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?
N'y a-t-il pas lieu de soupçonner que tous les philosophes, dans la mesure où ils ont été dogmatistes, n'ont pas réussi à comprendre les femmes -- que le sérieux terrible et l'importunité maladroite avec lesquels ils ont d'ordinaire fait leur cour à la Vérité, ont été des méthodes ineptes et inconvenantes pour conquérir une femme ?
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!
Certes, elle ne s'est jamais laissé conquérir ; et à présent toute espèce de dogme se tient avec une mine triste et découragée -- SI, toutefois, il se tient encore !
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.
Car il est des railleurs qui soutiennent qu'il est tombé, que tout dogme gît à terre -- bien plus, qu'il rend le dernier soupir.
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:
Mais pour parler sérieusement, il y a de bonnes raisons d'espérer que tout dogmatisme en philosophie, quelles qu'aient été les airs solennels, décisifs et tranchants qu'il a pris, n'a peut-être été qu'un noble puérilisme et un tâtonnement de novice ; et le moment approche probablement où l'on comprendra une fois encore CE qui a réellement suffi à fonder ces édifices philosophiques imposants et absolus que les dogmatistes ont érigés jusqu'ici :
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):
peut-être quelque superstition populaire d'un temps immémorial (telle que la superstition de l'âme qui, sous la forme de la superstition du sujet et du moi, n'a pas encore cessé de faire des ravages) :
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.
peut-être quelque jeu de mots, quelque tromperie de la grammaire, ou quelque généralisation audacieuse de faits très restreints, très personnels, très humains -- beaucoup trop humains.
Vocabulary
- y
- Pronoun meaning 'there' or 'it' referring to a place
- a
- Third-person singular of 'avoir', meaning 'has'
- il
- Third-person singular masculine pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it'
- pas
- Negation particle meaning 'not' in French
- lieu
- Noun meaning 'place', also used in expressions like 'avoir lieu'
- de
- Preposition meaning 'of', 'from', or 'about'
- soupçonner
- Verb meaning 'to suspect' someone of something
- que
- Conjunction or pronoun meaning 'that', 'which', or 'whom'
- tous
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all' or 'every one'
- les
- Definite plural article meaning 'the'
- philosophes
- Noun meaning 'philosophers', thinkers who study fundamental questions
- dans
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'within' a space or context
- la
- Definite feminine singular article meaning 'the'
- mesure
- Noun meaning 'measure'; 'dans la mesure où' means 'insofar as'
- où
- Relative pronoun or conjunction meaning 'where' or 'when'
- ils
- Third-person plural masculine pronoun meaning 'they'
- ont
- Third-person plural of 'avoir', meaning 'have'
- été
- Past participle of 'être', meaning 'been'
- dogmatistes
- Noun meaning 'dogmatists', those who assert fixed beliefs
- réussi
- Past participle of 'réussir', meaning 'succeeded' or 'managed to'
- à
- Preposition meaning 'to', 'at', or 'in'
- comprendre
- Verb meaning 'to understand' or 'to comprehend'
- femmes
- Noun meaning 'women' or 'wives'
- le
- Definite masculine singular article meaning 'the'
- sérieux
- Adjective or noun meaning 'serious' or 'seriousness'
- terrible
- Adjective meaning 'terrible', 'dreadful', or 'extreme'
- et
- Conjunction meaning 'and', connecting words or clauses
- importunité
- Noun meaning 'importunity', persistent and annoying insistence
- maladroite
- Adjective meaning 'clumsy' or 'awkward' in manner
- avec
- Preposition meaning 'with' in French
- lesquels
- Relative pronoun meaning 'which' or 'whom', masculine plural
- ordinaire
- Adjective meaning 'ordinary'; 'd'ordinaire' means 'usually'
