Before this could be perceived, before the intrinsic dependence5 of every art on the Greeks, the Greeks from Homer to Socrates, was conclusively6 demonstrated, it had to happen to us with regard to these Greeks as it happened to the Athenians with regard to Socrates. Nearly every age and stage of culture has at some time or other sought with deep displeasure to free itself from the Greeks, because in their presence everything self-achieved, sincerely admired and apparently7 quite original, seemed all of a sudden to lose life and colour and shrink to an abortive8 copy, even to caricature. And so hearty9 indignation breaks forth10 time after time against[Pg 114] this presumptuous11 little nation, which dared to designate as "barbaric" for all time everything not native: who are they, one asks one's self, who, though they possessed12 only an ephemeral historical splendour, ridiculously restricted institutions, a dubious13 excellence14 in their customs, and were even branded with ugly vices15, yet lay claim to the dignity and singular position among the peoples to which genius is entitled among the masses. What a pity one has not been so fortunate as to find the cup of hemlock16 with which such an affair could be disposed of without ado: for all the poison which envy, calumny17, and rankling18 resentment19 engendered20 within themselves have not sufficed to destroy that self-sufficient grandeur21! And so one feels ashamed and afraid in the presence of the Greeks: unless one prize truth above all things, and dare also to acknowledge to one's self this truth, that the Greeks, as charioteers, hold in their hands the reins22 of our own and of every culture, but that almost always chariot and horses are of too poor material and incommensurate with the glory of their guides, who then will deem it sport to run such a team into an abyss: which they themselves clear with the leap of Achilles.
In order to assign also to Socrates the dignity of such a leading position, it will suffice to recognise in him the type of an unheard-of form of existence, the type of the theoretical man, with regard to whose meaning and purpose it will be our next task to attain23 an insight. Like the artist, the theorist also finds an infinite satisfaction in[Pg 115] what is and, like the former, he is shielded by this satisfaction from the practical ethics24 of pessimism25 with its lynx eyes which shine only in the dark. For if the artist in every unveiling of truth always cleaves26 with raptured27 eyes only to that which still remains28 veiled after the unveiling, the theoretical man, on the other hand, enjoys and contents himself with the cast-off veil, and finds the consummation of his pleasure in the process of a continuously successful unveiling through his own unaided efforts. There would have been no science if it had only been concerned about that one naked goddess and nothing else. For then its disciples29 would have been obliged to feel like those who purposed to dig a hole straight through the earth: each one of whom perceives that with the utmost lifelong exertion30 he is able to excavate31 only a very little of the enormous depth, which is again filled up before his eyes by the labours of his successor, so that a third man seems to do well when on his own account he selects a new spot for his attempts at tunnelling. If now some one proves conclusively that the antipodal goal cannot be attained32 in this direct way, who will still care to toil33 on in the old depths, unless he has learned to content himself in the meantime with finding precious stones or discovering natural laws? For that reason Lessing, the most honest theoretical man, ventured to say that he cared more for the search after truth than for truth itself: in saying which he revealed the fundamental secret of science, to the astonishment34, and indeed, to the vexation of scientific men. Well,[Pg 116] to be sure, there stands alongside of this detached perception, as an excess of honesty, if not of presumption35, a profound illusion which first came to the world in the person of Socrates, the imperturbable36 belief that, by means of the clue of causality, thinking reaches to the deepest abysses of being, and that thinking is able not only to perceive being but even to correct it. This sublime37 metaphysical illusion is added as an instinct to science and again and again leads the latter to its limits, where it must change into art; which is really the end, to be attained by this mechanism38.
If we now look at Socrates in the light of this thought, he appears to us as the first who could not only live, but—what is far more—also die under the guidance of this instinct of science: and hence the picture of the dying, Socrates, as the man delivered from the fear of death by knowledge and argument, is the escutcheon, above the entrance to science which reminds every one of its mission, namely, to make existence appear to be comprehensible, and therefore to be justified39: for which purpose, if arguments do not suffice, myth also must be used, which I just now designated even as the necessary consequence, yea, as the end of science.
