Yet what is Weishaupt's real political theory? No other than that of modern Anarchy, that man should govern himself and rulers should be gradually done away with. But he is careful to deprecate all ideas of violent revolution--the process is to be accomplished by the most peaceful methods. Let us see how gently he leads up to the final conclusion: The first stage in the life of the whole human race is savagery, rough nature, in which the family is the only society, and hunger and thirst are easily satisfied, ... in which man enjoys the two most excellent goods, Equality and Liberty, to their fullest extent.... In these circumstances ... health was his usual condition.... Happy men, who were not yet enough enlightened to lose their peace of mind and to be conscious of the unhappy mainsprings and causes of our misery, love of power ... envy ... illnesses and all the results of imagination. The manner in which man fell from this primitive state of felicity is then described: As families increased, means of subsistence began to lack, the nomadic life ceased, property was instituted, men established themselves firmly, and through agriculture families drew near each other, thereby language developed and through living together men began to measure themselves against each other, etc.... But here was the cause of the downfall of freedom; equality vanished. Man felt new unknown needs....[533] Thus men became dependent like minors under the guardianship of kings; the human must attain its majority and become self-governing: Why should it be impossible that the human race should attain to its highest perfection, the capacity to guide itself? Why should anyone be eternally led who understands how to lead himself?[534] Further, men must learn not only to be independent of kings but of each other: Who has need of another depends on him and has resigned his rights. So to need little is the first step to freedom; therefore savages and the most highly enlightened are perhaps the only free men. The art of more and more limiting one's needs is at the same time the art of attaining freedom....[535] Weishaupt then goes on to show how the further evil of Patriotism arose: With the origin of nations and peoples the world ceased to be a great family, a single kingdom: the great tie of nature was torn.... Nationalism took the place of human love.... Now it became a virtue to magnify one's fatherland at the expense of whoever was not enclosed within its limits, now as a means to this narrow end it was allowed to despise and outwit foreigners or indeed even to insult them. This virtue was called Patriotism....[536] And so by narrowing down affection to one's fellow-citizens, the members of one's family, and even to oneself: