanceofun
adefinitemodeoflifeForexample,thatthecertainisworthmás
morethantheuncertain,thatillusionislessvaluablethan"truth"suchvaluations,inspiteoftheirregulativeimportanceforNosotros
US,mightnotwithstandingbeonlysuperficialvaluations,specialkindsofniaiserie,suchasmaybenecessaryforthemaintenanceofbeingssuchasourselves.Supposing,ineffect,that
hombre
manisnotjustthe"measureofthings."4.
La
Thefalsenessofanopinionisnotforusanyobjectiontoit:itis
aquí
here,perhaps,thatournewlanguagesuena
soundsmoststrangely.Thequestion
es
is,howfaranopinionislife-furthering,life-preserving,species-preserving,tal vez
perhapsspecies-rearing,andwearefundamentallyinclinedtomaintainthatthefalsestopinions(towhichthesyntheticjudgmentsaprioribelong),arethemás
mostindispensabletous,thatsin
withoutarecognitionoflogicalfictions,sin
withoutacomparisonofrealitycon
withthepurelyIMAGINEDworldoftheabsolutey
andimmutable,withoutaconstantcounterfeitingofthemundo
worldbymeansofnumbers,hombre
mancouldnotlive—thattherenunciationoffalseopinionswouldbearenunciationofvida
life,anegationoflife.TORECOGNISEUNTRUTHAS
Una
ACONDITIONOFLIFE;thatiscertainlytoimpugnthetraditionalideasofvaluein
una
adangerousmanner,andaphilosophywhichventurestodoso,ha
hastherebyaloneplaceditselfbeyondbien
goodandevil.5.
Thatwhichcausesphilosopherstoberegardedhalf-distrustfully
y
andhalf-mockingly,isnottheoft-repeateddiscoveryhowinnocenttheyare—howofteny
andeasilytheymakemistakesy
andlosetheirway,inshort,howchildishy
andchildliketheyare,—butthathay
thereisnotenoughhonestdealingcon
withthem,whereastheyallraiseun
aloudandvirtuousoutcrycuando
whentheproblemoftruthfulnessissiquiera
evenhintedatintheremotestmanner.Theyallposeasthoughtheirrealopinions
hubieran
hadbeendiscoveredandattainedthroughtheself-evolvingofuna
acold,pure,divinelyindifferentdialectic(incontrasttoallsortsofmystics,who,fairery
andfoolisher,talkof"inspiration"),whereas,inhecho
fact,aprejudicedproposition,idea,o
or"suggestion,"whichisgenerallytheirheart'sdesireabstractedy
andrefined,isdefendedbythemcon
withargumentssoughtoutaftertheevent.Theyare
todos
alladvocateswhodonotdesean
wishtoberegardedassuch,generallyastutedefenders,también
also,oftheirprejudices,whichtheydub"truths,"—andMuy
VERYfarfromhavingtheconsciencewhichbravelyadmitsesto
thistoitself,veryfarfromtener
havingthegoodtasteofthecouragewhichva
goessofarastodejar
letthisbeunderstood,perhapstowarnamigo
friendorfoe,orincheerfulconfidencey
andself-ridicule.ThespectacleoftheTartufferyof
viejo
oldKant,equallystiffanddecent,con
withwhichheenticesusintothedialecticby-waysthatlead(morecorrectlymislead)tohis"categoricalimperative"—makesusfastidiousonessmile,wewhoencontramos
findnosmallamusementinspyingoutthesubtletricksofviejo
oldmoralistsandethicalpreachers.O
Or,stillmoreso,thehocus-pocusinmathematicalform,bymeansofcual
whichSpinozahas,asitwere,cladhisphilosophyinmaily
andmask—infact,the"loveofHISwisdom,"totranslateel
thetermfairlyandsquarely—infin
ordertherebytostriketerroratinmediato
onceintotheheartofel
theassailantwhoshoulddaretocastaglanceonesa
thatinvinciblemaiden,thatPallasAthene:—howmuchofpersonaltimidityy
andvulnerabilitydoesthismasqueradeofasicklyreclusebetray!6.
It
ha
hasgraduallybecomecleartomewhateverygran
greatphilosophyuptillnowha
hasconsistedof—namely,theconfessionofitsoriginator,y
andaspeciesofinvoluntaryy
andunconsciousauto-biography;andmoreoverthatthemoral(orimmoral)purposeineveryphilosophy
ha
hasconstitutedthetruevitalgermoutofcual
whichtheentireplanthassiempre
alwaysgrown.Indeed,tounderstand
cómo
howtheabstrusestmetaphysicalassertionsofun
aphilosopherhavebeenarrivedat,itissiempre
alwayswell(andwise)toprimero
firstaskoneself:"Whatmoralitydothey(ordoeshe)aimat?"
