Beyond Good and Evil — Page 3
The philosophy of the dogmatists, it is to be hoped, was only a promise for thousands of years afterwards, as was astrology in still earlier times, in the service of which probably more labour, gold, acuteness, and patience have been spent than on any actual science hitherto: we owe to it, and to its "super-terrestrial" pretensions in Asia and Egypt, the grand style of architecture.
La philosophie des dogmatistes n'était, il faut l'espérer, qu'une promesse pour les milliers d'années qui suivirent, tout comme l'astrologie en des temps encore plus reculés, au service de laquelle on a probablement dépensé plus de travail, d'or, d'acuité et de patience que dans toute science réelle jusqu'à présent : c'est à elle, et à ses prétentions « supra-terrestres » en Asie et en Égypte, que nous devons le grand style architectural.
It seems that in order to inscribe themselves upon the heart of humanity with everlasting claims, all great things have first to wander about the earth as enormous and awe-inspiring caricatures: dogmatic philosophy has been a caricature of this kind--for instance, the Vedanta doctrine in Asia, and Platonism in Europe.
Il semble que pour s'inscrire dans le cœur de l'humanité avec des prétentions éternelles, toutes les grandes choses doivent d'abord errer sur la terre sous forme d'énormes et imposantes caricatures : la philosophie dogmatique a été une caricature de ce genre — par exemple, la doctrine du Védanta en Asie, et le platonisme en Europe.
Let us not be ungrateful to it, although it must certainly be confessed that the worst, the most tiresome, and the most dangerous of errors hitherto has been a dogmatist error--namely, Plato's invention of Pure Spirit and the Good in Itself.
Ne lui soyons pas ingrats, bien qu'il faille certainement avouer que la pire, la plus fastidieuse et la plus dangereuse des erreurs jusqu'ici a été une erreur dogmatiste — à savoir, l'invention par Platon de l'Esprit pur et du Bien en soi.
But now when it has been surmounted, when Europe, rid of this nightmare, can again draw breath freely and at least enjoy a healthier--sleep, we, WHOSE DUTY IS WAKEFULNESS ITSELF, are the heirs of all the strength which the struggle against this error has fostered.
Mais maintenant qu'elle a été surmontée, que l'Europe, débarrassée de ce cauchemar, peut de nouveau respirer librement et jouir au moins d'un sommeil plus sain, nous, DONT LE DEVOIR EST LA VIGILANCE ELLE-MÊME, sommes les héritiers de toute la force qu'a engendrée la lutte contre cette erreur.
It amounted to the very inversion of truth, and the denial of the PERSPECTIVE--the fundamental condition--of life, to speak of Spirit and the Good as Plato spoke of them; indeed one might ask, as a physician: "How did such a malady attack that finest product of antiquity, Plato?
C'était ni plus ni moins que le renversement de la vérité, et la négation de la PERSPECTIVE — condition fondamentale — de la vie, que de parler de l'Esprit et du Bien comme Platon en parlait ; on pourrait même demander, en médecin : « Comment une telle maladie a-t-elle pu s'attaquer à ce plus beau produit de l'Antiquité, Platon ?
