ORNAMENTS' WORK: THE EFFICACY OF KANT'S PARERGA

Olivia CUSTER, born in 1966, is currently completing a doctoral thesis on the roles of the example in Kant's work at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (Paris). 1 . This paper was presented at the International Graduate Student Research in Continental Philosophy Conference in Leuven, January 1997. 2. Specifically Kant says „Dies sind zwar nur Ausenwerke oder Beiwerke {parerga), welche einen schonen tugendahnlichen Schein geben" (The Metaphysics of Morah, Doctrine of Virtue, §48, Ak VI 473; 265. Henceforth MM. References to the English translation are given last. I am using the translation by Mary GREGOR, Cambridge University Press, 1991). The English translation cautiously translates Ausenwerke as „externals" and Beiwerke as „by-products." „Ornaments" and „accessories" are no doubt freer translations and perhaps demand a few words of explanation. ,Accessories" is a possible translation for Beiwerk. As the Duden dictionary reminds us, a Beiwerk is an accessory, an ornament which fashion dictates one add to ones clothing. It is an „accessory" in the sense of being secondary, extra decoration. Also, I note that the French translation in the Pleiade edition is „accessoires".