Beyond Good and Evil — Page 3
For it may be doubted, firstly, whether antitheses exist at all; and secondly, whether the popular valuations and antitheses of value upon which metaphysicians have set their seal, are not perhaps merely superficial estimates, merely provisional perspectives, besides being probably made from some corner, perhaps from below--"frog perspectives," as it were, to borrow an expression current among painters.
Denn es lässt sich erstens bezweifeln, ob Gegensätze überhaupt existieren, und zweitens, ob jene volkstümlichen Wertschätzungen und Wertgegensätze, auf welche die Metaphysiker ihren Stempel gedrückt haben, nicht vielleicht nur Vordergrundsschätzungen sind, nur vorläufige Perspektiven, vielleicht sogar aus einem Winkel heraus, vielleicht von unten hinauf – „Frosch-Perspektiven" sozusagen, um einen unter Malern gebräuchlichen Ausdruck zu entlehnen.
In spite of all the value which may belong to the true, the positive, and the unselfish, it might be possible that a higher and more fundamental value for life generally should be assigned to pretence, to the will to delusion, to selfishness, and cupidity.
Trotz allem Wert, der dem Wahren, dem Positiven und dem Uneigennützigen zukommen mag, wäre es möglich, dass dem Schein, dem Willen zur Täuschung, dem Egoismus und der Begierde ein höherer und grundlegenderer Wert für das Leben im Allgemeinen zuzusprechen wäre.
It might even be possible that WHAT constitutes the value of those good and respected things, consists precisely in their being insidiously related, knotted, and crocheted to these evil and apparently opposed things--perhaps even in being essentially identical with them.
Es wäre sogar möglich, dass das, WAS den Wert jener guten und geachteten Dinge ausmacht, gerade darin besteht, dass sie hinterlistig verwandt, verknüpft und verflochten sind mit diesen bösen und scheinbar entgegengesetzten Dingen – vielleicht sogar im Wesentlichen mit ihnen identisch sind.
Perhaps! But who wishes to concern himself with such dangerous "Perhapses"!
Vielleicht! Aber wer will sich mit solchen gefährlichen „Vielleichts" befassen!
For that investigation one must await the advent of a new order of philosophers, such as will have other tastes and inclinations, the reverse of those hitherto prevalent--philosophers of the dangerous "Perhaps" in every sense of the term.
Für jene Untersuchung muss man das Erscheinen einer neuen Art von Philosophen abwarten, solcher, die andere Geschmäcker und Neigungen haben werden, das Gegenteil der bisher herrschenden – Philosophen des gefährlichen „Vielleicht" in jedem Sinne des Wortes.
And to speak in all seriousness, I see such new philosophers beginning to appear.
Und um in allem Ernst zu sprechen: Ich sehe solche neuen Philosophen im Entstehen begriffen.
3.
3.
Vocabulary
- Denn
- Conjunction meaning 'because' or 'for'
- es
- Neuter pronoun meaning 'it'
- lässt
- Third person singular of 'lassen', meaning 'lets' or 'allows'
- sich
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself' or 'itself'
- erstens
- Adverb meaning 'firstly' or 'in the first place'
- bezweifeln
- To doubt or question the truth of something
- ob
- Conjunction meaning 'whether' or 'if'
- Gegensätze
- Plural of 'Gegensatz', meaning opposites or contrasts
- überhaupt
- Adverb meaning 'at all', 'in general', or 'altogether'
- existieren
- To exist or have real being
- und
- Conjunction meaning 'and'
- zweitens
- Adverb meaning 'secondly' or 'in the second place'
- jene
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'those' or 'that'
- volkstümlichen
- Adjective meaning 'popular', 'folk-like', or 'traditional'
- Wertschätzungen
- Plural of 'Wertschätzung', meaning estimations or valuations
- Wertgegensätze
- Oppositions or contrasts in value or worth
- auf
- Preposition meaning 'on', 'upon', or 'onto'