He who once makes intelligible40 to himself how, after the death of Socrates, the mystagogue of science, one philosophical41 school succeeds another, like wave upon wave,—how an entirely42 unfore-shadowed universal development of the thirst for knowledge in the widest compass of the cultured world (and as the specific task for every one[Pg 117] highly gifted) led science on to the high sea from which since then it has never again been able to be completely ousted43; how through the universality of this movement a common net of thought was first stretched over the entire globe, with prospects44, moreover, of conformity45 to law in an entire solar system;—he who realises all this, together with the amazingly high pyramid of our present-day knowledge, cannot fail to see in Socrates the turning-point and vortex of so-called universal history. For if one were to imagine the whole incalculable sum of energy which has been used up by that universal tendency,—employed, not in the service of knowledge, but for the practical, i.e., egoistical ends of individuals and peoples,—then probably the instinctive46 love of life would be so much weakened in universal wars of destruction and incessant47 migrations48 of peoples, that, owing to the practice of suicide, the individual would perhaps feel the last remnant of a sense of duty, when, like the native of the Fiji Islands, as son he strangles his parents and, as friend, his friend: a practical pessimism which might even give rise to a horrible ethics of general slaughter49 out of pity—which, for the rest, exists and has existed wherever art in one form or another, especially as science and religion, has not appeared as a remedy and preventive of that pestilential breath.
In view of this practical pessimism, Socrates is the archetype of the theoretical optimist50, who in the above-indicated belief in the fathomableness of the nature of things, attributes to knowledge and perception the power of a universal medicine, and[Pg 118] sees in error and evil. To penetrate51 into the depths of the nature of things, and to separate true perception from error and illusion, appeared to the Socratic man the noblest and even the only truly human calling: just as from the time of Socrates onwards the mechanism of concepts, judgments52, and inferences was prized above all other capacities as the highest activity and the most admirable gift of nature. Even the sublimest53 moral acts, the stirrings of pity, of self-sacrifice, of heroism54, and that tranquillity55 of soul, so difficult of attainment56, which the Apollonian Greek called Sophrosyne, were derived57 by Socrates, and his like-minded successors up to the present day, from the dialectics of knowledge, and were accordingly designated as teachable. He who has experienced in himself the joy of a Socratic perception, and felt how it seeks to embrace, in constantly widening circles, the entire world of phenomena58, will thenceforth find no stimulus59 which could urge him to existence more forcible than the desire to complete that conquest and to knit the net impenetrably close. To a person thus minded the Platonic60 Socrates then appears as the teacher of an entirely new form of "Greek cheerfulness" and felicity of existence, which seeks to discharge itself in actions, and will find its discharge for the most part in maieutic and pedagogic influences on noble youths, with a view to the ultimate production of genius.
But now science, spurred on by its powerful illusion, hastens irresistibly61 to its limits, on which its optimism, hidden in the essence of logic62, is wrecked63. For the periphery64 of the circle of[Pg 119] science has an infinite number of points, and while there is still no telling how this circle can ever be completely measured, yet the noble and gifted man, even before the middle of his career, inevitably65 comes into contact with those extreme points of the periphery where he stares at the inexplicable66. When he here sees to his dismay how logic coils round itself at these limits and finally bites its own tail—then the new form of perception discloses itself, namely tragic67 perception, which, in order even to be endured, requires art as a safeguard and remedy.
If, with eyes strengthened and refreshed at the sight of the Greeks, we look upon the highest spheres of the world that surrounds us, we behold68 the avidity of the insatiate optimistic knowledge, of which Socrates is the typical representative, transformed into tragic resignation and the need of art: while, to be sure, this same avidity, in its lower stages, has to exhibit itself as antagonistic69 to art, and must especially have an inward detestation of Dionyso-tragic art, as was exemplified in the opposition70 of Socratism to ?schylean tragedy.
Here then with agitated71 spirit we knock at the gates of the present and the future: will that "transforming" lead to ever new configurations72 of genius, and especially of the music-practising Socrates? Will the net of art which is spread over existence, whether under the name of religion or of science, be knit always more closely and delicately, or is it destined73 to be torn to shreds74 under the restlessly barbaric activity and whirl which is called "the present day"?—Anxious,[Pg 120] yet not disconsolate75, we stand aloof76 for a little while, as the spectators who are permitted to be witnesses of these tremendous struggles and transitions. Alas77! It is the charm of these struggles that he who beholds78 them must also fight them!
