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 somewhat 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 shah use Violence, 

 thou shah 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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