Beilage XXIII: Teleology

(perhaps November 13, 1931)

 

 

      As we construct in a systematic process the transcendental constitution of the pregiven world from below, the following is to be observed: naturally with respect to the essence-form the factum of the actual content in its streaming existence in which "enlightenment" must always be achieved is presupposed.  That pertains just as self-understandably to the "absolute," the transcendental intersubjectivity in general.  The absolute which we unveil is absolute "matter of fact." 

      Here the following consideration intrudes: through phenomenological reduction I unveil my transcendental ego as the I of the universal "phenomenon" world.  In the systematic unveiling of my transcendental being and of the transcendental implications that proceed therein, in the continual questioning back of constitution, I come (through the stages of primordial self-constitution and the <stages> of the therein intentionally implicated constitution of Others and self-constitution of Others for themselves and of mine for them) to knowledge of the "world-phenomenon" as transcendental achievement of the mundanization of transcendental intersubjectivity (in the form of a spatio-temporal nature, in which psychic subjects are livingly embodied [verleiblicht] (objectively embodied [verkoerpert]), thus concrete as psycho-physical human beings, existing objectively in the naturalized world and at the same time existing in it as experiencing it, knowing it, as coming upon values in their value and disvalue through feeling, as directed to value-objects in their acting,, creating from them new value-objects as satisfying human desires). 

      Advancing further, I understand that through every transcendental existence, not only singly but in intersubjective communalization and as intersubjective totality, penetrates a unitary striving of "perfection" ["V e r v o l l k o m m n u n g"].  It is no accident that the human being, continually with singularities of experience, of valuation, creating aims (purposes) of desiring and acting , at no time comes to a contentment, or rather that no particular satisfaction and none in finitude is actually and fully satisfaction, and that satisfaction refers to a totality of life and personal totality of being, to a unity in the totality of habitual validities, which surpasses all finitude.  Unity of concrete personality is not an arbitrary unity of a living along, sometimes this sometimes that validity accomplishing I, and the same holds for the unity of the concrete community of persons in the open historicity of the streaming time and world.  The personality, the active I, is practical in all its actions, all objectivation is practical accomplishment, and ultimate stage of praxis in the order of objectivation, of constitution, is worldly praxis: it includes from the beginning, and essentially, as non-independent stages, experiencing, valuing, striving toward actualization (realization) [of] directed being, and that is toward bringing to validity and then habitually having in validity.  But the person is not multivarious, not an empty I in a variety of position-takings and position-havings [Stellungnahmen und Stellunghaben], of beliefs and propositions, habitually having authentic propositions as acquisition.  The human person has its personal unity in the unity of a manifold striving.  In all its singular feeling, it is unitary as feeling I; from the beginning, in all its experiences it has constituted a unity of the world of experience beforehand, at least as nature and as world which is grounded in nature as sheer matter of fact (a world which only exists as a matter of fact, but not as long as it "shall be"), and consequently it brings in itself all certainties of experience with all content of experience to harmonious universal certainty, although under correction: thus it has as person a universal unity of life in itself, of actual and possible [life], which in view of the validities of experience, of the experiencing habituality, is [a] unity universal and in advance, of the moving style of one I constantly maintaining itself in streaming life in its experiencing position-taking through self-correction.  That is unity of the person as person, which always has the world: the one single world as matter of fact.1 //1. All objectifying constitution creates tradition - tradition is natural tradition; through humanization of nature and socialization the world awakens as tradition in its unending motion.// 

