The whole feature of study lies in this: that we should study only what we feel we should like to imitate; what we gladly take up and have the desire to multiply. What is really wanted is a progressive canon of theidealmodel, suited to boys, youths, and men.
Goethe grasped antiquity in the right way · invariably with an emulative soul. But who else did so? One sees nothing of a well-thought-out pedagogics of this nature: who knows that there is a certain knowledge of antiquity which cannot be imparted to youths!
The puerile character of philology: devised by teachers for pupils.
The ever more and more common form of the ideal: first men, then institutions, finally tendencies, purposes, or the want of them. The highest form: the conquest of the ideal by a backward movement from tendencies to institutions, and from institutions to men.
I will set down in writing what I no longer believe—and also what I do believe. Man stands in the midst of the great whirlpool of forces, and imaginesthat this whirlpool is rational and has a rational aim in view: error! The only rationality that we know is the small reason of man: he must exert it to the utmost, and it invariably leaves him in the lurch if he tries to place himself in the hands of "Providence."
Our only happiness lies in reason; all the remainder of the world is dreary. The highest reason, however, is seen by me in the work of the artist, and he can feel it to be such: there may be something which, when it can be consciously brought forward, may afford an even greater feeling of reason and happiness: for example, the course of the solar system, the breeding and education of a man.
Happiness lies in rapidity of feeling and thinking: everything else is slow, gradual, and stupid. The man who could feel the progress of a ray of light would be greatly enraptured, for it is very rapid.
Thinking of one's self affords little happiness. But when we do experience happiness therein the reason is that we are not thinking of ourselves, but of our ideal. This lies far off; and only the rapid man attains it and rejoices.
An amalgamation of a great centre of men for the breeding of better men is the task of the future. The individual must become familiarised with claims that, when he says Yea to his own will, he also says Yea to the will of that centre—for example, in reference to a choice, as among women for marriage, and likewise as to the manner in which his child shall be brought up. Until now no single individuality, or only the very rarest, have been free: they were influenced by these conceptions, but likewiseby the bad and contradictory organisation of the individual purposes.
Education is in the first place instruction in what is necessary, and then in what is changing and inconstant. The youth is introduced to nature, and the sway of laws is everywhere pointed out to him; followed by an explanation of the laws of ordinary society. Even at this early stage the question will arise: was it absolutely necessary that this should have been so? He gradually comes to need history to ascertain how these things have been brought about. He learns at the same time, however, that they may be changed into something else. What is the extent of man's power over things? This is the question in connection with all education. To show how things may become other than what they are we may, for example, point to the Greeks. We need the Romans to show how things became what they were.
If, then, the Romans had spurned the Greek culture, they would perhaps have gone to pieces completely. When could this culture have once again arisen? Christianity and Romans and barbarians: this would have been an onslaught: it would have entirely wiped out culture. We see the danger amid which genius lives. Cicero was one of the greatest benefactors of humanity, even in his own time.
There is no "Providence" for genius; it is only for the ordinary run of people and their wants thatsuch a thing exists: they find their satisfaction, and later on their justification.
Thesis: the death of ancient culture inevitable. Greek culture must be distinguished as the archetype; and it must be shown how all culture rests upon shaky conceptions.
The dangerous meaning of art: as the protectress and galvanisation of dead and dying conceptions; history, in so far as it wishes to restore to us feelings which we have overcome. To feel "historically" or "just" towards what is already past, is only possible when we have risen above it. But the danger in the adoption of the feelings necessary for this is very great . let the dead bury their dead, so that we ourselves may not come under the influence of the smell of the corpses.
1. The signification of the studies of antiquity hitherto pursued: obscure; mendacious.
2. As soon as they recognise the goal they condemn themselves to death · for their goal is to describe ancient culture itself as one to be demolished.
3. The collection of all the conceptions out of which Hellenic culture has grown up. Criticism of religion, art, society, state, morals.
