How the
'Real World' at last Became a Myth
HISTORY OF
AN ERROR
1.
The real world, attainable to the wise, the pious, the virtuous man - he
dwells in it, he is it.
(Oldest form of the
idea, relatively sensible, simple, convincing. Transcription of the proposition 'I, Plato, am the truth.')
[the
truth = 'Wahrheit', corresponding to 'wahre Welt' = real world.]
2.
The real world, unattainable for the moment, but promised to the wise,
the pious, the virtuous man ('to the sinner who repents').
(Progress of the idea: it grows more
refined, more enticing, more incomprehensible - it
becomes a woman, it becomes Christian ...)
3.
The real world, unattainable, undemonstrable,
cannot be promised, but even when merely thought of a consolation, a duty, an
imperative.
(Fundamentally the same
old sun, but shining through mist and scepticism; the idea grown sublime, pale,
northerly, Königsbergian.) [i.e. the Kantian, from the northerly
German city in which Kant was born and in which he lived and died.]
4.
The real world - unattainable? Unattained, at any rate.
And if unattained also unknown. Consequently also no consolation, no
redemption, no duty: how could we have a duty towards
something unknown?
(The grey of dawn. First yawnings of reason. Cockcrow of positivism.)
[Here meaning empiricism,
philosophy founded on observation and experiment.]
5.
The 'real world' - an idea no longer of any use, not even a duty any
longer - an idea grown useless, superfluous, consequently a refuted
idea: let us abolish it!
(Broad daylight; breakfast; return of
cheerfulness and bon sens; Plato blushes for
shame; all free spirits run riot.)
6.
We have abolished the real world: what world is left? the
apparent world perhaps? ... But no! with the
real world we have also abolished the apparent world!
(