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English: J. G. Hamann to F. H. Jacobi December 1st, 1784. General field: Art/Literary Detailed field: Philosophy
Source text - English Metaphysik hat ihre Schul – und Hofsprache; beide sind mir verdächtig, und ich bin weder im Stande sie zu verstehen, noch selbst mich ihrer zu bedienen. Daher ich beinahe vermuthe, daß unsere ganze Philosophie mehr aus Sprache als Vernunft besteht, und die Mißverständnisse unzähliger Wörter, die Prosopopöien der willkührlichsten Abstractionen, die Antithesen τῆς ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως, ja selbst die gemeinsten Redefiguren des sensus communis haben eine ganze Welt von Fragen hervorgebracht, die eben mit so wenig Grund aufgeworfen, als beantwortet worden. Es fehlt uns also noch immer an einer Grammatik der Verunft, wie der Schrift und ihrer gemeinschaftlichen Elemente, die durch einander gehen, wie die Saiten auf dem Psalter durcheinander klingen, und doch zusammen lauten.“ Hamann and Jacobi, Johann Georg Hamann’s, des Magus im Norden, Leben und Schriften, 5 (Hamann’s Briefwechsel mit Friedrich Heinrich Jacobi):21–22.
Translation - English Metaphysics has its school and court languages; both are suspicious to me, and I am neither capable to understand them, nor to serve them myself. Hence I am nearly able to assume that our entire philosophy consists more of language than of reason, and the misunderstandings of innumerable words, the prosopopoeia of arbitrary abstractions, the antitheses τῆς ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως [of pseudo-knowledge, quoting 1 Timothy, 6:20], yes the most base figures of speech of the sensus communis have produced an entire world of questions that have as little reason to be posed as to be answered. We are still missing a grammar of reason, like writing and their collective elements that go through each other, like strings on a psaltery muddle together and yet together sound.
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Years of experience: 10. Registered at ProZ.com: Mar 2018.
I am a PhD candidate at the University of Bonn studying philosophy. This summer I will defend and move on to the next stage in life, which will involve continuing translation work.