Date: Wed, 4 Oct 1995 22:40:25 -0400 From: mcelwain-AT-world.std.com (Charles E McElwain) Subject: Against Contra Kaufmann... Date: Tue Oct 3 22:20:43 1995 From: Tom Blancato <tblancato-AT-envirolink.org> Sender: owner-nietzsche-AT-jefferson.village.virginia.edu Not translation of latin and what not. But here is an example: Nietzsche writes something to this effect: that the thing about mystical explanations is not that they are deep; they are not even shallow (something like that). Then there's a footnote, and Walter says, "That is, they are no explanation at all." Now, as a pianist I am fond of old editions of Chopin and Beethoven full of the "editorializing" in the margins, and can even enjoy and learn from them, but with Kaufman, it's stuff like that that just bugs me too much. But this is an effect of Nietzsche, I am sure; not a hermeneutics of suspicion, but having to do with the textuality and his own various levels of irony and what not. At that point, one must either imagine Kaufman a boob or a genius. I'm stuck in the former. I must try to defend Kaufmann here, as someone who grew up with his Nietzsche translations, and his other philosophical writings, in the '60's and early '70's. Please remember the time that he began making his translations: in the post-WWII period, when Nietzsche was still often accused (and simply dismissed) as a proto-Nazi, when the only English translations were Victorian abominations by Oscar Levy and Thomas Common, when the dominant style of philosophizing in America was a mostly empty imitation of a mostly empty British analytic tradition (there were some other exceptions, who don't need to be noted here), with no cognizance taken of Continental philosophy (except for some renegade and peripheral phenomenologists), and no respect given to any mode of philosophyizing that took as problematic living in this world and this culture. It would be too much to say that Kaufmann himself was responsible for the return to respectability of philosophy in the Continental traditions, and of philosophy addressing problems of existence, as well as Nietzsche studies themselves; but it would be simply wrong to underestimate his responsibility for this. When he began his translations, even the originals of Nietzsche's writings were in sad shape, the modern critical edition still being in initial progress. Today, with a philosophically substantive translation already at hand (specifically, Kaufmann's), the translators of the completed critical edition of Nietzsche's originals can take to their task as simple translators, not also as philosophers in their own right, trying both to rehabilitate a dismissed philosopher, and with their own philosophic agenda at hand (namely, Kaufmann's attempt to bring back discussion of such matters in a society split between analytic avoidance of seriousness and religious glossing of analysis). And I hope that the translators of the new complete edition do just that - produce a scholarly translation that includes very little of themselves as philosophers. True, a creative philosopher may not be preferable to a mere scholar in an exposition of a philosophic work, just as often the best translations of poetry are not those done by a major poet in their own right. But there is often a value reading such philosopher's analyses, such poet's translations, in finding one's own way through the questions of a philosopher, and the questions of life. Like reading Nietzsche, reading Kaufmann's translations of Nietzsche - not for scholarly reasons, but for existential reasons -, as well as reading Kaufmann's other writings on religion and philosophy, was an education, just as hearing him speak, on Nietzsche or philosophy, was truly an education, unlike that offered by most philosophy professors of the time. And like some posts on the net, footnotes may simply just be not read. ;-) Charles PS: An aside to Tom, a co-reader of another list - We can agree to differ here, as we'd rather be remembering Chuck Long today, and playing some appropriate piano music - a sentiment that probably both Nietzsche and Kaufmann would agree with. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | Charles E. McElwain mcelwain-AT-world.std.com | | 33 Vernon Street, Somerville, MA, 02145 (617) 628-5542 | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- --- from list nietzsche-AT-jefferson.village.virginia.edu --- ------------------
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