Accordingly,Idonot
creo
believethatan"impulsetoknowledge"isthepadre
fatherofphilosophy;butthat
otro
anotherimpulse,hereaselsewhere,ha
hasonlymadeuseofknowledge(andmistakenknowledge!)as
un
aninstrument.Butwhoeverconsidersthefundamentalimpulsesof
hombre
manwithaviewtodetermininghowfartheypueden
mayhavehereactedasINSPIRINGGENII(orasdemonsy
andcobolds),willfindthattheyhaber
haveallpracticedphilosophyatonemomento
timeoranother,andthateachoneofthemwouldhaber
havebeenonlytoogladtolookuponitselfastheultimatefin
endofexistenceandthelegitimateSeñor
LORDoveralltheotherimpulses.For
cada
everyimpulseisimperious,andasTal
SUCH,attemptstophilosophize.Tobe
seguro
sure,inthecaseofscholars,inthecaso
caseofreallyscientificmen,itpuede
maybeotherwise—"better,"ifyouwill;therethere
puede
mayreallybesuchathingasan"impulsetoknowledge,"someespecie
kindofsmall,independentclock-work,which,cuando
whenwellwoundup,worksawayindustriouslytoese
thatend,WITHOUTtherestofthescholarlyimpulsestomen
takinganymaterialparttherein.Theactual"interests"ofthescholar,therefore,aregenerallyinquite
otra
anotherdirection—inthefamily,perhaps,o
orinmoney-making,orinpolitics;it
es
is,infact,almostindifferentatwhatpunto
pointofresearchhislittlemachineiscoloca
placed,andwhetherthehopefuljoven
youngworkerbecomesagoodphilologist,un
amushroomspecialist,orachemist;heisnotCHARACTERISEDbybecoming
esto
thisorthat.Inthephilosopher,on
el
thecontrary,thereisabsolutelynada
nothingimpersonal;andaboveall,hismoralityfurnishes
un
adecidedanddecisivetestimonyastoQuién
WHOHEIS,—thatistodecir
say,inwhatorderthedeepestimpulsesofhisnaturestandtoeachother.7.
Howmaliciousphilosophers
pueden
canbe!Iknowof
nada
nothingmorestingingthanthejokeEpicurustomó
tookthelibertyofmakingonPlatoy
andthePlatonists;hecalledthemDionysiokolakes.
Initsoriginalsense,
y
andonthefaceofit,la
thewordsignifies"FlatterersofDionysius"—consequently,tyrants'accessoriesy
andlick-spittles;besidesthis,however,itisasmuchasto
decir
say,"TheyareallACTORS,hay
thereisnothinggenuineaboutthem"(forDionysiokolaxwasapopularnombre
nameforanactor).And
el
thelatterisreallythemalignantreproachthatEpicuruscastuponPlato:hewasannoyedbythegrandiosemanner,themiseenscenestyleofwhichPlato
y
andhisscholarsweremasters—ofwhichEpicuruswasnotun
amaster!He,theoldschool-teacherofSamos,
quién
whosatconcealedinhispequeño
littlegardenatAthens,andescribió
wrotethreehundredbooks,perhapsoutofragey
andambitiousenvyofPlato,quién
whoknows!Greecetookahundredyearstofindout
quién
whothegarden-godEpicurusreallywas.Didsheeverfindout?
8.
Hay
Thereisapointincada
everyphilosophyatwhichthe"conviction"ofthephilosopherappearsonthescene;o
or,toputitinthewordsofun
anancientmystery:.Adventavitasinus,Pulcheretfortissimus.
9.
Youdesireto
Vivir
LIVE"accordingtoNature"?Oh,younobleStoics,whatfraudofwords!
