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, ancor più, il gioco di prestigio in forma matematica, per mezzo del quale Spinoza ha, per così dire, rivestito la sua filosofia di corazza e maschera -- in realtà, il "amore della SUA saggezza", per tradurre il termine in modo chiaro e diretto -- al fine di incutere terrore immediatamente nel cuore dell'assalitore che osasse gettare uno sguardo su quella fanciulla invincibile, quella Pallade Atena: -- quanta timidezza personale e vulnerabilità tradisce questo travestimento di un recluso malaticcio!
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. Mi è gradualmente diventato chiaro in cosa sia consistita fino ad ora ogni grande filosofia -- vale a dire, la confessione del suo autore, e una sorta di autobiografia involontaria e inconsapevole; e inoltre che lo scopo morale (o immorale) in ogni filosofia ha costituito il vero germe vitale dal quale l'intera pianta è sempre cresciuta.
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?"
Infatti, per comprendere come si sia giunti alle asserzioni metafisiche più astruse di un filosofo, è sempre opportuno (e saggio) chiedersi anzitutto: "A quale moralità mirano (o mira egli)?"
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.
Di conseguenza, non credo che un "impulso alla conoscenza" sia il padre della filosofia; bensì che un altro impulso, qui come altrove, si sia soltanto servito della conoscenza (e di una conoscenza erronea!) come strumento.
Vocabulary
- ancor
- Still, yet, even (archaic/poetic form of ancora)
- più
- More, most; used for comparatives and superlatives
- il
- The (masculine singular definite article)
- gioco
- Game, play, gaming activity
- di
- Of, from (preposition indicating possession or origin)
- prestigio
- Prestige, reputation, magic trick
- in
- In, into (preposition indicating location or direction)
- forma
- Form, shape, way, manner
- matematica
- Mathematics, mathematical science
- per
- For, by, through (preposition with various uses)
- mezzo
- Middle, means, medium, half
- del
- Of the (contraction of di + il)
- quale
- Which, that which, what
- ha
- Has, have (third person singular present of avere)
- così
- So, thus, in this way, like this
- dire
- To say, to tell, to speak
- revestito
- Clothed, covered, dressed, clad
- sua
- His, her, its (feminine singular possessive adjective)
- filosofia
- Philosophy, love of wisdom
- corazza
- Armor, breastplate, protective covering
- maschera
- Mask, disguise, masked person
- realtà
- Reality, the state of being real
- amore
- Love, affection, beloved person
- della
- Of the (feminine form contraction of di + la)
- saggezza
- Wisdom, sagacity, prudence
- tradurre
- To translate, to convey, to interpret
- termine
- Term, word, end, limit, boundary
- modo
- Way, manner, mode, fashion
- chiaro
- Clear, bright, obvious, evident
- diretto
- Direct, straight, aimed at
- al
- To the (contraction of a + il)
- fine
- End, aim, purpose, goal
- terrore
- Terror, fear, dread, horror
- immediatamente
- Immediately, directly, at once
- nel
- In the (contraction of in + il)
- cuore
- Heart, core, center, soul
- dell
- Of the (contraction of di + el/il)
- che
- That, which, who, what
- gettare
- To throw, to cast, to fling
- uno
- One, a, an (masculine singular indefinite article)
- sguardo
- Look, glance, gaze, sight
- su
- On, upon, over, up
- quella
- That (feminine singular demonstrative adjective)
- fanciulla
- Girl, young woman, maiden
- invincibile
- Invincible, unconquerable, unbeatable
- quanta
- How much, how many (feminine interrogative)
- timidezza
- Timidity, shyness, fearfulness, cowardice
- personale
- Personal, individual, private
- vulnerabilità
- Vulnerability, susceptibility to harm or injury
- tradisce
- Betrays, reveals, discloses (third person singular)
- questo
- This (masculine singular demonstrative adjective)
- un
- A, an (masculine singular indefinite article)
- recluso
- Recluse, prisoner, isolated person
- Mi
- Me (direct object pronoun)
- gradualmente
- Gradually, little by little, progressively
- diventato
- Become, grown, turned into (past participle)
- cosa
- Thing, what, matter, affair
- sia
- Is, be (present subjunctive of essere)
- fino
- Until, till, up to, even
- ad
- To, at, up to (preposition variant of a)
- ora
- Now, at present, hour, time
- ogni
- Every, each, all, any
- grande
- Great, big, large, grand
- vale
- Is worth, counts, matters (third person singular)
- confessione
- Confession, admission, acknowledgment
- suo
- His, her, its, your (possessive adjective)
- autore
- Author, writer, creator, originator
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