Beyond Good and Evil — Page 7
Or, still more so, the hocus-pocus in mathematical form, by means of which Spinoza has, as it were, clad his philosophy in mail and mask--in fact, the "love of HIS wisdom," to translate the term fairly and squarely--in order thereby to strike terror at once into the heart of the assailant who should dare to cast a glance on that invincible maiden, that Pallas Athene:--how much of personal timidity and vulnerability does this masquerade of a sickly recluse betray!
O, más aún, el juego de engaños en forma matemática, mediante el cual Spinoza ha revestido, por así decirlo, su filosofía con cota de malla y máscara --en realidad, el «amor de SU sabiduría», para traducir el término con toda franqueza-- con el fin de infundir terror de inmediato en el corazón del asaltante que osara lanzar una mirada sobre aquella doncella invencible, aquella Palas Atenea: --¡cuánta timidez personal y vulnerabilidad delata este disfraz de un enfermizo solitario!
6. It has gradually become clear to me what every great philosophy up till now has consisted of--namely, the confession of its originator, and a species of involuntary and unconscious auto-biography; and moreover that the moral (or immoral) purpose in every philosophy has constituted the true vital germ out of which the entire plant has always grown.
6. Gradualmente me ha ido quedando claro en qué ha consistido toda gran filosofía hasta ahora --a saber, la confesión de su creador y una especie de autobiografía involuntaria e inconsciente; y además que el propósito moral (o inmoral) en toda filosofía ha constituido el verdadero germen vital del que ha brotado siempre la planta entera.
Indeed, to understand how the abstrusest metaphysical assertions of a philosopher have been arrived at, it is always well (and wise) to first ask oneself: "What morality do they (or does he) aim at?"
En efecto, para comprender cómo se ha llegado a las afirmaciones metafísicas más abstrusas de un filósofo, siempre es conveniente (y prudente) preguntarse primero: «¿A qué moralidad apuntan ellas (o apunta él)?»
Accordingly, I do not believe that an "impulse to knowledge" is the father of philosophy; but that another impulse, here as elsewhere, has only made use of knowledge (and mistaken knowledge!) as an instrument.
Por consiguiente, no creo que un «impulso hacia el conocimiento» sea el padre de la filosofía; sino que otro impulso, aquí como en otras partes, se ha servido únicamente del conocimiento (¡y del conocimiento erróneo!) como instrumento.
Vocabulary
- más
- more; greater in quantity or degree
- aún
- still; yet; even; continuing up to a point
- el
- the; definite article for masculine nouns
- juego
- game; play; set of matching items
- de
- of; from; belonging to; indicating possession
- engaños
- deceptions; tricks; frauds or dishonest acts
- en
- in; on; at; indicating location or time
- forma
- form; shape; manner; way of doing something
- matemática
- mathematics; mathematical; relating to numbers
- mediante
- by means of; through; via a method
- cual
- which; what; that which; relative pronoun
- ha
- has; auxiliary verb for present perfect tense
- revestido
- clothed; dressed; covered; coated with material
- por
- for; by; through; indicating cause or agent
- así
- thus; so; in this way; therefore
- decirlo
- to say it; to express or state something
- su
- his; her; its; their; possessive adjective
- filosofía
- philosophy; study of fundamental truths and values
- con
- with; accompanied by; in company of
- cota
- quota; limit; boundary; height or elevation mark
- malla
- mesh; net; chain mail; tight-fitting garment
- máscara
- mask; disguise; false appearance or deceptive covering
- realidad
- reality; actual state of things; truth
- amor
- love; affection; deep emotional attachment to person
- sabiduría
- wisdom; knowledge; good judgment and understanding
- para
- for; in order to; toward; intended purpose
- traducir
- to translate; to convert to another language
- término
- term; word; end; boundary; fixed period
- toda
- all; every; complete; entire; whole thing
- franqueza
- frankness; candor; honesty; straightforward manner
- fin
- end; purpose; goal; final point or aim
- infundir
- to instill; to inspire; to imbue with feeling
- terror
- terror; extreme fear; intense dread or panic
- inmediato
- immediate; direct; very close in space or time
- corazón
- heart; center; core; seat of emotions
- asaltante
- assailant; attacker; one who suddenly attacks person
- osara
- would dare; dared; past subjunctive of osar
- lanzar
- to throw; to launch; to hurl or propel
- mirada
- look; glance; gaze; act of looking at
- sobre
- on; over; about; concerning; above thing
- aquella
- that; that one; referring to distant feminine noun
- doncella
- maiden; young woman; virgin; unmarried girl
- invencible
- invincible; unconquerable; unable to be defeated
- cuánta
- how much; what quantity; interrogative feminine adjective
- timidez
- timidity; shyness; lack of courage or confidence
- personal
- personal; private; relating to a specific person
- vulnerabilidad
- vulnerability; state of being susceptible to harm
- delata
- reveals; betrays; exposes; indicates or discloses
- este
- this; this one; referring to near masculine noun
- disfraz
- disguise; costume; mask; false outward appearance
- enfermizo
- sickly; unhealthy; weak; prone to illness
- solitario
- solitary; lonely; living alone; hermit-like person
- Gradualmente
- gradually; slowly; by degrees; progressively over time
- quedando
- becoming; remaining; turning out; leaving or placing
- claro
- clear; evident; obvious; transparent; bright light
- consistido
- consisted; been composed; made up; comprised
- gran
- great; large; big; significant in size or importance
- hasta
- until; up to; as far as; even
- ahora
- now; at present; at this moment; currently
- saber
- to know; to understand; knowledge; learning or skill
- la
- the; definite article for feminine nouns
- confesión
- confession; admission; disclosure of guilt or secret
- creador
- creator; maker; founder; one who creates things
- especie
- species; kind; type; sort of thing or being
- autobiografía
- autobiography; life story written by the person
- involuntaria
- involuntary; unintentional; uncontrolled; not deliberate
- inconsciente
- unconscious; unaware; not conscious; subconscious mind
- además
- besides; furthermore; moreover; in addition also
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