4. Christianity is likewise denied.
5. Art and history—dangerous.
6. The replacing of the study of antiquity which has become superfluous for the training of our youth.
Thus the task of the science of history is completedand it itself has become superfluous, if the entire inward continuous circle of past efforts has been condemned. Its place must be taken by the science of thefuture.
"Signs" and "miracles" are not believed; only a "Providence" stands in need of such things. There is no help to be found either in prayer or asceticism or in "vision." If all these things constitute religion, then there is no more religion for me.
My religion, if I can still apply this name to something, lies in the work of breeding genius . from such training everything is to be hoped. All consolation comes from art. Education is love for the offspring; an excess of love over and beyond our self-love. Religion is "love beyond ourselves." The work of art is the model of such a love beyond ourselves, and a perfect model at that.
The stupidity of the will is Schopenhauer's greatest thought, if thoughts be judged from the standpoint of power. We can see in Hartmann how he juggled away this thought. Nobody will ever call something stupid—God.
This, then, is the new feature of all the future progress of the world · men must never again be ruled over by religious conceptions. Will they be anyworse? It is not my experience that they behave well and morally under the yoke of religion; I am not on the side of Demopheles[14]The fear of abeyond, and then again the fear of divine punishments will hardly have made men better.
Where something great makes its appearance and lasts for a relatively long time, we may premise a careful breeding, as in the case of the Greeks. How did so many men become free among them? Educate educators! But the first educators must educate themselves! And it is for these that I write.
The denial of life is no longer an easy matter: a man may become a hermit or a monk—and what is thereby denied! This conception has now become deeper . it is above all a discerning denial, a denial based upon the will to be just; not an indiscriminate and wholesale denial.
The seer must be affectionate, otherwise men will have no confidence in him · Cassandra.
The man who to-day wishes to be good and saintly has a more difficult task than formerly . in order to be "good," he must not be so unjust to knowledge as earlier saints were. He would have to be a knowledge-saint: a man who would link love with knowledge, and who would have nothing to do with gods or demigods or "Providence," as the Indian saints likewise had nothing to do with them. He shouldalso be healthy, and should keep himself so, otherwise he would necessarily become distrustful of himself. And perhaps he would not bear the slightest resemblance to the ascetic saint, but would be much more like a man of the world.
The better the state is organised, the duller will humanity be.
To make the individual uncomfortable is my task!
The great pleasure experienced by the man who liberates himself by fighting.
Spiritual heights have had their age in history; inherited energy belongs to them. In the ideal state all would be over with them.
The highest judgment on life only arising from the highest energy of life. The mind must be removed as far as possible from exhaustion.
In the centre of the world-history judgment will be the most accurate; for it was there that the greatest geniuses existed.
The breeding of the genius as the only man who can truly value and deny life.
Save your genius! shall be shouted unto the people: set him free! Do all you can to unshackle him.
The feeble and poor in spirit must not be allowed to judge life.
I dream of a combination of men who shall make no concessions, who shall show no consideration, and who shall be willing to be called "destroyers": they apply the standard of their criticism to everything and sacrifice themselves to truth. The bad and the false shall be brought to light! We will not build prematurely: we do not know, indeed, whether we shall ever be able to build, or if it would not be better not to build at all. There are lazy pessimists and resigned ones in this world—and it is to their number that we refuse to belong!