- fait
- Third-person singular of 'faire', meaning 'makes' or 'does'
- leur
- Possessive adjective or pronoun meaning 'their' or 'them'
- cour
- Noun meaning 'court'; 'faire la cour' means 'to woo'
- Vérité
- Noun meaning 'truth', a fundamental or absolute fact
- des
- Plural indefinite article or contraction of 'de les'
- méthodes
- Noun meaning 'methods', systematic ways of doing something
- ineptes
- Adjective meaning 'inept', foolish, or completely unsuitable
- inconvenantes
- Adjective meaning 'improper' or 'inappropriate' in behavior
- pour
- Preposition meaning 'for', 'in order to', or 'to'
- conquérir
- Verb meaning 'to conquer' or 'to win over' someone
- une
- Indefinite feminine singular article meaning 'a' or 'an'
- femme
- Noun meaning 'woman' or 'wife'
- Certes
- Adverb meaning 'certainly', 'admittedly', or 'indeed'
- elle
- Third-person singular feminine pronoun meaning 'she' or 'it'
- ne
- Negative particle used with 'pas' to form negation
- est
- Third-person singular of 'être', meaning 'is'
- jamais
- Adverb meaning 'never' or 'ever' in French sentences
- laissé
- Past participle of 'laisser', meaning 'let' or 'allowed'
- présent
- Noun or adjective meaning 'present', the current moment or time
- toute
- Adjective meaning 'all', 'every', or 'any', feminine form
- espèce
- Noun meaning 'type', 'kind', or 'species'
- dogme
- Noun meaning 'dogma', a fixed principle or belief system
- se
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself', 'himself', or 'herself'
- tient
- Third-person singular of 'tenir', meaning 'holds' or 'stands'
- mine
- Noun meaning 'expression' or 'look' on someone's face
- triste
- Adjective meaning 'sad' or 'sorrowful'
- découragée
- Adjective meaning 'discouraged', having lost hope or confidence
- SI
- Conjunction meaning 'if' or adverb meaning 'so' or 'yes'
- toutefois
- Adverb meaning 'however', 'nevertheless', or 'yet'
- encore
- Adverb meaning 'still', 'yet', or 'again'
- Car
- Conjunction meaning 'for', 'because', explaining a previous statement
- railleurs
- Noun meaning 'mockers' or 'scoffers', those who ridicule others
- qui
- Relative pronoun meaning 'who', 'which', or 'that'
- soutiennent
- Third-person plural of 'soutenir', meaning 'maintain' or 'assert'
- tombé
- Past participle of 'tomber', meaning 'fallen' or 'collapsed'
- tout
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all', 'everything', or 'entirely'
- gît
- Third-person singular of 'gésir', meaning 'lies' prostrate or dead
- terre
- Noun meaning 'ground', 'earth', or 'land'
- bien
- Adverb meaning 'well' or adjective meaning 'good'
- plus
- Adverb meaning 'more' or 'no longer' in negation
- rend
- Third-person singular of 'rendre', meaning 'renders' or 'gives back'
- dernier
- Adjective meaning 'last' or 'final' in a sequence
- soupir
- Noun meaning 'sigh', a long deep breath expressing emotion
- Mais
- Conjunction meaning 'but', introducing a contrast or objection
- parler
- Verb meaning 'to speak' or 'to talk'
- sérieusement
- Adverb meaning 'seriously', in a grave or earnest manner
- bonnes
- Feminine plural adjective meaning 'good' or 'valid'
- raisons
- Noun meaning 'reasons', justifications or logical grounds
- espérer
- Verb meaning 'to hope' for something desired
- dogmatisme
- Noun meaning 'dogmatism', rigid adherence to fixed principles
- en
- Preposition meaning 'in', 'by', or pronoun replacing a noun phrase
- philosophie
- Noun meaning 'philosophy', the study of fundamental questions
- quelles
- Interrogative or relative adjective meaning 'what' or 'which', feminine plural
- aient
- Subjunctive third-person plural of 'avoir', meaning 'have'
- airs
- Noun meaning 'airs', manners or affected appearances
- solennels
- Adjective meaning 'solemn', formal and serious in character
- décisifs
- Adjective meaning 'decisive', having the power to settle a matter
- tranchants
