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.
Car on peut douter, premièrement, que les antithèses existent du tout ; et deuxièmement, que les évaluations populaires et les antithèses de valeur sur lesquelles les métaphysiciens ont apposé leur sceau ne soient peut-être que des estimations superficielles, de simples perspectives provisoires, en plus d'être probablement faites depuis quelque recoin, peut-être d'en bas -- des « perspectives de grenouille », pour ainsi dire, pour emprunter une expression courante chez les peintres.
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.
En dépit de toute la valeur qui peut appartenir au vrai, au positif et au désintéressé, il se pourrait qu'une valeur plus haute et plus fondamentale pour la vie en général doive être attribuée à la feinte, à la volonté d'illusion, à l'égoïsme et à la cupidité.
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.
Il se pourrait même que CE QUI constitue la valeur de ces choses bonnes et respectées consiste précisément dans le fait qu'elles sont insidieusement liées, nouées et entrelacées à ces choses mauvaises et apparemment opposées -- peut-être même en étant essentiellement identiques à elles.
Perhaps! But who wishes to concern himself with such dangerous "Perhapses"!
Peut-être ! Mais qui souhaite se préoccuper de tels « Peut-être » dangereux !
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.
Pour cette investigation, il faut attendre l'avènement d'un nouvel ordre de philosophes, qui auront d'autres goûts et d'autres penchants, l'inverse de ceux qui ont prévalu jusqu'ici -- des philosophes du dangereux « Peut-être » dans tout le sens du terme.
And to speak in all seriousness, I see such new philosophers beginning to appear.
Et pour parler en tout sérieux, je vois de tels nouveaux philosophes commencer à apparaître.
3.
3.
Vocabulary
- Car
- Conjunction meaning 'because' or 'for'
- on
- Indefinite pronoun meaning 'one' or 'we'
- peut
- Third person singular of 'pouvoir', meaning 'can'
- douter
- To doubt or question something
- premièrement
- Adverb meaning 'firstly' or 'in the first place'
- que
- Conjunction or pronoun meaning 'that' or 'which'
- les
- Definite plural article meaning 'the'
- antithèses
- Plural noun meaning 'antitheses' or direct opposites
- existent
- Third person plural of 'exister', meaning 'exist'
- du
- Contracted article meaning 'of the' or 'some'
- tout
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'all' or 'everything'
- et
- Conjunction meaning 'and'
- deuxièmement
- Adverb meaning 'secondly' or 'in the second place'
- évaluations
- Plural noun meaning 'evaluations' or 'assessments'
- populaires
- Adjective meaning 'popular' or 'of the people'
- de
- Preposition meaning 'of' or 'from'
- valeur
- Noun meaning 'value' or 'worth'
- sur
- Preposition meaning 'on' or 'upon'
- lesquelles
- Relative pronoun meaning 'which' for feminine plural
- métaphysiciens
- Plural noun meaning 'metaphysicians' or philosophers of metaphysics
- ont
- Third person plural of 'avoir', meaning 'have'
- apposé
- Past participle of 'apposer', meaning 'affixed' or 'stamped'
- leur
- Possessive adjective or pronoun meaning 'their'
- sceau
- Noun meaning 'seal' or 'stamp of approval'
- ne
- Negative particle used in negation constructions
- soient
- Subjunctive form of 'être', meaning 'may be'
- peut-être
- Adverb meaning 'perhaps' or 'maybe'
- des
- Indefinite plural article meaning 'some' or 'of the'
- estimations
- Plural noun meaning 'estimations' or 'appraisals'
- superficielles
- Adjective meaning 'superficial' or 'shallow'
- simples
- Adjective meaning 'simple' or 'mere'
- perspectives
- Plural noun meaning 'perspectives' or 'viewpoints'
- provisoires
- Adjective meaning 'provisional' or 'temporary'
- en
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'on'
- plus
- Adverb meaning 'more' or 'furthermore'
- d'
- Contracted preposition 'de' before a vowel
- être
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to be'
- probablement
- Adverb meaning 'probably' or 'likely'
- faites
- Past participle feminine plural of 'faire', meaning 'made'
- depuis
- Preposition meaning 'from' or 'since'
- quelque
- Adjective meaning 'some' or 'a certain'
- recoin
- Noun meaning 'nook' or 'hidden corner'
- bas
- Adjective meaning 'low' or 'base'
- grenouille
- Noun meaning 'frog'
- pour
- Preposition meaning 'for' or 'in order to'
- ainsi
- Adverb meaning 'thus' or 'so'
- dire
- Infinitive verb meaning 'to say' or 'to tell'
- emprunter
- To borrow or use an expression from someone else
- une
- Indefinite feminine article meaning 'a' or 'an'
- expression
- Noun meaning 'expression' or 'phrase'
- courante
- Adjective meaning 'common' or 'current'
- chez
- Preposition meaning 'among' or 'in the work of'
- peintres
- Plural noun meaning 'painters' or 'artists'
- En
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'despite'
- dépit
