1. The Will to Truth, which is to tempt us to many a hazardous enterprise, the f
amous Truthfulness of which all philosophers have hitherto spoken with respect,
what questions has this Will to Truth not laid before us! What strange, perplexi
ng, questionable questions! It is already a long story; yet it seems as if it we
re hardly commenced. Is it any wonder if we at last grow distrustful, lose patie
nce, and turn impatiently away? That this Sphinx teaches us at last to ask quest
ions ourselves? WHO is it really that puts questions to us here? WHAT really is
this Will to Truth in us? In fact we made a long halt at the question as to the
origin of this Will - until at last we came to an absolute standstill before a y
et more fundamental question.
We inquired about the VALUE of this Will. Grant
ed that we want the truth: WHY NOT RATHER untruth? And uncertainty? Even ignoran
ce? The problem of the value of truth presented itself before us - or was it we
who presented ourselves before the problem? Which of us is the Oedipus here? Whi
ch the Sphinx? It would seem to be a rendezvous of questions and notes of interr
ogation. And could it be believed that it at last seems to us as if the problem
had never been propounded before, as if we were the first to discern it, get a s
ight of it, and RISK RAISING it? For there is risk in raising it, perhaps there
is no greater risk.