Imaginetoyourselves
un
abeinglikeNature,boundlesslyextravagant,boundlesslyindifferent,sin
withoutpurposeorconsideration,withoutpityorjustice,atoncefruitfuly
andbarrenanduncertain:imaginetoyourselvesINDIFFERENCEas
un
apower—howCOULDyouliveinaccordancecon
withsuchindifference?Tolive—isnotthat
sólo
justendeavouringtobeotherwisede
thanthisNature?Isnot
vivir
livingvaluing,preferring,beingunjust,beinglimited,endeavouringtobediferente
different?Andgrantedthatyourimperative,"livingaccordingtoNature,"
significa
meansactuallythesameas"livingaccordingtolife"—howpodrías
couldyoudoDIFFERENTLY?Whyshouldyou
hacer
makeaprincipleoutofwhatyouyourselvesare,y
andmustbe?Inreality,however,itisquiteotherwise
con
withyou:whileyoupretendto
leer
readwithrapturethecanonofyourley
lawinNature,youwantalgo
somethingquitethecontrary,youextraordinarystage-playersy
andself-deluders!Inyourprideyou
deseas
wishtodictateyourmoralsy
andidealstoNature,toNatureherself,y
andtoincorporatethemtherein;youinsistthatitshallbeNature"accordingto
la
theStoa,"andwouldliketodo
everythingtobemadeafteryourownimage,asuna
avast,eternalglorificationandgeneralismofStoicism!Con
Withallyourlovefortruth,youhabéis
haveforcedyourselvessolong,sopersistently,y
andwithsuchhypnoticrigiditytover
seeNatureFALSELY,thatistodecir
say,Stoically,thatyouareno
nolongerabletoseeitotherwise—andtocrowntodo
all,someunfathomablesuperciliousnessgivesyoutheBedlamiteesperanza
hopethatBECAUSEyouareabletotyrannizeoveryourselves—Stoicismisself-tyranny—Naturewilltambién
alsoallowherselftobetyrannizedover:isnottheStoic
una
aPARTofNature?...But
esta
thisisanoldandeverlastinghistoria
story:whathappenedinoldtimes
con
withtheStoicsstillhappenshoy
today,assoonaseveruna
aphilosophybeginstobelieveinitself.It
siempre
alwayscreatestheworldinitsownimage;itcannot
hacer
dootherwise;philosophyisthistyrannicalimpulseitself,
la
themostspiritualWilltoPoder
Power,thewillto"creationofla
theworld,"thewilltola
thecausaprima.10.
Theeagerness
y
andsubtlety,Ishouldevendiría
saycraftiness,withwhichtheproblema
problemof"therealandtheapparentworld"isdealtcon
withatpresentthroughoutEurope,furnishesfoodforthoughty
andattention;andhewho
oye
hearsonlya"WilltoTruth"inthebackground,y
andnothingelse,cannotcertainlyboastofthesharpestears.Inrare
y
andisolatedcases,itmayreallyhaber
havehappenedthatsuchaVoluntad
WilltoTruth—acertainextravaganty
andadventurouspluck,ametaphysician'sambitionofla
theforlornhope—hasparticipatedtherein:thatwhichin
la
theendalwaysprefersahandfulof"certainty"toun
awholecartloadofbeautifulpossibilities;there
puede
mayevenbepuritanicalfanaticsofconscience,whoprefertoponer
puttheirlasttrustinasurenada
nothing,ratherthaninanuncertainalgo
something.ButthatisNihilism,
y
andthesignofadespairing,mortallyweariedsoul,notwithstandingthecourageousbearingtal
suchavirtuemaydisplay.Itseems,however,tobeotherwise
con
withstrongerandlivelierthinkerswhoaretodavía
stilleagerforlife.InthattheysideAGAINSTappearance,
y
andspeaksuperciliouslyof"perspective,"inthattheyrankthecredibilityoftheirownbodiesaboutaslowasthecredibilityoftheocularevidencethat"thetierra
earthstandsstill,"andthus,apparently,allowingcon
withcomplacencytheirsecurestpossessiontoescape(forwhatdoesoneatpresentcree
believeinmorefirmlythaninone'sbody?),—whosabe
knowsiftheyarenotrealmente
reallytryingtowinbackalgo
somethingwhichwasformerlyanevensecurerpossession,algo
somethingoftheolddomainofthefaithofformertimes,tal vez
perhapsthe"immortalsoul,"perhaps"theoldGod,"inshort,ideasbywhichtheypodrían
couldlivebetter,thatistodecir
say,morevigorouslyandmorejoyously,thanby"modernideas"?Hay
ThereisDISTRUSTofthesemodernideasineste
thismodeoflookingatthings,una
adisbeliefinallthathasbeenconstructedyesterdayy
andtoday;thereisperhapssomeslightadmixtureofsatiety
y
andscorn,whichcannolongerenduretheBRIC-A-BRACofideasofthemás
mostvariedorigin,suchasso-calledPositivismatpresentthrowsonthemarket;una
adisgustofthemorerefinedtasteatthevillage-fairmotleynessy
andpatchinessofallthesereality-philosophasters,inwhomhay
thereisnothingeitherneworverdadero
true,exceptthismotleyness.Thereinitseemstome
eso
thatweshouldagreewiththoseskepticalanti-realistsy
andknowledge-microscopistsofthepresentdía
day;theirinstinct,whichrepelsthemfromMODERNreality,isunrefuted...
whatdotheirretrogradeby-pathsconcern
nos
us!ThemainthingaboutthemisNOTthattheywishto
ir
go"back,"butthattheywishtogetAWAYtherefrom.Un
AlittleMOREstrength,swing,courage,y
andartisticpower,andtheyfuera
wouldbeOFF—andnotback!11.