Vocabulary
- philosophie
- filo-zo-FEE — The study of fundamental questions about existence and knowledge
- dogmatistes
- dog-ma-TEEST — Those who assert doctrines as absolute truths
- était
- ay-TAY — Was; third-person singular imperfect of 'être'
- faut
- foh — It is necessary; impersonal verb form of 'falloir'
- espérer
- es-pay-RAY — To hope for something expected or desired
- promesse
- pro-MESS — A commitment or assurance given to someone
- milliers
- mee-LYAY — Thousands; large indefinite quantities in the thousands
- années
- a-NAY — Years; plural of 'année'
- suivirent
- swee-VEER — Followed; third-person plural simple past of 'suivre'
- astrologie
- as-tro-lo-ZHEE — Belief system linking celestial bodies to human affairs
- temps
- ton — Time or weather; common general noun
- encore
- on-KOR — Still, again, or even; common adverb
- reculés
- ruh-koo-LAY — Distant or remote in time; far-off past periods
- service
- ser-VEES — Service; assistance or work done for others
- laquelle
- la-KEL — Which; feminine relative or interrogative pronoun
- probablement
- pro-bab-luh-MON — Probably; adverb expressing likelihood or probability
- dépensé
- day-pon-SAY — Spent; past participle of 'dépenser'
- travail
- tra-VY — Work, labor; effort expended on a task
- or
- or — Gold; precious yellow metal, or conjunction 'yet'
- acuité
- a-kwee-TAY — Sharpness or keenness of mind or senses
- patience
- pa-SYONS — Ability to endure waiting or difficulty calmly
- science
- syon(s) — Science; systematic study of the natural world
- réelle
- ray-EL — Real, actual; feminine adjective meaning genuine
- présent
- pray-ZON — Present; the current time or moment
- prétentions
- pray-ton-SYON — Claims, pretensions; assertions of unproven superiority
- supra-terrestres
- soo-pra-teh-RESTR — Above or beyond earthly or terrestrial existence
- Asie
- a-ZEE — Asia; the world's largest continent
- Égypte
- ay-ZHEEPT — Egypt; ancient North African civilization and country
- devons
- duh-VON — Owe or must; first-person plural of 'devoir'
- style
- steel — Style; distinctive manner or form of expression
- architectural
- ar-shi-tek-too-RAL — Relating to the design and construction of buildings
- semble
- SOM-bluh — Seems, appears; third-person singular of 'sembler'
- inscrire
- an-SKREER — To inscribe or register; to write or engrave
- cœur
- kur — Heart; organ or center of emotion and being
- humanité
- oo-ma-nee-TAY — Humanity; all human beings collectively
- éternelles
- ay-ter-NEL — Eternal; lasting forever, without beginning or end
- doivent
- dwav — Must, have to; third-person plural of 'devoir'
- abord
- a-BOR — First, at first; used in 'd'abord' meaning firstly
- errer
- eh-RAY — To wander or roam aimlessly; to stray
- terre
- tehr — Earth, ground, land; the planet or soil
- forme
- form — Form, shape; the outward appearance of something
- énormes
- ay-NORM — Enormous, huge; very large in size or degree
- imposantes
- am-po-ZONT — Imposing, impressive; commanding attention or respect
- caricatures
- ka-ree-ka-TOOR — Caricatures; exaggerated distorted representations of something
- dogmatique
- dog-ma-TEEK — Dogmatic; asserting beliefs as absolute unquestionable truths
- été
- ay-TAY — Been; past participle of 'être,' or summer
- caricature
- ka-ree-ka-TOOR — A distorted or exaggerated representation of something
- genre
- zhon-ruh — Type, kind, genre; a category or sort
- exemple
- eg-ZOM-pluh — Example; an instance illustrating a general rule
- doctrine
- dok-TREEN — A body of teachings or principles held as true
- Védanta
- vay-don-TA — Ancient Hindu philosophical system emphasizing non-dualism
- platonisme
- pla-to-NEEZ-muh — Plato's philosophy emphasizing ideal forms over material reality
- Europe
- uh-ROP — Europe; the western continent of the Eurasian landmass
- soyons
- swa-YON — Let us be; first-person plural subjunctive of 'être'
- ingrats
- an-GRA — Ungrateful; not acknowledging or appreciating benefits received
