Lichtenberg's Avertissement
Encyclopedia
Lichtenberg's Avertissement, written by Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
, is a poster intended to deter the citizens of Göttingen
, Germany
, from attending the performance of Jacob Philadelphia
in 1777. The performance was supposed to be an exhibition of scientific experiments. However, Lichtenberg considered it to be a magic
show. He was angered by the alleged deception and posted the following satire
in order to persuade people to avoid the performance. As a result of the extravagant claims that were posted, Philadelphia left Göttingen without giving any exhibitions.
Warning
All fanciers of supernatural
physics
will, by this poster, be made known that a few days ago, the world famous magician Philadelphus Philadelphia, who has been mentioned by Cardanus in his book on the nature
of the supernatural by calling him the envy of Heaven
and Hell
, has arrived here on the ordinary mail coach, although it would have been equally easy for him to have come through the air. He is the same person who, in 1482, in an open marketplace in Venice
, cast a coil of twine into the air and climbed up until he was no longer seen. Beginning on the ninth of January of this year, he will present, openly and secretly, to the public's eyes, his one-Thaler
tricks in the local department store. The tricks will improve every week until he finally arrives at the 500 Louis d'Or
tricks, among which are those that can be said, without boasting, to surpass the wonderful itself, and be even, so to say, virtually impossible. He had the graciousness to perform these same tricks to great applause before all of the high potentate
s in all four parts of the world. He even performed in the fifth part of the world a few weeks ago for her majesty Queen Oberea of Tahiti
.
He can be seen here every day, at all hours, except not on Mondays and Thursdays, when he expels melancholy thoughts at the venerable Congress
of his countrymen in Philadelphia. Also, not from 11 a.m. to 12 noon because he is engaged in Constantinople
, and not from 12 noon to 1 p.m., when he lunches.
From the one-Thaler, common, everyday tricks, we want to indicate some, but not the best. Rather, we'll refer to those that can be described in a few words.
1) He removes, without leaving the room, the weather cock from the St. Jacobi church (Göttingen) and sets it on top of the St. Johannis
church (Göttingen). On the other hand, he puts the flag from the St. Johannis church on the St. Jacobi church. After they have been there for a few minutes, he brings them back to their proper places. Note: everything is done without magnet
s, through mere speed.
2) He takes two ladies from the audience, positions them with their heads on the table and lets them turn their legs upward. Then, he pushes them so that they, with unbelievable speed, twist themselves like curls, without damage to their head dress or the respectability of the alignment of their dresses, to the greatest satisfaction of all present.
3) He takes six half-ounce
s of the best arsenic
, grinds it, and cooks it in two cans of milk
. He then treats it to the ladies. As soon as they become sick, he gives them two or three spoonfuls of melted lead
to drink. The audience then becomes cheerful and breaks out in laughter.
4) He takes an axe
and strikes a bonnet
with it. The bonnet falls to the ground as though it is dead. On the ground, he gives it a second blow. The bonnet then rises immediately and asks, in a general way: "What music is that?" In other respects, it is in as good condition as before.
5) He gently extracts teeth from three or four ladies, puts the teeth in a bag, and lets the audience carefully shake them. Then he loads them into a small cannon
and fires it at the aforementioned ladies. After this, they all have their teeth again, pure and white.
6) A metaphysical
trick. He shows that something actually can be and not be at the same time. This requires great preparation and expense, but he performs it for only one Thaler in honor of the University
of Göttingen.
7) He takes all of the watches, rings, and jewels, as well as gold cash when it is required, from the audience who is present. He then issues everyone an I.O.U.
. After this, he throws everything in a suitcase and travels with it to Kassel
. Eight days later, each person tears up their I.O.U.. After it is torn, the watches, rings, and jewelry reappear. He has earned much money with this trick.
Note: This week, he is still in the upper room of the department store. But, in the future, he will be high in the free air over the fountain in the market place. There, whoever pays nothing will see nothing.
Göttingen
January 7, 1777
made reference to the sixth trick in his discussion of Kant's
description of the antinomy
(conflict of laws) of pure reason
(Critique of Pure Reason
, A406). Schopenhauer wrote:
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg
Georg Christoph Lichtenberg was a German scientist, satirist and Anglophile. As a scientist, he was the first to hold a professorship explicitly dedicated to experimental physics in Germany...
