You leave
your illusions upon your dissecting tables."
"What you say might be true if illusions and experiences came from the
same source. But they do not."
"I don't fully understand. Explain yourself."
"What you call illusions are ideal images and aspirations, which
originate in the sphere of our impulses and feelings, not in our
sensible reasoning. But the impulses and feelings are more elementary
and more deeply rooted, thought comes later and remains more on the
surface. We inherit our illusions from the countless generations that
have preceded us, our experiences we draw from our individual lives.
An individual experience cannot outweigh the illusions of a thousand
ancestors, who form a part of our organism. But, pardon me, I have
caught myself in the midst of a tutor's lecture--you see that impulse
is stronger than prudence."
"Do you ask pardon for that? What you say is so interesting. I
suppose you have a very bad opinion of women, since you do not think
them capable of understanding you?"
"I do not generalize. Whatever opinion I might have of women, I should
not apply it to you.
Pages:
222
223
224
225
226
227
228
229
230
231
232
233
234
235
236
237
238
239
240
241
242
243
244
245
246