- Adjective meaning 'cutting', sharp in manner or judgment
- pris
- Past participle of 'prendre', meaning 'taken' or 'adopted'
- peut-être
- Adverb meaning 'perhaps' or 'maybe'
- un
- Indefinite masculine singular article meaning 'a' or 'an'
- noble
- Adjective meaning 'noble', elevated in character or quality
- puérilisme
- Noun meaning 'puerility' or 'childishness' in behavior or thought
- tâtonnement
- Noun meaning 'groping' or 'fumbling', tentative trial and error
- novice
- Noun or adjective meaning 'novice', someone new and inexperienced
- moment
- Noun meaning 'moment', a brief period of time
- approche
- Noun or verb meaning 'approach' or 'draws near'
- probablement
- Adverb meaning 'probably', with a high degree of likelihood
- on
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'one', 'we', or 'people' generally
- comprendra
- Future tense of 'comprendre', meaning 'will understand'
- fois
- Noun meaning 'time' or 'instance', as in 'une fois' (once)
- CE
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this', 'that', or 'it'
- réellement
- Adverb meaning 'really' or 'truly', in a genuine manner
- suffi
- Past participle of 'suffire', meaning 'sufficed' or 'been enough'
- fonder
- Verb meaning 'to found', 'to establish', or 'to base'
- ces
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'these' or 'those'
- édifices
- Noun meaning 'edifices' or 'buildings', large impressive structures
- philosophiques
- Adjective meaning 'philosophical', relating to philosophy
- imposants
- Adjective meaning 'imposing', impressive in size or grandeur
- absolus
- Adjective meaning 'absolute', unconditional or total in nature
- érigés
- Past participle of 'ériger', meaning 'erected' or 'built up'
- jusqu'
- Contraction of 'jusqu'à', meaning 'up to' or 'until'
- ici
- Adverb meaning 'here', in this place or context
- quelque
- Adjective meaning 'some', 'a certain', or 'whatever'
- superstition
- Noun meaning 'superstition', irrational belief based on ignorance
- populaire
- Adjective meaning 'popular' or 'common among ordinary people'
- temps
- Noun meaning 'time', 'weather', or grammatical tense
- immémorial
- Adjective meaning 'immemorial', extending beyond recorded memory
- telle
- Adjective meaning 'such', referring to something previously mentioned
- âme
- Noun meaning 'soul' or 'spirit', the immaterial essence of a person
- sous
- Preposition meaning 'under' or 'beneath'
- forme
- Noun meaning 'form', 'shape', or manner of appearance
- du
- Contraction of 'de le', meaning 'of the' (masculine singular)
- sujet
- Noun meaning 'subject', grammatical or philosophical subject
- moi
- Emphatic first-person pronoun meaning 'me' or 'I'
- cessé
- Past participle of 'cesser', meaning 'stopped' or 'ceased'
- faire
- Verb meaning 'to do' or 'to make'
- ravages
- Noun meaning 'ravages', severe damage or destructive effects
- jeu
- Noun meaning 'game', 'play', or set of tricks
- mots
- Noun meaning 'words', units of language
- tromperie
- Noun meaning 'deception' or 'trickery', act of misleading someone
- grammaire
- Noun meaning 'grammar', the rules governing a language
- ou
- Conjunction meaning 'or', presenting an alternative
- généralisation
- Noun meaning 'generalization', broad conclusion from limited evidence
- audacieuse
- Adjective meaning 'audacious', daringly bold or presumptuous
- faits
- Noun meaning 'facts', things known to be true or real
- très
- Adverb meaning 'very', intensifying an adjective or adverb
- restreints
- Adjective meaning 'restricted', limited in scope or quantity
- personnels
- Adjective meaning 'personal', relating to a specific individual
- humains
- Adjective or noun meaning 'human', relating to humanity
- beaucoup
- Adverb meaning 'much' or 'many', a large amount or degree
- trop
- Adverb meaning 'too' or 'too much', exceeding a limit
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