Stratagem 15
Original German
Wenn wir einen paradoxen Satz aufgestellt haben, um dessen Beweis wir verlegen sind; so legen wir dem Gegner irgend einen richtigen, aber doch nicht ganz handgreiflich richtigen Satz zur Annahme oder Verwerfung vor, als wollten wir daraus den Beweis schöpfen: verwirft er ihn aus Argwohn, so führen wir ihn ad absurdum und triumphiren: nimmt er ihn aber an, — so haben wir vor der Hand etwas vernünftiges gesagt, und müssen nun weiter sehn. Oder wir fügen nun den vorhergehenden Kunstgriff hinzu und behaupten nun, daraus sei unser Paradoxon bewiesen. Hiezu gehört die äußerste Unverschämtheit: aber es kommt in der Erfahrung vor: und es giebt Leute die dies alles instinktmäßig ausüben.
Musean translation
Machine-assisted, directly from Deussen’s German edition (1923).
If we have advanced a paradoxical proposition and are at a loss to prove it, offer the opponent some correct proposition whose correctness is not entirely obvious, to accept or reject, as though we intended to draw our proof from it. If he rejects it out of suspicion, reduce him to absurdity and triumph. If he accepts it, we have for the moment said something reasonable and must see how to proceed. Or we add the preceding stratagem and now assert that our paradox has thereby been proved. This requires extreme insolence, but it occurs in experience, and some people do all of it instinctively.
Plain English translation
Machine-assisted, independently translated directly from Deussen’s German edition (1923).
Suppose we have made a surprising claim that we do not know how to prove. Give the opponent a true statement whose truth is not completely obvious, and ask them to accept or reject it. Make it look as if we intend to use it as our proof. If suspicion makes them reject it, show that their position is absurd and celebrate the victory. If they accept it, at least we have said something sensible for now and must see what to do next. Or add the previous trick and claim that our surprising statement has now been proved. This takes extreme shamelessness, but it does happen, and some people do all this by instinct.
About this section
Stratagem 15 is part of The Art of Being Right by Arthur Schopenhauer. This page sets the German original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is section 20 of 43 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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