Table Of ContentPh-k>soPhY 
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Translated by E. B. Ashton 
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Karl 
Jaspers 
Philosophy 
3 
VOLUME 
Translated by E. B. Ashton 
The University of Chicago Press 
Chicago and London
Philosophy 
VOLUME 3
Originally published in 1932 as Philosophie 
© 1932,1948, 1956 by Springer-Verlag, Bel'lin-GOttingen-Heidelberg 
UNIVERZJTA PARDUBICE 
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International Standard Book Number: 0-226-39494-8 
Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 69-19922 
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS, CHICAGO 60637 
THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS, LTD., LONDON 
© 1971 by The University of Chicago 
All rights reserved. Published 1971 
Printed in the United States of America
Contents 
VOLUME 3 
Book Three: Metaphysics 
1.  TRANSCENDENCE  3 
Discontent with All Being that Is Not Transcendence  5 
Reality of Metaphysical Thinking and Reality of 
Transcendence  7 
1. Ob;ectification of Transcendence  7 
2.  Stages of Reality at Large  8 
3.  Metaphysics between a Knowledge of Tradition and the 
Existential Presence  of Transcendence  10 
4.  Materialization and Denial of Transcetulence  12 
5.  The  Question of Illusion or  Reality  13 
Impermanence  of  Metaphysical  Objectivity  14 
1.  Symbolic Thinking  15 
2.  Logical Collapse  16 
3.  Alternation of Being and Nonbeing  17 
Historicity of Metaphysics  18 
1.  Disappearance as the Essence of Historicity  18 
2.  The Unvanished Substance  19 
3.  The Three Meanings of Generality in Metaphysical 
Thinking  20 
Existence as the Form of the Historic Appearance of 
Transcendence  22 
1.  Community and Struggle in the Transcendent 
Relation  22 
2.  The Three Spheres of Shaping Metaphysical 
Ob;ectivify  24
vi  Contents 
3.  The Tramcendent Language in the Stages of 
Metaphysical Consciousness  26 
Metaphysical Methods  28 
1.  Reiected Methods  28 
2.  Present Adoption  30 
3.  Present Methods  30 
2.  FORMAL TRANSCENDING  33 
Principles of Formal Transcending  34 
1.  From  the Thinkable to the  Unthinkable  34 
2.  Dialectics of Tramcending in Thought  36 
3.  Transcending beyond Subiect and Obiect  37 
4.  Three Spheres of Transcending along Categorial 
Lines  38 
Transcending in Categories of Objectivity at Large  39 
1.  Being and Nothingness  39 
2.  Unity and Duality  41 
3.  Form and Material  44 
4.  Possibility, Reality, Necessity, Chance  45 
5.  Cause  47 
6.  Universal and Individual  48 
7.  Meaning  48 
Transcending in Categories of Reality  49 
1.  Time  50 
2.  Space  53 
3.  Substance, Life, Soul  55 
Transcending in Categories of Freedom  57 
The Deity as Formal Transcendence  59 
3. EXISTENTIAL RELATIONS TO TRANSCENDENCE  61 
Defiance and Surrender  63 
1.  Revolt  64 
2.  The Decision Suspended in the  Will to Know  64 
3.  Defiance in Our Human Will to Know  64 
4.  The Defiant Will to Truth as an Appeal to the Deity  66 
5.  The Rift in Volition  66 
6.  Surrender  67 
7.  Theodicy  67 
8.  The Hidden Deity a Cause of Tension in Temporal 
Existence  70 
9.  Fatal Enhancement in Isolating the Poles  71 
10. Vacuous Decline in Isolating the Poles  71 
11.  Surrender without T1'U8t; Godforsakenness; 
Godlessness  72 
12.  The Ultimate Question  72
Contents  vii 
Rise and Fall  74 
1.  I Myself in Rise and Fall  74 
2.  I Become the Way I Judge  75 
3.  Self-becoming in Dependence  77 
4.  Transcendent Basis and Uncertain Direction  78 
5.  I Myself as Process and as Entirety  79 
6.  Genius and Daemon  80 
7.  Immortality  81 
8.  I Myself and the World Entirety  83 
9.  The World Process  84 
10.  Rise  and  Fall  in  History  86 
11.  Rise and Fall  Comp7eted in the Wh07e  89 
Diurnal Law and Nocturnal Passion  90 
1.  The Antinomy of Day and Night  90 
2.  Attempts at a More Concrete Description  92 
3.  Confusions  94 
4.  The Doubtful Basic Premises of the Day  96 
5.  The Possible Guilt  97 
6.  Genius and Daemon Fighting for  Existenz  98 
7.  The Question of a SyntheSis of Both Worlds  99 
