Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- General editor's preface
- Editorial notes and references
- Introduction
- Notes on text and translation
- Chronology
- Bibliography
- PARERGA AND PARALIPOMENA, VOLUME 2
- Contents
- Sporadic yet systematically ordered thoughts on multifarious topics
- Chapter 1 On philosophy and its method
- Chapter 2 On logic and dialectic
- Chapter 3 Some thoughts concerning the intellect in general and in every respect
- Chapter 4 Some observations on the antithesis of the thing in itself and appearance
- Chapter 5 Some words on pantheism
- Chapter 6 On philosophy and natural science
- Chapter 7 On colour theory
- Chapter 8 On ethics
- Chapter 9 On jurisprudence and politics
- Chapter 10 On the doctrine of the indestructibility of our true essence by death
- Chapter 11 Additional remarks on the doctrine of the nothingness of existence
- Chapter 12 Additional remarks on the doctrine of the suffering of the world
- Chapter 13 On suicide
- Chapter 14 Additional remarks on the doctrine of the affirmation and negation of the will to life
- Chapter 15 On religion
- Chapter 16 Some remarks on Sanskrit literature
- Chapter 17 Some archaeological observations
- Chapter 18 Some mythological observations
- Chapter 19 On the metaphysics of the beautiful and aesthetics
- Chapter 20 On judgement, criticism, approbation and fame
- Chapter 21 On learning and the learned
- Chapter 22 Thinking for oneself
- Chapter 23 On writing and style
- Chapter 24 On reading and books
- Chapter 25 On language and words
- Chapter 26 Psychological remarks
- Chapter 27 On women
- Chapter 28 On education
- Chapter 29 On physiognomy
- Chapter 30 On noise and sounds
- Chapter 31 Similes, parables and fables
- Some verses
- Versions of Schopenhauer's text
- Glossary of names
- Index
Chapter 7 - On colour theory
from PARERGA AND PARALIPOMENA, VOLUME 2
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 November 2015
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- General editor's preface
- Editorial notes and references
- Introduction
- Notes on text and translation
- Chronology
- Bibliography
- PARERGA AND PARALIPOMENA, VOLUME 2
- Contents
- Sporadic yet systematically ordered thoughts on multifarious topics
- Chapter 1 On philosophy and its method
- Chapter 2 On logic and dialectic
- Chapter 3 Some thoughts concerning the intellect in general and in every respect
- Chapter 4 Some observations on the antithesis of the thing in itself and appearance
- Chapter 5 Some words on pantheism
- Chapter 6 On philosophy and natural science
- Chapter 7 On colour theory
- Chapter 8 On ethics
- Chapter 9 On jurisprudence and politics
- Chapter 10 On the doctrine of the indestructibility of our true essence by death
- Chapter 11 Additional remarks on the doctrine of the nothingness of existence
- Chapter 12 Additional remarks on the doctrine of the suffering of the world
- Chapter 13 On suicide
- Chapter 14 Additional remarks on the doctrine of the affirmation and negation of the will to life
- Chapter 15 On religion
- Chapter 16 Some remarks on Sanskrit literature
- Chapter 17 Some archaeological observations
- Chapter 18 Some mythological observations
- Chapter 19 On the metaphysics of the beautiful and aesthetics
- Chapter 20 On judgement, criticism, approbation and fame
- Chapter 21 On learning and the learned
- Chapter 22 Thinking for oneself
- Chapter 23 On writing and style
- Chapter 24 On reading and books
- Chapter 25 On language and words
- Chapter 26 Psychological remarks
- Chapter 27 On women
- Chapter 28 On education
- Chapter 29 On physiognomy
- Chapter 30 On noise and sounds
- Chapter 31 Similes, parables and fables
- Some verses
- Versions of Schopenhauer's text
- Glossary of names
- Index
Summary
§103
As the indifference of my contemporaries could in no way shake my conviction in the truth and importance of my theory of colour, I twice edited and published it, in German in the year 1816 and in Latin in the year 1830 in the third volume of J. Radius’ Scriptores ophthalmologici minores. Nevertheless, the complete lack of response leaves me with little hope at my advanced age of experiencing a second edition of these essays, and so I shall set forth here the few ideas that I still have to add to the subject.
Whoever undertakes to discover the cause for a given effect will, if he approaches his work thoughtfully, begin by thoroughly investigating the effect itself, since the data for discovery of the cause can only be collected from it, and it alone provides the direction and the guiding thread to the discovery of the cause. Yet none of those who proposed theories of colour before me did this. Not only did Newton go in search of the cause without having any precise knowledge of the effect to be explained, but also his predecessors did it in this manner. Even Goethe, who to be sure investigated and discussed the effect, the given phenomenon, and so the sensation in the eye far more than others, did not yet go far enough in this, since otherwise he would have had to arrive at my truths, which are the root of all theory of colour and contain the grounds of his own. And so I cannot except him when I say that all before me, from the most ancient to recent times, were concerned only with researching which modifications either the surface of a body or light would have to undergo, whether through analysis into its components or through turbidity or other darkening, in order to show colour, i.e., in order to stimulate in our eye that characteristic and specific sensation that cannot be defined at all but only detected by the senses. Instead, obviously the methodical and correct way is first of all to turn to this sensation in order to see whether one could find out what is taking place in it physiologically according to its closer nature and the conformity to law of its phenomena.
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- Schopenhauer: Parerga and ParalipomenaShort Philosophical Essays, pp. 161 - 182Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2015