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!
Ou encore, bien davantage, le charabia sous forme mathématique, au moyen duquel Spinoza a, pour ainsi dire, revêtu sa philosophie d'une cuirasse et d'un masque -- en réalité, l'« amour de SA sagesse », pour traduire le terme franchement et carrément -- afin de frapper ainsi de terreur, dès le premier instant, le cœur de l'assaillant qui oserait jeter un regard sur cette invincible vierge, cette Pallas Athéna : -- combien de timidité et de vulnérabilité personnelles trahit ce mascarade d'un solitaire maladif !
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. Il m'est apparu progressivement clairement en quoi a consisté jusqu'à présent toute grande philosophie -- à savoir, la confession de son auteur, et une sorte d'autobiographie involontaire et inconsciente ; et de plus que le dessein moral (ou immoral) de toute philosophie a constitué le véritable germe vital dont la plante entière a toujours grandi.
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 effet, pour comprendre comment on en est arrivé aux assertions métaphysiques les plus abstraites d'un philosophe, il est toujours bon (et sage) de se demander d'abord : « Quelle morale visent-elles (ou vise-t-il) ? »
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.
En conséquence, je ne crois pas qu'une « impulsion vers la connaissance » soit le père de la philosophie ; mais qu'une autre impulsion, ici comme ailleurs, n'a fait que se servir de la connaissance (et d'une connaissance erronée !) comme d'un instrument.
Vocabulary
- Ou
- oo — Or; conjunction linking alternatives.
- encore
- ahn-kor — Still, yet, again, or even more.
- bien
- byaN — Well; good; very; used as intensifier.
- davantage
- dah-vahn-tahzh — More; to a greater extent or degree.
- charabia
- shah-rah-byah — Gibberish; incomprehensible or obscure language.
- sous
- soo — Under; beneath; in the form of.
- forme
- form — Form; shape; structure; manner of presentation.
- mathématique
- mah-tay-mah-teek — Mathematical; relating to mathematics or formal logic.
- moyen
- mwah-yaN — Means; method; way of achieving something.
- duquel
- dü-kel — Of which; relative pronoun with preposition de.
- ainsi
- aN-see — Thus; so; in this way or manner.
- dire
- deer — To say; to tell; to express in words.
- revêtu
- ruh-vay-tü — Clothed; covered; dressed in something protective.
- philosophie
- fee-loh-zoh-fee — Philosophy; study of fundamental nature and existence.
- cuirasse
- kwee-rahs — Breastplate; protective armor covering the torso.
- masque
- mahsk — Mask; disguise; something concealing true identity.
- réalité
- ray-ah-lee-tay — Reality; the actual state of things.
- amour
- ah-moor — Love; deep affection or passionate attachment.
- sagesse
- sah-zhes — Wisdom; good judgment; profound understanding of life.
- traduire
- trah-dweer — To translate; to render meaning from another language.
- terme
- term — Term; word; expression used in a specific context.
- franchement
- frahnsh-maN — Frankly; openly; in a direct honest manner.
- carrément
- kah-ray-maN — Squarely; bluntly; straightforwardly without hesitation.
- afin
- ah-faN — In order to; so as to; for the purpose.
- frapper
- frah-pay — To strike; to hit; to make a strong impression.
- terreur
- teh-ruhr — Terror; intense fear; extreme dread or fright.
- dès
- day — From; as soon as; starting from a point.
- premier
- pruh-myay — First; earliest; primary in order or importance.
- instant
- aN-staN — Instant; moment; a very brief period of time.
- cœur
- kuhr — Heart; center; core of emotion or feeling.
- l'assaillant
- lah-sah-yaN — The attacker; the assailant; one who attacks.
- oserait
- ohz-ray — Would dare; conditional of oser, to dare.
- jeter
- zhuh-tay — To throw; to cast; to direct quickly.
- regard
- ruh-gar — Glance; look; gaze directed toward something.
- invincible
- aN-vaN-seebl — Invincible; impossible to defeat or overcome.
- vierge
- vyerzh — Virgin; pure; untouched; maiden figure.
- combien
- koN-byaN — How much; how many; to what extent.
- timidité
- tee-mee-dee-tay — Timidity; shyness; lack of confidence or boldness.
- vulnérabilité
- vül-nay-rah-bee-lee-tay — Vulnerability; susceptibility to harm or emotional exposure.
- personnelles
- per-soh-nel — Personal; private; relating to an individual person.
- trahit
- trah-ee — Betrays; reveals; gives away something hidden.
- mascarade
- mahs-kah-rahd — Masquerade; pretense; false display or disguise.
- solitaire
- soh-lee-tair — Solitary; lonely; living or done alone.
- maladif
- mah-lah-deef — Sickly; morbid; unhealthily obsessive or anxious.
