Beyond Good and Evil — Page 2
Is there not ground for suspecting that all philosophers, in so far as they have been dogmatists, have failed to understand women--that the terrible seriousness and clumsy importunity with which they have usually paid their addresses to Truth, have been unskilled and unseemly methods for winning a woman?
Liegt es nicht nahe, zu vermuten, dass alle Philosophen, insofern sie Dogmatiker waren, die Frauen nicht zu verstehen vermochten – dass die schreckliche Ernsthaftigkeit und plumpe Zudringlichkeit, mit der sie der Wahrheit gegenüber gewöhnlich den Hof gemacht haben, ungeschickte und unangemessene Mittel waren, um eine Frau zu gewinnen?
Certainly she has never allowed herself to be won; and at present every kind of dogma stands with sad and discouraged mien--IF, indeed, it stands at all!
Sicherlich hat sie sich niemals gewinnen lassen; und gegenwärtig steht jede Art von Dogma mit trauriger und entmutigter Miene da – WENN es überhaupt noch steht!
For there are scoffers who maintain that it has fallen, that all dogma lies on the ground--nay more, that it is at its last gasp.
Denn es gibt Spötter, die behaupten, es sei gefallen, dass alles Dogma am Boden liegt – ja mehr noch, dass es in den letzten Zügen liegt.
But to speak seriously, there are good grounds for hoping that all dogmatizing in philosophy, whatever solemn, whatever conclusive and decided airs it has assumed, may have been only a noble puerilism and tyronism; and probably the time is at hand when it will be once and again understood WHAT has actually sufficed for the basis of such imposing and absolute philosophical edifices as the dogmatists have hitherto reared:
Aber um ernsthaft zu sprechen: Es gibt gute Gründe zu hoffen, dass alles Dogmatisieren in der Philosophie, wie feierlich, wie schlüssig und entschieden es auch aufgetreten sein mag, nur ein edler Puerilismus und Tyronismus gewesen sein könnte; und wahrscheinlich ist die Zeit nahe, in der man wieder und wieder verstehen wird, WAS eigentlich als Grundlage solch imposanter und absoluter philosophischer Gebäude ausgereicht hat, wie die Dogmatiker sie bisher errichtet haben:
perhaps some popular superstition of immemorial time (such as the soul-superstition, which, in the form of subject- and ego-superstition, has not yet ceased doing mischief):
vielleicht irgendein volkstümlicher Aberglaube aus uralter Zeit (wie der Seelen-Aberglaube, der in der Form des Subjekt- und Ich-Aberglaubens noch immer Unheil anrichtet):
perhaps some play upon words, a deception on the part of grammar, or an audacious generalization of very restricted, very personal, very human--all-too-human facts.
vielleicht irgendein Wortspiel, eine Täuschung seitens der Grammatik, oder eine kühne Verallgemeinerung sehr beschränkter, sehr persönlicher, sehr menschlicher – allzu menschlicher Tatsachen.
Vocabulary
- Liegt
- Third-person singular present of 'liegen,' meaning 'lies' or 'is located'
- es
- Neuter pronoun meaning 'it'
- nicht
- Negation particle meaning 'not'
- nahe
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'near' or 'close'
- zu
- Preposition or infinitive marker meaning 'to'
- vermuten
- Verb meaning 'to suspect' or 'to suppose'
- dass
- Conjunction meaning 'that,' introducing a subordinate clause
- alle
- Pronoun or adjective meaning 'all' or 'every'
- Philosophen
- Plural noun meaning 'philosophers,' those who study philosophy
- insofern
- Conjunction meaning 'insofar as' or 'to the extent that'
- sie
- Pronoun meaning 'they,' 'she,' or formal 'you'
- Dogmatiker
- Noun meaning 'dogmatists,' those holding rigid doctrinal beliefs
- waren
- Past tense of 'sein,' meaning 'were'
- die
- Definite article or relative pronoun meaning 'the' or 'who'
- Frauen
- Plural noun meaning 'women' or 'wives'
- verstehen
- Verb meaning 'to understand' or 'to comprehend'
- vermochten
- Past tense of 'vermögen,' meaning 'were able to'
- schreckliche
- Adjective meaning 'terrible' or 'dreadful,' inflected form
- Ernsthaftigkeit
- Noun meaning 'seriousness' or 'earnestness' as a quality
- und
- Conjunction meaning 'and,' connecting words or clauses
- plumpe
- Adjective meaning 'clumsy,' 'blunt,' or 'crude'
- Zudringlichkeit
- Noun meaning 'intrusiveness,' 'importunity,' or 'pushiness'
- mit
- Preposition meaning 'with' or 'by'
- der
- Definite article meaning 'the,' masculine or genitive form
- Wahrheit
- Noun meaning 'truth' or 'reality'
- gegenüber
- Preposition or adverb meaning 'opposite,' 'toward,' or 'facing'
- gewöhnlich
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'usually,' 'ordinary,' or 'commonly'
- den
- Definite article in accusative or dative plural, meaning 'the'
- Hof
- Noun meaning 'court,' 'courtyard,' or 'farm'
- gemacht
- Past participle of 'machen,' meaning 'made' or 'done'
- haben
- Auxiliary verb meaning 'to have,' used to form perfect tenses
- ungeschickte
- Adjective meaning 'clumsy,' 'awkward,' or 'unskillful'
- unangemessene
- Adjective meaning 'inappropriate,' 'unsuitable,' or 'improper'
- Mittel
- Noun meaning 'means,' 'methods,' or 'resources'
- um
- Preposition meaning 'around,' 'in order to,' or 'at'
- eine
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an,' feminine form
- Frau
- Noun meaning 'woman,' 'wife,' or 'Mrs.'
