VI ADMINISTRATIVE NIHILISM 281 



what it may not do, if, assuming the truth of 

 Locke's maxim that " Tll_.eiuLof Government is 

 the good! o mank IIK 1 ," we considej:- A- little what 



/Mil ^iinil "f nun il inrl is. ^ rf 



I I take it that the good of mankind means the /\K 



/ attainment, by every man, of all the happiness- 1 \\T 

 which he can enjoy without diminishing the ^ 

 (happiness of his fellow men. 1 



If we inquire what kinds of happiness come 

 under this definition, we find those derived from 

 the sense of security or .peace; from jKealth, or 

 commodity, obtained by commerce ; from -Art- 

 whether it be/architecture, sculpture, painting, 

 music, or literature j$ from .knnwlpdgp or science ; 

 and, finally, from ^ympat^Vj f-^rHnhip No 

 man is injured, but the contrary, by peace. 

 No man is any the worse off because another 

 acquires wealth by trade, or by the exercise of 

 a profession ; on the contrary, he cannothave 

 acquired his wealth T except by benefiting others 

 pi the full extent of jyhat. they runsiderml to be 

 its value ; and his wealth is no more than fairy 

 gold if he does not go on benefitiug others in 



1 " Hie est itaque finis ad quern tendo, talem scilicet Naturam 

 acquirere, et ut multi mecum earn acquirant, conari hoc est de 

 inea felicitate etiam operam dare, ut alii multi idem atque ego 

 intelligant, ut eorum intellectus et cupiditas prorsus cum meo 

 intellectu et cupiditate conveniant : atque hoc fiat, necesse 

 est tantum de Natura intelligere, quantum sufficit ad talem 

 naturam acquirendam ; deinde formare talem societatem qualis 

 est desideranda, ut quam plurimi quain facillime et secure 

 eo perveniant." B. SPINOZA, De Intellects Einendatione Trac- 

 tatus. 