- Noun meaning 'spite'; used in 'en dépit de' meaning 'despite'
- toute
- Feminine form of 'tout', meaning 'all' or 'entire'
- la
- Definite feminine article meaning 'the'
- qui
- Relative pronoun meaning 'who' or 'which'
- appartenir
- To belong to someone or something
- au
- Contracted article meaning 'to the' or 'at the'
- vrai
- Adjective meaning 'true' or 'real'
- positif
- Adjective meaning 'positive' or 'certain'
- désintéressé
- Adjective meaning 'disinterested' or 'unselfish'
- il
- Personal pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it'
- se
- Reflexive pronoun meaning 'oneself' or 'itself'
- pourrait
- Conditional form of 'pouvoir', meaning 'could'
- qu'
- Contracted conjunction 'que' before a vowel, meaning 'that'
- haute
- Adjective meaning 'high' or 'elevated'
- fondamentale
- Adjective meaning 'fundamental' or 'basic'
- vie
- Noun meaning 'life'
- général
- Adjective meaning 'general' or 'overall'
- doive
- Subjunctive form of 'devoir', meaning 'must' or 'should'
- attribuée
- Past participle of 'attribuer', meaning 'attributed' or 'ascribed'
- à
- Preposition meaning 'to' or 'at'
- feinte
- Noun or adjective meaning 'feigned' or 'pretense'
- volonté
- Noun meaning 'will' or 'willpower'
- illusion
- Noun meaning 'illusion' or 'false belief'
- l'
- Contracted definite article 'le' or 'la' before a vowel
- égoïsme
- Noun meaning 'egoism' or 'selfishness'
- cupidité
- Noun meaning 'greed' or 'cupidity'
- Il
- Personal pronoun meaning 'he' or 'it'
- même
- Adverb or adjective meaning 'even' or 'same'
- CE
- Demonstrative pronoun meaning 'this' or 'that'
- QUI
- Relative pronoun meaning 'who' or 'which'
- constitue
- Third person singular of 'constituer', meaning 'constitutes'
- ces
- Demonstrative adjective meaning 'these' or 'those'
- choses
- Plural noun meaning 'things'
- bonnes
- Feminine plural adjective meaning 'good'
- respectées
- Past participle meaning 'respected' or 'valued'
- consiste
- Third person singular of 'consister', meaning 'consists'
- précisément
- Adverb meaning 'precisely' or 'exactly'
- dans
- Preposition meaning 'in' or 'within'
- le
- Definite masculine article meaning 'the'
- fait
- Noun meaning 'fact'; also past participle of 'faire'
- elles
- Feminine plural pronoun meaning 'they'
- sont
- Third person plural of 'être', meaning 'are'
- insidieusement
- Adverb meaning 'insidiously' or 'in a treacherous manner'
- liées
- Past participle meaning 'linked' or 'connected'
- nouées
- Past participle meaning 'tied' or 'knotted together'
- entrelacées
- Past participle meaning 'intertwined' or 'interlaced'
- mauvaises
- Feminine plural adjective meaning 'bad' or 'evil'
- apparemment
- Adverb meaning 'apparently' or 'seemingly'
- opposées
- Past participle meaning 'opposed' or 'contrary'
- étant
- Present participle of 'être', meaning 'being'
- essentiellement
- Adverb meaning 'essentially' or 'fundamentally'
- identiques
- Adjective meaning 'identical' or 'the same'
- Peut-être
- Adverb meaning 'perhaps' or 'maybe'
- Mais
- Conjunction meaning 'but' or 'however'
- souhaite
- Third person singular of 'souhaiter', meaning 'wishes'
- préoccuper
- To preoccupy or concern oneself with something
- tels
- Masculine plural adjective meaning 'such' or 'such like'
- dangereux
- Adjective meaning 'dangerous' or 'risky'
- Pour
- Preposition meaning 'for' or 'in order to'
- cette
- Feminine demonstrative adjective meaning 'this' or 'that'
- investigation
- Noun meaning 'investigation' or 'inquiry'
- faut
- Impersonal verb form meaning 'it is necessary'
- attendre
- To wait for or await something
- avènement
- Noun meaning 'advent' or 'coming into power'
- un
- Indefinite masculine article meaning 'a' or 'an'
- nouvel
- Masculine adjective before vowel meaning 'new'
- ordre
- Noun meaning 'order' or 'category'
- philosophes
- Plural noun meaning 'philosophers'
- auront
- Future tense of 'avoir', meaning 'will have'
- autres
- Adjective or pronoun meaning 'other' or 'others'
- goûts
- Plural noun meaning 'tastes' or 'preferences'
- penchants
- Plural noun meaning 'inclinations' or 'tendencies'
- inverse
- Adjective or noun meaning 'inverse' or 'opposite'
- ceux
- Masculine plural pronoun meaning 'those' or 'the ones'
- prévalu
- Past participle of 'prévaloir', meaning 'prevailed'
- jusqu'
- Contracted preposition meaning 'until' or 'up to'
- ici
- Adverb meaning 'here' or 'up to now'
- sens
- Noun meaning 'sense' or 'meaning'
- terme
- Noun meaning 'term' or 'word'
- Et
- Conjunction meaning 'and'
- parler
- To speak or talk about something
- sérieux
- Adjective meaning 'serious' or 'earnest'
- je
- First person singular pronoun meaning 'I'
- vois
- First person singular of 'voir', meaning 'I see'
- nouveaux
- Masculine plural adjective meaning 'new'
- commencer
- To begin or start doing something
- apparaître
- To appear or come into view
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