- gewinnen
- Verb meaning 'to win,' 'to gain,' or 'to obtain'
- Sicherlich
- Adverb meaning 'certainly,' 'surely,' or 'definitely'
- hat
- Third-person singular of 'haben,' meaning 'has'
- sich
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'itself,' 'herself,' or 'themselves'
- niemals
- Adverb meaning 'never' under any circumstances
- lassen
- Verb meaning 'to let,' 'to allow,' or 'to have done'
- gegenwärtig
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'currently,' 'present,' or 'nowadays'
- steht
- Third-person singular of 'stehen,' meaning 'stands' or 'is'
- jede
- Pronoun or adjective meaning 'every' or 'each,' feminine form
- Art
- Noun meaning 'type,' 'kind,' 'sort,' or 'species'
- von
- Preposition meaning 'of,' 'from,' or 'by'
- Dogma
- Noun meaning 'dogma,' a fixed authoritative doctrine or belief
- trauriger
- Adjective meaning 'sadder' or 'more sorrowful,' comparative form
- entmutigender
- Adjective meaning 'more discouraging' or 'more disheartening'
- Miene
- Noun meaning 'expression,' 'look,' or 'facial appearance'
- da
- Adverb or conjunction meaning 'there,' 'here,' or 'since'
- WENN
- Conjunction meaning 'if' or 'when,' here used emphatically
- überhaupt
- Adverb meaning 'at all,' 'in general,' or 'altogether'
- noch
- Adverb meaning 'still,' 'yet,' or 'even'
- Denn
- Conjunction meaning 'for,' 'because,' or 'since'
- gibt
- Third-person singular of 'geben,' meaning 'gives' or 'there are'
- Spötter
- Noun meaning 'mockers,' 'scoffers,' or 'cynics'
- behaupten
- Verb meaning 'to claim,' 'to assert,' or 'to maintain'
- sei
- Subjunctive form of 'sein,' meaning 'is' (reported speech)
- gefallen
- Past participle of 'fallen,' meaning 'fallen' or 'fallen down'
- alles
- Pronoun meaning 'everything' or 'all things'
- am
- Contraction of 'an dem,' meaning 'at the' or 'on the'
- Boden
- Noun meaning 'floor,' 'ground,' or 'soil'
- liegt
- Third-person singular of 'liegen,' meaning 'lies' or 'is situated'
- ja
- Particle meaning 'yes,' 'indeed,' or used for emphasis
- mehr
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'more' or 'no longer' with negation
- in
- Preposition meaning 'in,' 'into,' or 'inside'
- letzten
- Adjective meaning 'last' or 'final,' inflected form
- Zügen
- Plural of 'Zug,' meaning 'throes,' 'traits,' or 'draws'
- Aber
- Conjunction meaning 'but' or 'however'
- ernsthaft
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'seriously' or 'earnestly'
- sprechen
- Verb meaning 'to speak' or 'to talk'
- Es
- Neuter pronoun meaning 'it,' often used as a dummy subject
- gute
- Adjective meaning 'good,' inflected form of 'gut'
- Gründe
- Plural noun meaning 'reasons,' 'grounds,' or 'causes'
- hoffen
- Verb meaning 'to hope' for something desired
- Dogmatisieren
- Verb meaning 'to dogmatize,' asserting doctrines as absolute truth
- Philosophie
- Noun meaning 'philosophy,' the study of fundamental questions
- wie
- Conjunction or adverb meaning 'how,' 'as,' or 'like'
- feierlich
- Adjective meaning 'solemn,' 'ceremonious,' or 'formal'
- schlüssig
- Adjective meaning 'conclusive,' 'coherent,' or 'decided'
- entschieden
- Adjective or adverb meaning 'decidedly,' 'firmly,' or 'resolutely'
- auch
- Adverb meaning 'also,' 'too,' or 'even'
- aufgetreten
- Past participle of 'auftreten,' meaning 'appeared' or 'emerged'
- sein
- Infinitive meaning 'to be,' fundamental auxiliary verb
- mag
- Modal verb meaning 'may,' expressing possibility or concession
- nur
- Adverb meaning 'only,' 'merely,' or 'just'
- ein