- faille
- FY — Must; subjunctive form of 'falloir' expressing necessity
- certainement
- ser-ten-MON — Certainly; adverb expressing confidence or assurance
- avouer
- a-voo-AY — To admit or confess something openly
- pire
- peer — Worse, worst; comparative or superlative of 'mauvais'
- fastidieuse
- fas-tee-DYUHZ — Tedious, tiresome; causing boredom through dullness
- dangereuse
- don-zhuh-RUHZ — Dangerous; likely to cause harm or risk
- erreurs
- eh-RUR — Errors, mistakes; incorrect beliefs or actions
- ici
- ee-SEE — Here; adverb indicating this place or location
- erreur
- eh-RUR — Error, mistake; an incorrect belief or action
- dogmatiste
- dog-ma-TEEST — A dogmatist; one who asserts fixed absolute doctrines
- savoir
- sa-VWAR — To know; infinitive verb of knowledge or awareness
- invention
- an-von-SYON — Invention; a creation or fabrication of something new
- Platon
- pla-TON — Plato; ancient Greek philosopher and student of Socrates
- Esprit
- es-PREE — Spirit, mind; intellect or immaterial essence
- pur
- poor — Pure; unmixed, uncontaminated, or absolute
- Bien
- byan — The Good; philosophical ideal of ultimate goodness
- soi
- swa — Oneself; reflexive pronoun or philosophical concept of self
- maintenant
- mant-NON — Now; adverb indicating the present moment
- surmontée
- soor-mon-TAY — Overcome, surmounted; conquered or risen above a difficulty
- débarrassée
- day-ba-ra-SAY — Rid of, freed from; cleared of a burden
- cauchemar
- kosh-MAR — Nightmare; a frightening or oppressive dream
- respirer
- res-pee-RAY — To breathe; to inhale and exhale air
- librement
- lee-bruh-MON — Freely; in a free or unrestrained manner
- jouir
- zhweer — To enjoy or relish; to take pleasure in something
- sommeil
- so-MAY — Sleep; the natural state of rest and unconsciousness
- sain
- san — Healthy, sound; free from disease or harm
- DONT
- don — Whose, of which; relative pronoun expressing possession
- DEVOIR
- duh-VWAR — Duty, obligation; what one is morally required to do
- VIGILANCE
- vee-zhee-LONS — Vigilance; careful watchful attention to danger or risk
- ELLE-MÊME
- el-MEM — Itself, herself; emphatic reflexive pronoun
- héritiers
- ay-ree-TYAY — Heirs; those who inherit from predecessors
- force
- fors — Strength, force; power or energy to act
- engendrée
- on-zhon-DRAY — Engendered, generated; brought into being or caused
- lutte
- loot — Struggle, fight; a strenuous effort or contest
- ni
- nee — Nor, neither; negative conjunction used in pairs
- renversement
- ron-vers-MON — Overthrow, reversal; a complete turning upside down
- vérité
- vay-ree-TAY — Truth; conformity with fact or reality
- négation
- nay-ga-SYON — Negation, denial; the act of denying or refuting
- PERSPECTIVE
- pers-pek-TEEV — Perspective; a particular point of view or standpoint
- condition
- kon-dee-SYON — Condition; a prerequisite or state of being
- fondamentale
- fon-da-mon-TAL — Fundamental; forming an essential or basic foundation
- vie
- vee — Life; the existence of living beings
- parler
- par-LAY — To speak or talk; basic communication verb
- parlait
- par-LAY — Was speaking; third-person singular imperfect of 'parler'
- pourrait
- poor-AY — Could; third-person singular conditional of 'pouvoir'
- demander
- duh-mon-DAY — To ask; to request or inquire about something
- médecin
- med-SAN — Doctor, physician; a qualified medical professional
- telle
- tel — Such; feminine adjective expressing degree or kind
- maladie
- ma-la-DEE — Illness, disease; a condition causing bodily harm
- pu
- poo — Been able to; past participle of 'pouvoir'
- attaquer
- a-ta-KAY — To attack; to assault or strike against something
- beau
- boh — Beautiful, fine; adjective expressing aesthetic appeal
- produit
- pro-DWEE — Product, result; something produced or created
- Antiquité
- on-tee-kee-TAY — Antiquity; the ancient past, especially Greece and Rome
Unlock audio playback, vocabulary games, and reading progress tracking.
Create free account →