- apparu
- ah-pah-rü — Appeared; became visible or clear; past participle.
- progressivement
- proh-greh-seev-maN — Progressively; gradually; step by step over time.
- clairement
- klair-maN — Clearly; plainly; in an easily understood manner.
- quoi
- kwah — What; which; used in questions or relative clauses.
- consisté
- koN-sees-tay — Consisted; past participle of consister, to consist.
- jusqu'à
- zhüs-kah — Until; up to; as far as a point.
- présent
- pray-zaN — Present; now; the current moment in time.
- toute
- toot — Every; all; whole; feminine form of tout.
- grande
- graNd — Great; large; grand; feminine adjective of grandeur.
- savoir
- sah-vwar — To know; to be aware of; namely.
- confession
- koN-feh-syoN — Confession; personal revelation of private thoughts or deeds.
- auteur
- oh-tuhr — Author; creator; originator of a work.
- sorte
- sort — Sort; kind; type; a variety of something.
- d'autobiographie
- doh-toh-byoh-grah-fee — Of autobiography; self-written life account.
- involontaire
- aN-voh-loN-tair — Involuntary; unintentional; not done on purpose.
- inconsciente
- aN-koN-syaNt — Unconscious; unaware; not deliberate or intentional.
- plus
- plü — More; plus; no longer; comparison or negation.
- dessein
- duh-saN — Design; intention; deliberate plan or purpose.
- moral
- moh-rahl — Moral; ethical; concerning right and wrong conduct.
- ou
- oo — Or; conjunction offering an alternative choice.
- immoral
- ee-moh-rahl — Immoral; contrary to accepted ethical principles.
- constitué
- koN-stee-tü-ay — Constituted; formed; made up; past participle.
- véritable
- vay-ree-tahbl — True; genuine; real; not false or imitation.
- germe
- zherm — Germ; seed; origin of something developing.
- vital
- vee-tahl — Vital; essential; necessary for life or existence.
- dont
- doN — Of which; whose; relative pronoun indicating possession.
- plante
- plaNt — Plant; organism that grows from a seed.
- entière
- aN-tyair — Entire; whole; complete; feminine form of entier.
- toujours
- too-zhoor — Always; still; forever; at all times.
- grandi
- graN-dee — Grown; grown up; past participle of grandir.
- effet
- eh-feh — Effect; result; in fact; indeed.
- comprendre
- koN-praNdr — To understand; to comprehend; to grasp meaning.
- comment
- koh-maN — How; in what way; to what manner.
- on
- oN — One; we; people; impersonal subject pronoun.
- arrivé
- ah-ree-vay — Arrived; reached; come to a conclusion or place.
- assertions
- ah-ser-syoN — Assertions; confident statements or declarations of fact.
- métaphysiques
- may-tah-fee-zeek — Metaphysical; relating to abstract philosophical principles.
- abstraites
- ahb-stret — Abstract; theoretical; not concrete or tangible.
- philosophe
- fee-loh-zof — Philosopher; thinker devoted to philosophy and wisdom.
- bon
- boN — Good; kind; correct; of high quality.
- sage
- sahzh — Wise; sensible; a wise person or sage.
- demander
- duh-maN-day — To ask; to wonder; to request or inquire.
- d'abord
- dah-bor — First; first of all; at first.
- Quelle
- kel — Which; what; feminine interrogative or exclamative adjective.
- morale
- moh-rahl — Morality; ethics; moral lesson or principle.
- visent-elles
- veez-el — Do they aim at; third person plural reflexive.
- vise-t-il
- veez-teel — Does he aim at; is he targeting something.
- conséquence
- koN-say-kaNs — Consequence; result; outcome of an action or cause.
- crois
- krwah — Believe; think; first person of croire.
- impulsion
- aN-pül-syoN — Impulse; drive; sudden urge or motivating force.
- vers
- vair — Toward; towards; in the direction of.
- connaissance
- koh-neh-saNs — Knowledge; acquaintance; awareness gained through experience.
- soit
- swah — May be; subjunctive of être; whether or.
- père
- pair — Father; male parent; originating cause or source.
- mais
- may — But; however; conjunction expressing contradiction or contrast.
- autre
- ohtr — Other; another; different; additional one.
- ici
- ee-see — Here; in this place or context.
- comme
- kom — As; like; just as; in the same way.
- ailleurs
- ah-yuhr — Elsewhere; somewhere else; in another place.
- fait
- feh — Done; made; past participle of faire.
- servir
- ser-veer — To serve; to be used for a purpose.
- erronée
- eh-roh-nay — Erroneous; mistaken; based on false information.
- instrument
- aN-strü-maN — Instrument; tool; means used to achieve something.
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