"The problem is that man first of all knows himself, his "I", and finds this "I" chained by spatial and temporal limits, and by observing and studying spatial and temporal phenomena, he comes to recognize at first separate beings like himself, organisms , and then to recognize beings that are not separate, but merged into one: crystals, molecules, atoms. And, naturally, he sees in them that spatial and temporal limit that separates him. One stumbles into the meaninglessness of infinity by recognizing the universe as an object whose center is everywhere and whose limits are nowhere. That is, starting from the most known thing, from himself and from his consciousness, the rational man unwittingly first comes to the knowledge of those that are close to him, then of those that are farthest away, and, finally, he acquires the consciousness of the inconceivable. Materialists, however, start from observation and, reaching atoms, the infinity of universes, they do not stop there, but from atoms and the infinity of universes, that is, from what is impossible to know, they reach the knowledge of the knowable, that is, the self.
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Author
Leo TolstoyAll Translations
All Translations
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The problem is that man first of all knows himself, his "I", and finds this "I" chained by spatial and temporal limits, and by observing and studying spatial and temporal phenomena, he comes to recognize at first separate beings like himself, organisms , and then to recognize beings that are not separate, but merged into one: crystals, molecules, atoms. And, naturally, he sees in them that spatial and temporal limit that separates him. One stumbles into the meaninglessness of infinity by recognizing the universe as an object whose center is everywhere and whose limits are nowhere. That is, starting from the most known thing, from himself and from his consciousness, the rational man unwittingly first comes to the knowledge of those that are close to him, then of those that are farthest away, and, finally, he acquires the consciousness of the inconceivable. Materialists, however, start from observation and, reaching atoms, the infinity of universes, they do not stop there, but from atoms and the infinity of universes, that is, from what is impossible to know, they reach the knowledge of the knowable, that is, the self.
""Problema e că omul se cunoaște înainte de toate pe sine, „eul“ său, și găsește acest „eu“ înlănțuit de limitele spațiale și temporale, iar observând și studiind fenomenele spațiale și temporale ajunge sa recunoască la început ființe separate ca și el, organisme, iar apoi să recunoască ființe care nu sunt separate, ci contopite într-una singura: cristale, molecule, atomi. Și, firește, vede în ele acea limită spațială și temporală care îl separă. Se poticneste în lipsa de sens a infinitului prin recunoașterea universului ca obiect al cărui centru se afla pretutindeni, iar limitele nicăieri. Adică pornind de la lucrul cel mai cunoscut, de la sine însuși și de la conștiința lui, omul rațional ajunge fără sa vrea mai întâi la cunoașterea celor apropiate de el, apoi a celor mai depărtate și, în sfârșit, capătă conștiința celor de neconceput. Materialiștii însă pornesc de la observație și, ajungând la atomi, la infinitatea universurilor, nu se opresc aici, ci de la atomi și infinitatea universurilor, adică de la ce e imposibil de cunoscut, ajung la cunoașterea cognoscibilului, adică a sinelui."