[lit-ideas] The hilarity of Fichte
- From: "Erin Holder" <erin.holder@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 2 Oct 2004 22:49:20 -0400
And here I thought my day would be boring. I've decided that Fichte's
Development of the Concept of the Wissenschaftslehre is one of the most
downright hilarious things I've read in quite some time. No doubt it might
just be the translation, but still, wow, it's DAMN funny.
This is my favourite passage so far:
"But suppose that it could be shown that, in the wake of all previous
experience, the field which remains available for scientific cultivation is
already occupied by the appropriate sciences and that there appears to be
only one uncultivated plot remaining, namely, the one marked out for the
science of science as such. An suppose, furthermore, that under a familiar
name ("philosophy") one discovers the idea of a science, that is, the idea
of something which wishes to be or to become a science, but which cannot
decide where it should take root. In this case it would not be improper to
direct it toward the empty plot we have discovered. It is immaterial
whether or not people have always meant precisely this by the word
"philosophy". Afterward, this science (if philosophy ever becomes a
science) will be justified in casting off a few names which it has
previously assume out of a (a by no means exaggerated) modesty: the names
"esoteric amusement," "hobby,", and "diletantism." The nation [and this is
the best part] which discovered this science would deserve to give it a name
in its own language, in which case it could be called simply "science" or
[...]"
(I,45 Development of the Concept of the Wissenschaftslehre)
OK. Just thought I'd share. Back to work. I'm aware. It's Saturday
night. I'm starting to entertain the possibility that my youth is being
seriously misspent.
Erin
Toronto
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