The Ethics was a philosophical work on ethics by Benedict de Spinoza, written in Latin and published in the Netherlands in 1677. Gary Mitchell considered this reading to be "longhair stuff" when James Kirk tried to interest him in it at Starfleet Academy. Infused with psionic energy at the galactic barrier in 2265, a mutated Mitchell viewed the work on a library-computer screen in sickbay and found it "simple – childish almost."