Family failing of philosophers. – All philosophers have the common failing of starting out from man as he is now and thinking they can reach their goal through an analysis of him. They involuntarily think of ‘man’ as an aeterna veritas, as something that remains constant in the midst of all flux, as a sure measure of things. Everything the philosopher has declared about man is, however, at bottom no more than a testimony as to the man of a very limited period of time.
Very true. Nietzsche is trying to say that the truth revealed by every Philosopher is subjective and limited to to its time and also limited to a particular social class
CHATGPT
Nietzsche is critiquing the way philosophers have traditionally approached the understanding of man. Here's a breakdown of the passage:
1. **Starting Point Error**: Nietzsche claims that philosophers make the mistake of starting with the present version of man as a basis for understanding the essence of humanity. They mistakenly think of man as an "eternal truth" that remains constant throughout history.
2. **Man is Not Constant**: He emphasizes that the philosopher's notion of man only speaks to a very specific period of human history, not to man's entirety. Philosophers, according to Nietzsche, lack a historical sense, meaning they fail to consider how human nature and cognition have evolved over time.
3. **Historical Blindness**: Many philosophers, he argues, might take recent versions of humanity (influenced by current religions, political events, etc.) as the standard model for all of humanity. This approach overlooks the vast changes humanity underwent in prehistoric times.
4. **Mistaken Assumptions about Instincts**: Philosophers, observing current human instincts, might wrongly assume that these instincts are timeless and universal. Based on these assumptions, they build entire philosophical systems (teleologies) that explain the purpose and direction of the world, erroneously assuming that everything in the world relates naturally to this unchanging, "eternal" man.
5. **Historical Philosophizing**: Nietzsche stresses that the real essence of humanity can't be gleaned from looking at only the recent past. Recognizing that everything—including human nature, cognition, and instincts—has evolved and "become" over time is crucial. No facts about human nature are eternal, and no truths about it are absolute.
6. **Call for Modesty**: Nietzsche concludes by emphasizing the need for philosophers to be modest in their claims about understanding human nature. They should incorporate a historical perspective that recognizes the evolution and changeability of man.
In essence, Nietzsche is urging philosophers to adopt a more historically informed perspective when analyzing human nature, recognizing the evolutionary and dynamic nature of humanity, rather than making broad, timeless claims based on a limited snapshot of history.