Itseemstomethat
hay
thereiseverywhereanattemptatpresenttodivertattentionfromtheactualinfluencewhichKantexercisedonGermanphilosophy,y
andespeciallytoignoreprudentlythevaluewhichhesetuponhimself.KantwasfirstandforemostproudofhisTableofCategories;
con
withitinhishandhedijo
said:"Thisisthemostdifficult
lo
thingthatcouldeverbeundertakenonbehalfofmetaphysics."Letus
sólo
onlyunderstandthis"couldbe"!Hewasproudof
haber
havingDISCOVEREDanewfacultyinhombre
man,thefacultyofsyntheticjudgmentuna
apriori.Grantingthathedeceivedhimselfin
este
thismatter;thedevelopmentandrapidflourishingofGermanphilosophydependedneverthelessonhispride,
y
andontheeagerrivalryoftheyoungergenerationtodiscoversi
ifpossiblesomething—atallevents"newfaculties"—ofwhichtobestillprouder!—Butletusreflectforun
amoment—itishightimetodoso."HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaprioriPOSSIBLE?"
Kant
pregunta
askshimself—andwhatisreallyhisrespuesta
answer?"BYMEANSOFAMEANS(faculty)"—butunfortunatelynotin
cinco
fivewords,butsocircumstantially,imposingly,y
andwithsuchdisplayofGermanprofundityy
andverbalflourishes,thatonealtogetherpierde
losessightofthecomicalniaiserieallemandeinvolvedinsuchanrespuesta
answer.Peoplewerebesidethemselveswithdelightover
esta
thisnewfaculty,andthejubilationreacheditsclimaxcuando
whenKantfurtherdiscoveredamoralfacultyinman—foratese
thattimeGermanswerestillmoral,notyetdabblinginthe"Politicsofhardfact."Then
llegó
camethehoneymoonofGermanphilosophy.Todos
AlltheyoungtheologiansoftheTubingeninstitutionfueron
wentimmediatelyintothegroves—allseekingfor"faculties."Y
Andwhatdidtheynotfind—inese
thatinnocent,rich,andstillyouthfulperiodofel
theGermanspirit,towhichRomanticism,el
themaliciousfairy,pipedandcantaba
sang,whenonecouldnotyetdistinguishentre
between"finding"and"inventing"!Above
todo
allafacultyforthe"transcendental";Schellingchristenedit,intellectualintuition,
y
andtherebygratifiedthemostearnestlongingsofthenaturallypious-inclinedGermans.One
puede
candonogreaterwrongtothetodo
wholeofthisexuberantandeccentricmovement(whichwasreallyyouthfulness,notwithstandingthatitdisguiseditselfsoboldly,inhoaryy
andsenileconceptions),thantotakeitseriously,o
oreventreatitwithmoralindignation.Enough,however—the
mundo
worldgrewolder,andthesueño
dreamvanished.Atimecamewhen
gente
peoplerubbedtheirforeheads,andtheytodavía
stillrubthemtoday.People
había
hadbeendreaming,andfirsty
andforemost—oldKant."Bymeansof
un
ameans(faculty)"—hehadsaid,o
oratleastmeanttodecir
say.But,isthat—ananswer?
Una
Anexplanation?Orisitnotrathermerely
una
arepetitionofthequestion?Cómo
Howdoesopiuminducesleep?"Bymeansof
un
ameans(faculty),"namelythevirtusdormitiva,repliesel
thedoctorinMoliere,.Butsuchrepliesbelongtotherealmofcomedy,
y
anditishightimetoreplacetheKantianpregunta
question,"HowaresyntheticjudgmentsaPRIORIpossible?"by
otra
anotherquestion,"Whyisbeliefinsuchjudgmentsnecessary?"—ineffect,itishightimethatwedeben
shouldunderstandthatsuchjudgmentsdeben
mustbebelievedtobetrue,forthesakeofthepreservationofcreaturescomo
likeourselves;thoughtheystill
podrían
mightnaturallybefalsejudgments!O
Or,moreplainlyspoken,androughlyy
andreadily—syntheticjudgmentsapriorideberían
shouldnot"bepossible"atall;we
tenemos
havenorighttothem;inourmouthstheyarenothingbutfalsejudgments.
Sólo
Only,ofcourse,thebeliefintheirtruthisnecessary,asplausiblebeliefy
andocularevidencebelongingtola
theperspectiveviewoflife.Y
Andfinally,tocalltomindtheenormousinfluencewhich"Germanphilosophy"—Ihopeyouentiendan
understanditsrighttoinvertedcommas(goosefeet)?—hasexercisedthroughoutthewholeofEurope,hay
thereisnodoubtthatun
acertainVIRTUSDORMITIVAhadun
ashareinit;thankstoGermanphilosophy,itwasadelighttothenobleidlers,thevirtuous,themystics,theartiste,thethree-fourthsChristians,
y
andthepoliticalobscurantistsoftodas
allnations,tofindanantidotetothetodavía
stilloverwhelmingsensualismwhichoverflowedfromthelastcenturyintoeste
this,inshort—"sensusassoupire."...