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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 June 2012
The character of a learned man is of two kinds: the character of his head and of his heart. The first is concerned with cognition, the latter with inclination. The character of the heart has a strong connection with the character of the head, if learnedness is to be furthered. The character of the heart has a great influence on the direction of the understanding, and it is therefore not unimportant even in the case of speculative sciences.
The character of the head concerns understanding, reason, and taste. The faculty of imitation is exactly opposed to the faculty of genius. Those who possess the capacity of genius sometimes do not have the spirit of imitation, which, on the other hand, is common to the highest degree among those who show no genius. The Russians are supposed to have the flaw that they lack genius and just for this reason are not able to teach it. Hence science always dies out among them. Philosophy requires genius, likewise belles lettres[;] useful sciences, however, require the spirit of imitation. Mathematics only requires imitation. Learnedness and good taste are distinct from one another.
Native wit is the natural capacity of the healthy understanding and healthy reason. This cannot be learned[;] what is subsequently learned is called schooled wit. All instruction presupposes certain cognitions, or at least the capacity for them.
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