Summum bonum

Kant would resolve the conflict seen in Law and Order by adhering to the duty principle by testing a maxim of the conflict against his three formulations. These formulations are used to see if a rule is a categorical imperative – that is, a rule that is in tune with the moral law and is acted out of a pure will. Basically, these categorical imperatives are rules that are absolutely universal and unconditional. On the other hand, the impure will comes out of a hypothetical imperative. This is a…

chooses to glorify his kingdom. Whether one was a prostitute, a murderer, drunk, worshiper of different idols, or even someone who is just self-righteous, they can be picked up from the darkness that sin has captivated humanity in and use it for the summum bonum (greatest good). Because of sin, the world was shrouded in the darkness until Christ came along and provided a way back to fellowship with God, it was through His blood that this was possible. Because of that sacrifice God said all sins…

In efforts to find summum bonum or the ultimate good, philosophers during the 20th century began to investigate ethical issues, and tried to create their own versions of an ideal moral code. During this time, John Stuart Mill and Peter Singer base their ethical beliefs in the philosophy of utilitarianism. Both Mill’s essay Utilitarianism and Singer’s work Famine, Affluence and Morality explore the pursuit of happiness and its relation to moral philosophy. The doctrine of utilitarianism…

human psyche, where “choices of the will result from that which the intellect recognizes as good; the will itself is determined.” Troilus sees his will as compelled to love Criseyde, because his mind has conceived of her as a “Good goodly,” a summum bonum towards which his will is…

The famous example that could be used to illustrate what Aristotle means, by when he states “mean” is the example of someone who is a coward, this individual is seen in the bottom of the virtuous spectrum, and something that is excess is one who is reckless. But a virtuous person would be seen as someone who is courageous, this falls in the middle of the spectrum, which defines one who is not a coward nor reckless, but in the medium of these two. Aristotle is also elaborative and just doesn’t…

“According to the normal view, happiness is the summum bonum towards which we’re naturally impelled by virtue - which in their definition means following one’s natural impulses” (72). Pursuing happiness is thought of as a self-centrical idea in the outside world. Once an individual attains happiness, they do not feel obligated to help the people around them, because they would rather continue to further their pleasure. Utopia, an imaginary perfect society created by Thomas More, is far different…

In the Nicomachean Ethics, Aristotle argues that happiness is the ultimate good that we strive to attain. He begins by reasoning that either we desire each good for the sake of another, that is, every good is but means to achieve another good, or that we desire at least one good for its own sake and for this good alone we desire others. He refutes the first claim of the premise by stating that, ‘if we choose everything for the sake of something else”, consequently, “the result will lead to a…

suffering. This idea of forgiveness wanted the victims to ignore their pain and loss to ensure a better future. Moreover, Tutu stated that “...to forgive is the best form of self-interest since anger, resentment, and revenge are corrosive of the summum bonum, that greatest good, communal harmony that enhances the humanity and personhood of all in the community” (35). Certainly, to live the good life people should focus on forgiveness instead of negative emotions, such as anger and revenge,…

When he [Kant] begins to deduce from this precept [i.e. CI] any of the actual duties of morality, he fails, almost grotesquely, to show that there would be any contradiction, any logical (not to say physical) impossibility, in the adoption by all rational beings of the most outrageously immoral rules of conduct. All he shows is that the consequences of their universal adoption would be such as no one would choose to incur. Here Mill considers of consequences in moral action, as we will see,…

a.2.3.1 Conscience The discussion of conscience and synderesis are to be found in his Commentary on the Sentences of Peter Lombard, Book II, distinction 39. For Bonaventure, the same is true with Aquinas conscience resides particularly in man’s rational faculty for this establish a relation to man’s performance of his action and that makes it a part of practical reason. This according to Bonaventure is divided into two parts, first, part seems to be a power for discovering the truth of very…