Macmillan

BEYOND GOOD AND EVIL 113
is the mother of morals. It is by the loftiestand strongest
instincts, when they break out passionately and carry the
individual far above and beyond the average, and the low
level of the gregariousconscience, that the self-relianceof
the community is destroyed;its belief in itself,
backbone,
as it were, breaks;consequentlythese very instincts
will be most branded and defamed. The loftyindependent
spirituality, the will to stand alone,and even the cogent
reason, are felt to be dangers;everythingthat elevates the
individual above the herd,and is a source of fear to the
neighbour,is henceforth called evil;the tolerant, tmassuming,self-adapting,
self-equalising disposition, the mediocrity
of desires, attains to moral distinctionand honour. Finally^
under very peacefulcircumstances, there is alwaysless opportuni
and necessityfor trainingthe feelings to severity
and rigour;and now every form of severity, even in justice,
beginsto disturb the conscience; a loftyand rigourousnobleness
and self-responsibility almost offends,and awakens
distrust, "the lamb," and stillmore "the sheep,"wins respect.
There is a pointof diseased mellowness and effeminacy
in the historyof society, at which societyitselftakes
the part of him who injuresit țhe part of the criminal,and
does so, in fact,seriously and honestly.To punish,appears
to it to be somehow imfair" it is certain that the idea of
"punishment""ind "the obligation to punish"are then painful
and alarmingto people. "Is it not sufficientif the
criminal be rendered harmless? Why should we stillpunish?
Punishment itselfis terrible! " with
these questionsgregarious
morality țhe moralityof fear,draws its ultimate
conclusion. If one could at all do away with danger,the
cause of fear,one would have done away with this morality
at the same time,it would no longerbe necessary, it would
Whoever not consider itself any
"
longernecessary!
examines