FOOTNOTES:[1]No doubt a reminiscence of the "Odyssey," Bk. ix—Tr.[2]Formal education is that which tends to develop the critical and logical faculties, as opposed to material education, which is intended to deal with the acquisition of knowledge and its valuation,e.g., history, mathematics, &c. "Material" education, of course, has nothing to do with materialism—Tr.[3]The reference is not to Pope, but to Hegel.—Tr.[4]Friedrich August Wolf (1759-1824), the well-known classical scholar, now chiefly remembered by his "Prolegomena ad Homerum."—Tr.[5]Students who pass certain examinations need only serve one year in the German Army instead of the usual two or three—Tr.[6]Otto Jahn (1813-69), who is probably best remembered in philological circles by his edition of Juvenal.—Tr.[7]Gustav Freytag at one time a famous German novelist—Tr.[8]A well-known anti-Wagnerian musical critic of Vienna.—Tr.[9]See note onp 149.—Tr.[10]Karl Ottfried Muller (1797-1840), classical archæologist, who devoted special attention to Greece—Tr.[11]Friedrich Gottlieb Welcker (1784-1868), noted for his ultra-profound comments on Greek poetry—Tr.[12]"We shall once again be shipwrecked." The omission is in the original—Tr.[13]Johann Gottfried Jakob Hermann (1772-1848), noted for his works on metre and Greek grammar.—Tr.[14]A type in Schopenhauer's Essay "On Religion." See "Parerga and Paralipomena"—Tr.
[1]No doubt a reminiscence of the "Odyssey," Bk. ix—Tr.
[1]No doubt a reminiscence of the "Odyssey," Bk. ix—Tr.
[2]Formal education is that which tends to develop the critical and logical faculties, as opposed to material education, which is intended to deal with the acquisition of knowledge and its valuation,e.g., history, mathematics, &c. "Material" education, of course, has nothing to do with materialism—Tr.
[2]Formal education is that which tends to develop the critical and logical faculties, as opposed to material education, which is intended to deal with the acquisition of knowledge and its valuation,e.g., history, mathematics, &c. "Material" education, of course, has nothing to do with materialism—Tr.
[3]The reference is not to Pope, but to Hegel.—Tr.
[3]The reference is not to Pope, but to Hegel.—Tr.
[4]Friedrich August Wolf (1759-1824), the well-known classical scholar, now chiefly remembered by his "Prolegomena ad Homerum."—Tr.
[4]Friedrich August Wolf (1759-1824), the well-known classical scholar, now chiefly remembered by his "Prolegomena ad Homerum."—Tr.
[5]Students who pass certain examinations need only serve one year in the German Army instead of the usual two or three—Tr.
[5]Students who pass certain examinations need only serve one year in the German Army instead of the usual two or three—Tr.
[6]Otto Jahn (1813-69), who is probably best remembered in philological circles by his edition of Juvenal.—Tr.
[6]Otto Jahn (1813-69), who is probably best remembered in philological circles by his edition of Juvenal.—Tr.
[7]Gustav Freytag at one time a famous German novelist—Tr.
[7]Gustav Freytag at one time a famous German novelist—Tr.
[8]A well-known anti-Wagnerian musical critic of Vienna.—Tr.
[8]A well-known anti-Wagnerian musical critic of Vienna.—Tr.
[9]See note onp 149.—Tr.
[9]See note onp 149.—Tr.
[10]Karl Ottfried Muller (1797-1840), classical archæologist, who devoted special attention to Greece—Tr.
[10]Karl Ottfried Muller (1797-1840), classical archæologist, who devoted special attention to Greece—Tr.
[11]Friedrich Gottlieb Welcker (1784-1868), noted for his ultra-profound comments on Greek poetry—Tr.
[11]Friedrich Gottlieb Welcker (1784-1868), noted for his ultra-profound comments on Greek poetry—Tr.
[12]"We shall once again be shipwrecked." The omission is in the original—Tr.
[12]"We shall once again be shipwrecked." The omission is in the original—Tr.
[13]Johann Gottfried Jakob Hermann (1772-1848), noted for his works on metre and Greek grammar.—Tr.
[13]Johann Gottfried Jakob Hermann (1772-1848), noted for his works on metre and Greek grammar.—Tr.
[14]A type in Schopenhauer's Essay "On Religion." See "Parerga and Paralipomena"—Tr.
[14]A type in Schopenhauer's Essay "On Religion." See "Parerga and Paralipomena"—Tr.