, is a poster intended to deter the citizens of Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, from attending the performance of Jacob Philadelphia
Jacob Philadelphia
Jacob Philadelphia was a Jewish magician, physicist, mechanic, juggler, astrologer, alchemist, and Kabbalist.- Biography :He is believed to have been born on August 14, 1735 and given the name Jacob Meyer....
in 1777. The performance was supposed to be an exhibition of scientific experiments. However, Lichtenberg considered it to be a magic
Magic (illusion)
Magic is a performing art that entertains audiences by staging tricks or creating illusions of seemingly impossible or supernatural feats using natural means...
show. He was angered by the alleged deception and posted the following satire
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
in order to persuade people to avoid the performance. As a result of the extravagant claims that were posted, Philadelphia left Göttingen without giving any exhibitions.
Text
The Avertissement reads as follows:Warning
All fanciers of supernatural
Supernatural
The supernatural or is that which is not subject to the laws of nature, or more figuratively, that which is said to exist above and beyond nature...
physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
will, by this poster, be made known that a few days ago, the world famous magician Philadelphus Philadelphia, who has been mentioned by Cardanus in his book on the nature
Nature
Nature, in the broadest sense, is equivalent to the natural world, physical world, or material world. "Nature" refers to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general...
of the supernatural by calling him the envy of Heaven
Heaven
Heaven, the Heavens or Seven Heavens, is a common religious cosmological or metaphysical term for the physical or transcendent place from which heavenly beings originate, are enthroned or inhabit...
and Hell
Hell
In many religious traditions, a hell is a place of suffering and punishment in the afterlife. Religions with a linear divine history often depict hells as endless. Religions with a cyclic history often depict a hell as an intermediary period between incarnations...
, has arrived here on the ordinary mail coach, although it would have been equally easy for him to have come through the air. He is the same person who, in 1482, in an open marketplace in Venice
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
, cast a coil of twine into the air and climbed up until he was no longer seen. Beginning on the ninth of January of this year, he will present, openly and secretly, to the public's eyes, his one-Thaler
Thaler
The Thaler was a silver coin used throughout Europe for almost four hundred years. Its name lives on in various currencies as the dollar or tolar. Etymologically, "Thaler" is an abbreviation of "Joachimsthaler", a coin type from the city of Joachimsthal in Bohemia, where some of the first such...
tricks in the local department store. The tricks will improve every week until he finally arrives at the 500 Louis d'Or
Louis d'or
The Louis d'or is any number of French coins first introduced by Louis XIII in 1640. The name derives from the depiction of the portrait of King Louis on one side of the coin; the French royal coat of arms is on the reverse...
tricks, among which are those that can be said, without boasting, to surpass the wonderful itself, and be even, so to say, virtually impossible. He had the graciousness to perform these same tricks to great applause before all of the high potentate
Potentate
Potentate is an informal term for a person with potent, usually supreme, power.-Ancient Arabic Order of the Nobles of the Mystic Shrine:...
s in all four parts of the world. He even performed in the fifth part of the world a few weeks ago for her majesty Queen Oberea of Tahiti
Tahiti
Tahiti is the largest island in the Windward group of French Polynesia, located in the archipelago of the Society Islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is the economic, cultural and political centre of French Polynesia. The island was formed from volcanic activity and is high and mountainous...
.
He can be seen here every day, at all hours, except not on Mondays and Thursdays, when he expels melancholy thoughts at the venerable Congress
Congress
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different nations, constituent states, independent organizations , or groups....
of his countrymen in Philadelphia. Also, not from 11 a.m. to 12 noon because he is engaged in Constantinople
Constantinople
Constantinople was the capital of the Roman, Eastern Roman, Byzantine, Latin, and Ottoman Empires. Throughout most of the Middle Ages, Constantinople was Europe's largest and wealthiest city.-Names:...
, and not from 12 noon to 1 p.m., when he lunches.
From the one-Thaler, common, everyday tricks, we want to indicate some, but not the best. Rather, we'll refer to those that can be described in a few words.
1) He removes, without leaving the room, the weather cock from the St. Jacobi church (Göttingen) and sets it on top of the St. Johannis
St. Johannis
St. Johannis is a common name for several churches in Germany:* St. Johannis Harvestehude Hamburg* St. Johannis, LüneburgIt is also the name of a part of Nuremberg....
church (Göttingen). On the other hand, he puts the flag from the St. Johannis church on the St. Jacobi church. After they have been there for a few minutes, he brings them back to their proper places. Note: everything is done without magnet
Magnet
A magnet is a material or object that produces a magnetic field. This magnetic field is invisible but is responsible for the most notable property of a magnet: a force that pulls on other ferromagnetic materials, such as iron, and attracts or repels other magnets.A permanent magnet is an object...
s, through mere speed.
2) He takes two ladies from the audience, positions them with their heads on the table and lets them turn their legs upward. Then, he pushes them so that they, with unbelievable speed, twist themselves like curls, without damage to their head dress or the respectability of the alignment of their dresses, to the greatest satisfaction of all present.
