Stratagem 19
Original German
Fordert der Gegner uns ausdrücklich auf gegen irgend einen bestimmten Punkt seiner Behauptung etwas vorzubringen; wir haben aber nichts rechtes; so müssen wir die Sache recht ins Allgemeine spielen und dann gegen dieses reden. Wir sollen sagen warum einer bestimmten physikalischen Hypothese nicht zu trauen ist: so reden wir über die Trüglichkeit des menschlichen Wissens und erläutern sie an allerhand.
Musean translation
Machine-assisted, directly from Deussen’s German edition (1923).
If the opponent expressly challenges us to bring something against a particular point in his assertion, but we have nothing worthwhile, turn it into a very general issue and then argue against that. We are supposed to say why a particular physical hypothesis is not to be trusted; instead we speak of the fallibility of human knowledge and illustrate it in all manner of ways.
Plain English translation
Machine-assisted, independently translated directly from Deussen’s German edition (1923).
The opponent specifically asks us to challenge a particular part of their claim, but we have nothing useful to say. We must make the issue much more general and argue against that instead. We are asked why a particular hypothesis in physics cannot be trusted. We talk about how unreliable human knowledge is and illustrate this in various ways.
About this section
Stratagem 19 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 24 of 43 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
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