agathist 的詞源

1816年，源自希臘語 agathos “好的”（參見 Agatha）和 -ist。

Doctor Kearney, who formerly, with so much reputation, delivered lectures in this place on the history of Rome, observed to me once, that he was not an optimist, but an "agathist"; that he believed that every thing tended to good, but did not think himself competent to determine what was absolutely the best. The distinction is important, and seems to be fatal to the system of Optimism. [George Miller, "Lectures on the Philosophy of Modern History," Dublin, 1816]

曾在此地講授羅馬歷史的聲譽卓著的凱爾尼博士曾經對我說過，他不是一位樂觀主義者，而是一位“agathist”； 他相信一切都趨向於好，但不認爲自己有能力確定什麼是絕對最好的。這種區別很重要，似乎對樂觀主義的體系是致命的。[喬治·米勒，《現代歷史哲學講座》，都柏林，1816年]