- welche
- Relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'who'
- die
- Definite article or relative pronoun meaning 'the' or 'who'
- Metaphysiker
- Plural of 'Metaphysiker', meaning metaphysicians or metaphysical thinkers
- ihren
- Possessive pronoun meaning 'their' or 'her' (accusative)
- Stempel
- Stamp or seal; mark of approval or identity
- gedrückt
- Past participle of 'drücken', meaning pressed or stamped
- haben
- Auxiliary verb meaning 'to have'
- nicht
- Negation particle meaning 'not'
- vielleicht
- Adverb meaning 'perhaps' or 'maybe'
- nur
- Adverb meaning 'only' or 'just'
- sind
- Third person plural of 'sein', meaning 'are'
- vorläufige
- Adjective meaning 'preliminary', 'provisional', or 'temporary'
- Perspektiven
- Plural of 'Perspektive', meaning perspectives or viewpoints
- sogar
- Adverb meaning 'even' or 'indeed'
- aus
- Preposition meaning 'from', 'out of', or 'of'
- einem
- Indefinite article in dative case, meaning 'a' or 'an'
- Winkel
- Corner or angle; a specific perspective or vantage point
- heraus
- Adverb meaning 'out of' or 'from within'
- von
- Preposition meaning 'from', 'of', or 'by'
- unten
- Adverb meaning 'below', 'down', or 'underneath'
- hinauf
- Adverb meaning 'upward' or 'up towards something'
- sozusagen
- Adverb meaning 'so to speak' or 'as it were'
- um
- Preposition meaning 'around', 'at', or 'in order to'
- einen
- Indefinite article in accusative case, meaning 'a' or 'an'
- unter
- Preposition meaning 'under', 'among', or 'below'
- Malern
- Dative plural of 'Maler', meaning painters or artists
- gebräuchlichen
- Adjective meaning 'common', 'customary', or 'in use'
- Ausdruck
- Expression or term; a word or phrase used to convey meaning
- zu
- Preposition or particle meaning 'to', 'too', or 'at'
- entlehnen
- To borrow or adopt a term from another source
- Trotz
- Preposition meaning 'despite' or 'in spite of'
- allem
- Dative form of 'alles', meaning 'everything' or 'all'
- Wert
- Value or worth; the importance assigned to something
- der
- Definite article or relative pronoun meaning 'the' or 'who'
- dem
- Definite article in dative case, meaning 'the'
- Wahren
- Nominalized adjective meaning 'the true' or 'truth'
- Positiven
- Nominalized adjective meaning 'the positive' or 'positivity'
- Uneigennützigen
- Nominalized adjective meaning 'the unselfish' or 'altruism'
- zukommen
- To accrue to or be attributed to something
- mag
- Modal verb meaning 'may' or 'might'
- wäre
- Subjunctive form of 'sein', meaning 'would be'
- möglich
- Adjective meaning 'possible' or 'feasible'
- dass
- Conjunction meaning 'that', introducing a subordinate clause
- Schein
- Appearance or semblance; illusion as opposed to reality
- Willen
- Genitive or dative of 'Wille', meaning 'will' or 'volition'
- zur
- Contraction of 'zu der', meaning 'to the'
- Täuschung
- Deception or illusion; the act of misleading someone
- Egoismus
- Egoism or selfishness; excessive concern for oneself
- Begierde
- Desire or craving; strong appetite or longing
- ein
- Indefinite article meaning 'a' or 'an'
- höherer
- Comparative adjective meaning 'higher' or 'greater'
- grundlegenderer
- Comparative adjective meaning 'more fundamental' or 'more basic'
- für
- Preposition meaning 'for' or 'on behalf of'
- das
- Definite article or pronoun meaning 'the' or 'that'
- Leben
- Life or living; the state of being alive
- im
- Contraction of 'in dem', meaning 'in the'
- Allgemeinen
- Nominalized adjective meaning 'the general' or 'in general'
- zuzusprechen
- To attribute or assign to; to award something to someone
- Es
- Neuter pronoun meaning 'it', often used as a placeholder subject
- WAS
- Emphatic form of 'was', meaning 'what' (emphasized)
- den
- Definite article in accusative or dative plural, meaning 'the'
- jener