8.  Mythical Elucidation  101 
The Wealth of Diversity and the One  102 
1.  The Existential Origin of the One  102 
2.  Unity in the World  104 
3.  Unity in Logic  105 
4.  Transcending to the One  106 
5.  Polytheism and the One God  109 
6.  Transcendence of the One Deity  110 
4.  THE READING OF CIPHERS  113 
PART ONE 
The Nature of Ciphers  113 
The Three Languages  1l.3 
1.  The First Language: The Direct Language of 
Transcendence  114 
2.  The Second Language: Generalization in 
Communication  115 
3.  The Third Language:  Speculative Language  117 
4.  Immanence and Transcendence  119 
5.  Reality in the Ciphers  122 
Ambiguity of Ciphers  123 
1.  Expression  of Being and Communicative 
Expression  124 
2.  The  Random Interpretability of Symbols  126
viii  Contents 
3.  Symbolism and Cognition  127 
4.  Interpretable and Viewable Symbols  128 
5.  Exegesis in Circles  129 
6.  Random Ambiguity and Ambiguity of Ciphers  130 
Existenz as the Place of Reading Ciphers  131 
1.  Reading Ciphers by Self-being  131 
2.  Existential Contemplation  133 
3.  Faith in Ciphers  136 
Cipher Script and Ontology  137 
1.  Ontology in the Great Philosophies  137 
2.  Ontology Impossible for Us  140 
3.  Reading Ciphers as Distinct from Ontology  142 
False Proximity to Transcendence  144 
PART Two 
The World of Ciphers  147 
Survey  147 
1.  Universality of Ciphers  147 
2.  Arrangement of the Cipher World  148 
Nature  152 
1.  Nature as Otherness, as My World, and as Myself  152 
2.  Nature as a Cipher  153 
3.  Reading Ciphers by Means of a Philosophy of 
Nature  154 
4.  Scant and Deceptive General Formulas for  Ciphers of 
Nature  156 
5.  Existential Relevance of the Ciphe·rs of Nature  158 
History  159 
Consciousness at Large  161 
Man  163 
1.  The Cipher of Man's Unity with his Nature  164 
2.  The Cipher of Man's Unity with His World  166 
3.  The Cipher of Freedom  166 
Art as a Language Born of Reading Ciphers  168· 
1.  Art as an Intermediate Realm  168 
2.  Metaphysics and Art  170 
3.  Imitation; Idea; Genius  170 
4.  Transcendent Vision and Immanent Transcendence  171 
5.  Diversity of the Arts  172 
PART THREE 
The Speculative Reading of Ciphers  175 
The Being of Transcendence: Arguments 
for the Existence of God  175
Contents  ix 
The Being of a Cipher: Speculation 
on Becoming  179 
Present Reading of Ciphers: Speculative 
Remembrance and Foresight  181 
1.  Remembrance  182 
2.  Foresight  184 
3.  Contrariety and Unity of Remembrance and 
Foresight  185 
4.  Speculation in the Philosophy of Hi-story  186 
The Cipher of Existence as a Whole: 
Speculation on Being  188 
1.  Positivism  189 
2.  Idealism  189 
3.  Cipher Reading in Existential Philosophy  191 
PART FOUR 
Vanishing of Existence and Existenz 
as the Decisive Cipher of Transcendence: 
Being in  Foundering  192 
The Many Meanings of Factual Foundering  192 
Foundering and Eternalization  195 
To Realize and Not to Realize  197 
Interpreting the Necessity of Foundering  199 
1.  Freedom a Bar to Firm Validity and Permanence  199 
2.  The Antinomy of Freedom  200 
3.  A Finite Vessel of Intrinsic Being Must Fall Short  201 
4.  A  Speculative  Reading of Ciphers  202 
5.  What Defies Interpretation  202 
The Cipher of Being in Foundering  204 
1.  The Uninterpretahle Cipher  205 
2.  The La~t Cipher as a Sounding Board for All 
Ciphers  205 
3.  Peace in Reality  206 
Index of Persons  209
General  Contents 
Volume 1 
INTRODUCTION TO PmLOSOPHY 
BOOK ONE: PHILOSOPHICAL \VORLD ORIENTATION 
1. The World 
2. Limits of World Orientation 
3. Systematics of the Sciences 
4. Conclusive World Orientation: Positivism and Idealism 
5. The Origin of Philosophy 
6. Philosophy's Form of Existence 
7. Philosophy Differentiated 
Volume 2 
BOOK Two: EXISTENTIAL ELUCIDATION 
1. Existenz 
Part I. I Myself in Communication and Historicity 
2. I Myself 
3. Communication 
4. Historicity 
Part II. Self-being as Freedom 
5. Will 
6. Freedom 
Part III. Existenz as  Unconditionality in Situation, Conscious 
ness, and Action 
7. Boundary Situations