The "freedom" that the state, as I said, bestows on certain men for
the sake of philosophy is, properly speaking, no freedom at all, but
an office that maintains its holder. The "encouragement of
philosophy" means that there are to-day a number of men whom the
state enables to make their living out of philosophy; whereas the old
sages of Greece were not paid by the state, but at best were
presented, as Zeno was, with a golden crown and a monument in the
Ceramicus. I cannot say generally whether truth is served by showing
the way to live by her, since everything depends on the character of
the individual who shows the way. I can imagine a degree of pride in
a man saying to his fellow-men, "take care of me, as I have something
better to do--namely to take care of you." We should not be angry at
such a heightened mode of expression in Plato and Schopenhauer; and
so they might properly have been University philosophers,--as Plato,
for example, was a court philosopher for a while without lowering the
dignity of philosophy. But in Kant we have the usual submissive
professor, without any nobility in his relations with the state; and
thus he could not justify the University philosophy when it was once
assailed. If there be natures like Schopenhauer's and Plato's, which
can justify it, I fear they will never have the chance, as the state
would never venture to give such men these positions, for the simple
reason that every state fears them, and will only favour philosophers
it does not fear. The state obviously has a special fear of
philosophy, and will try to attract more philosophers, to create the
impression that it has philosophy on its side,--because it has those
men on its side who have the title without the power. But if there
should come one who really proposes to cut everything to the quick,
the state included, with the knife of truth, the state, that affirms
its own existence above all, is justified in banishing him as an
enemy, just as it bans a religion that exalts itself to be its judge.
The man who consents to be a state philosopher, must also consent to
be regarded as renouncing the search for truth in all its secret
retreats. At any rate, so long as he enjoys his position, he must
recognise something higher than truth--the state. And not only the
state, but everything required by it for existence--a definite form
of religion, a social system, a standing army; a _noli me tangere_ is
written above all these things. Can a University philosopher ever
keep clearly before him the whole round of these duties and
limitations? I do not know. The man who has done so and remains a
state-official, is a false friend to truth; if he has not,--I think
he is no friend to truth either.