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'of those' or 'of that'
- guten
- Adjective in inflected form meaning 'good'
- geachteten
- Adjective meaning 'respected' or 'esteemed'
- Dinge
- Plural of 'Ding', meaning things or objects
- ausmacht
- Third person singular of 'ausmachen', meaning 'constitutes' or 'makes up'
- gerade
- Adverb meaning 'precisely', 'just', or 'exactly'
- darin
- Adverb meaning 'therein' or 'in that'
- besteht
- Third person singular of 'bestehen', meaning 'consists' or 'exists'
- sie
- Pronoun meaning 'they', 'she', or 'it'
- hinterlistig
- Adjective meaning 'cunning', 'deceitful', or 'treacherous'
- verwandt
- Adjective meaning 'related' or 'kindred'
- verknüpft
- Past participle meaning 'linked', 'connected', or 'tied together'
- verflochten
- Past participle meaning 'intertwined' or 'entangled'
- mit
- Preposition meaning 'with' or 'together with'
- diesen
- Demonstrative pronoun in dative meaning 'these' or 'those'
- bösen
- Adjective in inflected form meaning 'evil' or 'wicked'
- scheinbar
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'apparently' or 'seemingly'
- entgegengesetzten
- Adjective meaning 'opposing' or 'contrary'
- Wesentlichen
- Nominalized adjective meaning 'the essential' or 'in essence'
- ihnen
- Dative pronoun meaning 'them' or 'to them'
- identisch
- Adjective meaning 'identical' or 'the same'
- Vielleicht
- Adverb meaning 'perhaps' or 'maybe'
- Aber
- Conjunction meaning 'but' or 'however'
- wer
- Interrogative pronoun meaning 'who'
- will
- Modal verb meaning 'wants to' or 'will'
- solchen
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'such' in dative form
- gefährlichen
- Adjective in inflected form meaning 'dangerous' or 'perilous'
- befassen
- To deal with or concern oneself with something
- Für
- Preposition meaning 'for' or 'on behalf of'
- Untersuchung
- Investigation or examination; a systematic inquiry
- muss
- Modal verb meaning 'must' or 'has to'
- man
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'one', 'you', or 'people'
- Erscheinen
- Noun meaning 'appearance' or 'emergence'
- einer
- Indefinite article in genitive or dative, meaning 'a' or 'one'
- neuen
- Adjective in inflected form meaning 'new'
- Art
- Type, kind, or manner of something
- Philosophen
- Plural of 'Philosoph', meaning philosophers
- abwarten
- To wait for or await the outcome of something
- solcher
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'such' in genitive form
- andere
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'other' or 'different'
- Geschmäcker
- Plural of 'Geschmack', meaning tastes or preferences
- Neigungen
- Plural of 'Neigung', meaning inclinations or tendencies
- werden
- Auxiliary or main verb meaning 'will become' or 'to become'
- Gegenteil
- Opposite or contrary; the reverse of something
- bisher
- Adverb meaning 'up to now', 'so far', or 'hitherto'
- herrschenden
- Adjective meaning 'ruling', 'dominant', or 'prevailing'
- des
- Definite article in genitive case, meaning 'of the'
- in
- Preposition meaning 'in', 'into', or 'within'
- jedem
- Indefinite pronoun in dative meaning 'every' or 'each'
- Sinne
- Dative of 'Sinn', meaning sense, meaning, or spirit
- Wortes
- Genitive of 'Wort', meaning 'of the word'
- Und
- Conjunction meaning 'and'
- Ernst
- Seriousness or earnestness; solemn sincerity
- sprechen
- To speak or talk; to express in words
- Ich
- First person singular pronoun meaning 'I'
- sehe
- First person singular of 'sehen', meaning 'I see'
- solche
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'such' or 'those kinds of'
- Entstehen
- Noun meaning 'emergence', 'arising', or 'coming into being'
- begriffen
- Past participle of 'begreifen'; here used in 'im Entstehen begriffen' meaning 'in the process of emerging'
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