      Everything that already exists touches the feelings; all entities are apperceived in value-apperception and thereby awaken desiring position-takings, unfulfilled or fulfilled; in unison thereby actions are awakened and directed to maintaining values, to furnishing [them], to forming higher values out of lower values etc.1 //1. Values - not perhaps as though all values were values of pleasure, values of feeling and practical hedonic values.//  However nothing remains isolated there, that I "will" also as valuingly creating values and having values, thus habitually in them valuing position-takings are maintained and come as valuing to a universal unity, i.e., here is a necessary tendency.  Values have their special kind of devaluation, not merely pertaining to the being of value objects, and of the anticipated value properties, but also to the modes of devaluation, be it through lower values in comparison with higher values, be it through the personal absolute claim of preference under sacrifice (inauthentic lower valuableness).  Further objective values are indeed values for everyone, but as to be enjoyed not each to his own.  In relation to the fact that all values - objective values - through possible renunciation of the relevant desires, are realizable desires for everyone and their objectivity is also specifically grounded thereby, all objective values obtain relation to absolute claims (love of one's neighbor [Naechstenliebe]).2 //2. Here conflicts, contradictions, harmony extending through contradictions, "superseding" ["aufhebend"] them.//  Intensification occurs which all values of satisfaction (in their relation to future possible satisfaction) thereby necessarily experience, the fact that they can intensify themselves in a present and from present to present bring about an impetus to practical existence, that devaluation of values are forced through newly acquired higher values, and the intensification of values of one present are surmounted by that of a new one.  The animal in the situation of regular satisfaction of its instincts and the values designated thereby lives in a finite surrounding world in a restricted temporality (limited by the narrowness of recollection and anticipation), in the periodicity of hunger (in the widest sense), increasing as hunger in the empty form and then fulfilling itself, in the fulfillment itself increasing again and then first decreasing, is "happy."  More precisely, it is hungrily unsatisfied and satisfied to the point of satiation, satiating itself, thus completely satisfying itself; if it could survey its life that passes in such a fashion, then it could want nothing better.

      The human being lives in "infinity," which is his constant horizon; he surpasses instinct, he creates values of higher stages and surpasses these values.  Each human being finds himself in an endlessly open value-world, and indeed world of practical values which are to be surpassed "in infinitum," which are humanly awakened in enhancements/intensifications [Steigerungen].  Everything that one creates refers to something better3  //3. But that is dangerous, "something better" - that sounds hedonic.//  and has in general something better, which Others have already acquired, but which one cannot enjoy oneself, next to itself.

      The human being and then humankind exists in constant movement - in striving toward a value-world for him, a value-world for all, which can give to all equal possibilities for happiness, for everyone the sight of a value-world which is for him enjoyable.

 

Hedonic, "Sensuous" Values and the "Spiritual Values,"

Values of Love.

 

      But that all indicates only the lowest stage of happiness.  Infinity as horizon of life of every human being insofar as its life horizon encompasses the infinity of generative humanity, and for it as discloser, brings death and faith into the horizon and the possibility of suicide, also the possibility of an intersubjective "suicide."  In the disclosed infinity, [sensuous] bliss is a contradiction.  Therefore: from the beginning, hedonic values are not present; hedonic values have their origin in enjoyment, ultimately in sensuous feeling, and they actualize themselves always in enjoyment.  All striving, if it is productive, is striving, which prepares practically a kind of enjoyment if the case arises, makes it possible. 

      The value of the person, <not> in the sense that it has a mere readiness for satisfaction, but on the contrary in the sense that constitutes its "true value," that because of its willing it is loved, just as all specifically "spiritual" values originate from entirely different sources, from sources of love in the pregnant meaning of the word.  in this regard love-satisfaction is a contradiction (therefore Brentano's "phenomenon of love" already in its title announces a great error).  Love - lovingly losing oneself in Others, living in Others, uniting oneself with Others,1  //1. But not as in the relationship between lord and servant or slave.//  is wholly and entirely not hedonistic, although its joy "grounds" higher joy.  Here also the kind of "value" and value-comparison between personal and hedonic values must be established.  All values originating from personal love, not only those which give the person himself value, have the property that they themselves in "satisfaction," i.e. in the experience of them as value, in valuing joy (negatively discord), require living abandonment; a living abandonment, which is turned back on every person who exercises it, e.g. abandonment in the work of high art, a growth of personal values reflectively imparted.

      In all love lies veneration, in all veneration bliss as essential gift.  One can probably experience this gift thankfully, and yet a dangerous perversion lies near here, that one treats the living abandonment as mere means for satisfaction and substitutes for it the gift of pleasure.  Loving striving does not fulfill itself in pleasure; on the contrary this is only a by-product of fulfillment.

      That leads also to the problem of the "beauty" of nature.  Is that a mere sensuous beauty (satisfaction in nature), or does there not lie therein an instinctive love and for the developing human being a love fed with hidden spiritual content?

      Love in various forms and stages.  Correlate: veneration, submission, bliss, blissful beauty.  Sensuous feeling as admixture in all bliss.  In the gift of the feeling of love, the sensuous components probably also come to overemphasis.  However all that must be thought out anew.  Compare the old manuscripts?