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1
portentous
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| adj.不祥的，可怕的，装腔作势的 | |
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posterity
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| n.后裔，子孙，后代 | |
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necessitates
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| 使…成为必要，需要( necessitate的第三人称单数 ) | |
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eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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dependence
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| n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属 | |
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conclusively
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| adv.令人信服地，确凿地 | |
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apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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abortive
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| adj.不成功的，发育不全的 | |
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hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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presumptuous
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| adj.胆大妄为的，放肆的，冒昧的，冒失的 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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dubious
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| adj.怀疑的，无把握的；有问题的，靠不住的 | |
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excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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vices
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| 缺陷( vice的名词复数 )； 恶习； 不道德行为； 台钳 | |
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hemlock
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| n.毒胡萝卜，铁杉 | |
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calumny
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| n.诽谤，污蔑，中伤 | |
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rankling
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| v.（使）痛苦不已，（使）怨恨不已( rankle的现在分词 ) | |
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resentment
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| n.怨愤，忿恨 | |
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engendered
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| v.产生（某形势或状况），造成，引起( engender的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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grandeur
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| n.伟大，崇高，宏伟，庄严，豪华 | |
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reins
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| 感情，激情； 缰( rein的名词复数 )； 控制手段； 掌管； （成人带着幼儿走路以防其走失时用的）保护带 | |
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attain
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| vt.达到，获得，完成 | |
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ethics
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| n.伦理学；伦理观，道德标准 | |
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pessimism
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| n.悲观者，悲观主义者，厌世者 | |
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cleaves
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| v.劈开，剁开，割开( cleave的第三人称单数 ) | |
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raptured
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| 欢天喜地的，狂喜的，销魂的 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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disciples
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| n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 )；门徒；耶稣的信徒；（尤指）耶稣十二门徒之一 | |
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exertion
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| n.尽力，努力 | |
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excavate
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| vt.挖掘，挖出 | |
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attained
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| （通常经过努力）实现( attain的过去式和过去分词 )； 达到； 获得； 达到（某年龄、水平、状况） | |
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toil
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| vi.辛劳工作，艰难地行动；n.苦工，难事 | |
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astonishment
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| n.惊奇，惊异 | |
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presumption
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| n.推测，可能性，冒昧，放肆，[法律]推定 | |
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imperturbable
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| adj.镇静的 | |
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sublime
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| adj.崇高的，伟大的；极度的，不顾后果的 | |
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mechanism
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| n.机械装置；机构，结构 | |
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justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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intelligible
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| adj.可理解的，明白易懂的，清楚的 | |
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philosophical
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| adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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ousted
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| 驱逐( oust的过去式和过去分词 )； 革职； 罢黜； 剥夺 | |
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prospects
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| n.希望，前途(恒为复数) | |
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45
conformity
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| n.一致，遵从，顺从 | |
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46
instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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incessant
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| adj.不停的，连续的 | |
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48
migrations
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| n.迁移，移居( migration的名词复数 ) | |
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49
slaughter
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| n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀 | |
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50
optimist
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| n.乐观的人，乐观主义者 | |
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51
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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52
judgments
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| 判断( judgment的名词复数 )； 鉴定； 评价； 审判 | |
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53
sublimest
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| 伟大的( sublime的最高级 )； 令人赞叹的； 极端的； 不顾后果的 | |
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54
heroism
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| n.大无畏精神，英勇 | |
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tranquillity
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| n. 平静, 安静 | |
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attainment
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| n.达到，到达；［常pl.］成就，造诣 | |
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derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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phenomena
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| n.现象 | |
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stimulus
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| n.刺激，刺激物，促进因素，引起兴奋的事物 | |
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platonic
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| adj.精神的；柏拉图（哲学）的 | |
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irresistibly
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| adv.无法抵抗地，不能自持地；极为诱惑人地 | |
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logic
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| n.逻辑(学)；逻辑性 | |
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wrecked
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| adj.失事的，遇难的 | |
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periphery
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| n.(圆体的)外面；周围 | |
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inevitably
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| adv.不可避免地；必然发生地 | |
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inexplicable
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| adj.无法解释的，难理解的 | |
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67
tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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68
behold
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| v.看，注视，看到 | |
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antagonistic
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| adj.敌对的 | |
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opposition
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| n.反对，敌对 | |
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agitated
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| adj.被鼓动的，不安的 | |
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configurations
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| n.[化学]结构( configuration的名词复数 )；构造；（计算机的）配置；构形（原子在分子中的相对空间位置） | |
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73
destined
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| adj.命中注定的；(for)以…为目的地的 | |
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74
shreds
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| v.撕碎，切碎( shred的第三人称单数 )；用撕毁机撕毁（文件） | |
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disconsolate
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| adj.忧郁的，不快的 | |
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76
aloof
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| adj.远离的；冷淡的，漠不关心的 | |
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77
alas
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| int.唉(表示悲伤、忧愁、恐惧等) | |
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beholds
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| v.看，注视( behold的第三人称单数 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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