3) He takes six half-ounce
Ounce
The ounce is a unit of mass with several definitions, the most commonly used of which are equal to approximately 28 grams. The ounce is used in a number of different systems, including various systems of mass that form part of the imperial and United States customary systems...
s of the best arsenic
Arsenic
Arsenic is a chemical element with the symbol As, atomic number 33 and relative atomic mass 74.92. Arsenic occurs in many minerals, usually in conjunction with sulfur and metals, and also as a pure elemental crystal. It was first documented by Albertus Magnus in 1250.Arsenic is a metalloid...
, grinds it, and cooks it in two cans of milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
. He then treats it to the ladies. As soon as they become sick, he gives them two or three spoonfuls of melted lead
Lead
Lead is a main-group element in the carbon group with the symbol Pb and atomic number 82. Lead is a soft, malleable poor metal. It is also counted as one of the heavy metals. Metallic lead has a bluish-white color after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull grayish color when exposed...
to drink. The audience then becomes cheerful and breaks out in laughter.
4) He takes an axe
Axe
The axe, or ax, is an implement that has been used for millennia to shape, split and cut wood; to harvest timber; as a weapon; and as a ceremonial or heraldic symbol...
and strikes a bonnet
Bonnet (headgear)
Bonnets are a variety of headgear for both sexes, which have in common only the absence of a brim. Bonnet derives from the same word in French, where it originally indicated a type of material...
with it. The bonnet falls to the ground as though it is dead. On the ground, he gives it a second blow. The bonnet then rises immediately and asks, in a general way: "What music is that?" In other respects, it is in as good condition as before.
5) He gently extracts teeth from three or four ladies, puts the teeth in a bag, and lets the audience carefully shake them. Then he loads them into a small cannon
Cannon
A cannon is any piece of artillery that uses gunpowder or other usually explosive-based propellents to launch a projectile. Cannon vary in caliber, range, mobility, rate of fire, angle of fire, and firepower; different forms of cannon combine and balance these attributes in varying degrees,...
and fires it at the aforementioned ladies. After this, they all have their teeth again, pure and white.
6) A metaphysical
Metaphysics
Metaphysics is a branch of philosophy concerned with explaining the fundamental nature of being and the world, although the term is not easily defined. Traditionally, metaphysics attempts to answer two basic questions in the broadest possible terms:...
trick. He shows that something actually can be and not be at the same time. This requires great preparation and expense, but he performs it for only one Thaler in honor of the University
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
of Göttingen.
7) He takes all of the watches, rings, and jewels, as well as gold cash when it is required, from the audience who is present. He then issues everyone an I.O.U.
IOU (debt)
An IOU is usually an informal document acknowledging debt. An IOU differs from a promissory note in that an IOU is not a negotiable instrument and does not specify repayment terms such as the time of repayment. IOUs usually specify the debtor, the amount owed, and sometimes the creditor...
. After this, he throws everything in a suitcase and travels with it to Kassel
Kassel
Kassel is a town located on the Fulda River in northern Hesse, Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Kassel Regierungsbezirk and the Kreis of the same name and has approximately 195,000 inhabitants.- History :...
. Eight days later, each person tears up their I.O.U.. After it is torn, the watches, rings, and jewelry reappear. He has earned much money with this trick.
Note: This week, he is still in the upper room of the department store. But, in the future, he will be high in the free air over the fountain in the market place. There, whoever pays nothing will see nothing.
Göttingen
January 7, 1777
Schopenhauer's reference
Philosopher Arthur SchopenhauerArthur Schopenhauer
Arthur Schopenhauer was a German philosopher known for his pessimism and philosophical clarity. At age 25, he published his doctoral dissertation, On the Fourfold Root of the Principle of Sufficient Reason, which examined the four separate manifestations of reason in the phenomenal...
made reference to the sixth trick in his discussion of Kant's
Immanuel Kant
Immanuel Kant was a German philosopher from Königsberg , researching, lecturing and writing on philosophy and anthropology at the end of the 18th Century Enlightenment....
description of the antinomy
Antinomy
Antinomy literally means the mutual incompatibility, real or apparent, of two laws. It is a term used in logic and epistemology....
(conflict of laws) of pure reason
Reason
Reason is a term that refers to the capacity human beings have to make sense of things, to establish and verify facts, and to change or justify practices, institutions, and beliefs. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, language, ...
(Critique of Pure Reason
Critique of Pure Reason
The Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant, first published in 1781, second edition 1787, is considered one of the most influential works in the history of philosophy. Also referred to as Kant's "first critique," it was followed by the Critique of Practical Reason and the Critique of Judgement...
, A406). Schopenhauer wrote: