74. The Riddle of Death as a Riddle of Life

One would like such things to make an impression! For they are in themselves capable of making an impression, like the things I read out in relation to Karl Christian Planck. What conclusions should we actually draw from what I read out publicly yesterday about Karl Christian Planck? He died in 1880. In his “Testament of a German”, which is available to the public in printed form, there is a sentence that was written before 1880, which is exactly the same as what is happening now in this war! The man was not even mistaken about the fact that Italy could stand on the side of the Entente! But he was an “impractical idealist”. The “practical” people who were wrong about Italy's position right up to the last moment - indeed, many were wrong right up to the last moment - are the practical people of today. The impractical philosopher is not allowed to pass judgment on the physical world! But it should actually occur to people what it means that the one who judges from the laws of the world wrote down before the year 1880 what exactly coincides with current events.