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an,' masculine/neuter form
- edler
- Adjective meaning 'nobler' or 'more noble,' comparative-like form
- gewesen
- Past participle of 'sein,' meaning 'been'
- könnte
- Subjunctive II of 'können,' meaning 'could' or 'might'
- wahrscheinlich
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'probably' or 'likely'
- ist
- Third-person singular of 'sein,' meaning 'is'
- Zeit
- Noun meaning 'time,' 'era,' or 'period'
- man
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'one,' 'you,' or 'people' in general
- wieder
- Adverb meaning 'again,' 'back,' or 'once more'
- wird
- Third-person singular of 'werden,' meaning 'will' or 'becomes'
- WAS
- Pronoun meaning 'what,' here used emphatically
- eigentlich
- Adverb meaning 'actually,' 'really,' or 'in fact'
- als
- Conjunction meaning 'as,' 'than,' or 'when'
- Grundlage
- Noun meaning 'foundation,' 'basis,' or 'groundwork'
- solch
- Determiner meaning 'such' or 'such a'
- imposanter
- Adjective meaning 'more imposing' or 'more impressive'
- absoluter
- Adjective meaning 'more absolute' or 'more unconditional'
- philosophischer
- Adjective meaning 'more philosophical,' relating to philosophy
- Gebäude
- Noun meaning 'building,' 'structure,' or conceptual 'edifice'
- ausgereicht
- Past participle of 'ausreichen,' meaning 'sufficed' or 'been enough'
- bisher
- Adverb meaning 'until now,' 'so far,' or 'hitherto'
- errichtet
- Past participle of 'errichten,' meaning 'erected' or 'constructed'
- vielleicht
- Adverb meaning 'perhaps,' 'maybe,' or 'possibly'
- irgendein
- Indefinite article meaning 'some' or 'any,' referring to an unspecified thing
- volkstümlicher
- Adjective meaning 'more popular,' 'folk-like,' or 'common'
- Aberglaube
- Noun meaning 'superstition,' irrational belief in supernatural causes
- aus
- Preposition meaning 'from,' 'out of,' or 'made of'
- uralter
- Adjective meaning 'very ancient' or 'age-old,' deeply historical
- Seelen-Aberglaube
- Compound noun meaning 'soul superstition,' irrational belief about souls
- Form
- Noun meaning 'form,' 'shape,' or 'manner'
- des
- Genitive definite article meaning 'of the,' masculine or neuter
- Subjekt-
- Prefix or noun stem meaning 'subject,' relating to the grammatical subject
- Ich-Aberglaubens
- Genitive compound noun meaning 'superstition of the ego or self'
- immer
- Adverb meaning 'always,' 'ever,' or 'continuously'
- Unheil
- Noun meaning 'mischief,' 'disaster,' or 'harm'
- anrichtet
- Third-person singular of 'anrichten,' meaning 'causes' damage or harm
- Wortspiel
- Noun meaning 'wordplay' or 'pun,' a play on words
- Täuschung
- Noun meaning 'deception,' 'illusion,' or 'delusion'
- seitens
- Preposition meaning 'on the part of' or 'by'
- Grammatik
- Noun meaning 'grammar,' the rules of a language's structure
- oder
- Conjunction meaning 'or,' presenting an alternative
- kühne
- Adjective meaning 'bold,' 'daring,' or 'audacious'
- Verallgemeinerung
- Noun meaning 'generalization,' drawing broad conclusions from specifics
- sehr
- Adverb meaning 'very,' 'much,' or 'greatly'
- beschränkter
- Adjective meaning 'more limited,' 'narrow,' or 'restricted'
- persönlicher
- Adjective meaning 'more personal' or 'individual'
- menschlicher
- Adjective meaning 'more human' or 'more humane'
- allzu
- Adverb meaning 'all too' or 'far too,' indicating excess
- Tatsachen
- Plural noun meaning 'facts,' 'realities,' or 'actual circumstances'
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