The New Morality 



cases more injury, than the stick ; or if self- 

 defence in any shape is quite forsworn then that 

 only means to resign and abandon one's place in 

 the world completely. 



And the same of the somev/hat spooney Altruism, 

 which was at one time much recommended as the 

 maxim of conduct. For all the while it is notorious 

 that the specially altruistic people are as a rule 

 painfully dull and uninteresting, and afford far 

 less life and charm to those around them than many 

 who are frankly egotistic ; and so by following 

 a formula of Altruism it seems they wreck the very 

 work they set before themselves to do — namely, 

 that of making the world brighter! 



Against these weaknesses of Christianity 

 Nietzsche was a healthy reaction. It was he 

 insisted on the terms " good " and " bad " being 

 restored to their proper use, as terms of relation — 

 *' good " for what ? " bad " for what ? But his re- 

 action against maudlin altruism and non-resistance 

 led him towards a pitfall in the opposite direction, 

 towards the erection of the worship of Force 

 almost into a formula. Thou s/iaU use Violence, 

 thou shaU Resist. His contempt for the feeble 

 and the spooney and the knock-kneed and the 

 humbug is very delightful and entertaining, and, 

 as I say, healthy in the sense of reaction ; but 

 one does not get a very clear idea what the strength 

 which Nietzsche glorifies is for, or whither it is 

 going to lead. His blonde beasts and his laugh- 

 ing lions may represent the Will to Power ; but 

 Nietzsche seems to have felt, himself, that this 



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